Thread: FAIR Legislative Update 8-21-06

From: Federation for American Immigration Reform
Date: 2006/08/21 Mon PM 04:13:17 EDT
Subject: FAIR Legislative Update 8-21-06

Latest News Releases

New Issue Paper: U.S. Cuba Policy Rewards Illegal Immigration
(August 10, 2006)

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(August 10, 2006)

New Issue Paper - Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP)
(August 8, 2006)

Pence-Hutchison "Compromise" Induces Illegal Aliens to Leave By Letting Them All Stay
(July 25, 2006)

Check out our Stein Report for the latest immigration news and information!

August 21, 2006


In this update:
Summer Still Sizzles: More Immigration Hearings Scheduled This Week
House Immigration Hearings for the Week of August 21, 2006
Speaker Hastert: If We Can Protect Iraq's Borders…We Can Protect Our Own Borders
Senator Pat Roberts Declares 2007 to be the Year of Immigration Reform
Local Communities Sued Over Ordinances Against Illegal Immigration
Summer Still Sizzles:
More Immigration Hearings Scheduled This Week
Last week House committees held six hearings on immigration reform policy.

Monday, August 14, 2006
House Education and Workforce Committee discussed illegal immigration's impact on American workers while the House Government Reform Committee gathered information on illegal immigration's impact on state, local and county governments.

Tuesday, August 15th
House Energy and Commerce Committee continued it's hearing on the impact of illegal immigration on healthcare, this time meeting in Georgia.

Wednesday, August 16th
House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Investigations discussed criminal activity along the southern border.

Thursday, August 17th
Judiciary Committee heard testimony on whether Mexico should hold veto power over U.S. border security decisions and the Select Committee on Intelligence examined how intelligence plays a significant role in protecting the border.

For more information on these hearings, click here and read our alerts.

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House Immigration Hearings for the Week of August 21, 2006
In addition to the six committee hearings held last week, another two are scheduled for this week. The locations and dates are listed below.

We urge you to check the list and attend any of the hearings that are in your area!

August 24, 2006

House

Judiciary Committee
Committee hearing on "How do illegal immigrants impact the costs of healthcare, local education, and other social services, and would these costs increase under Reid-Kennedy immigration bill? What is the societal impact of the Reid-Kennedy bill's grant of amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants?"
Witnesses: TBA
Location: Hall of Representatives, State House, 107 N. Main St., Concord, New Hampshire, 10:00am.
Contact: 202-225-2492
http://www.judiciary.house.gov/

August 25, 2006

House

House Government Reform Committee
Illegal Immigration and Local Law Enforcement Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Subcommittee hearing on "Illegal Immigration: Making A Difference by Empowering Local Law Enforcement."
Witnesses: TBA
Location: At a location TBA in Gastonia, N.C.. 11:30 a.m.
Contact: 202-225-5074

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Speaker Hastert: If We Can Protect Iraq's Borders…We Can Protect Our Own Borders
Last week Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told a Chicago radio station, "What we need to do is seal our border. If someone is bleeding to death, first of all, you stop the bleeding. We need to stop the bleeding. We can seal the border." The Speaker confidently stated that the United States can stop illegal aliens from crossing the nation's borders. He also said that Congress needs to take immigration legislation one step at a time and that the priority should be protecting our borders. "I always say if we can protect Iraq's borders against Syria and Jordan, we can protect our own borders," said the Speaker.

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Senator Pat Roberts Declares 2007 to be the Year of Immigration Reform
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) addressed his constituents recently by stating, "I want to be very clear on where I stand —border security first, immigration reform second." The Kansas Senator also declared 2007 to be the year of immigration reform. With the possibility of passing legislation addressing border security this year becoming less and less likely, the Senator believes that all is not lost. "The good news is that we are beefing up border security" and next year will be the year to tackle border security and broader immigration reform. Senator Roberts also stated that he opposed the Senate's amnesty plan.

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Local Communities Sued Over Ordinances Against Illegal Immigration
Hazelton, PA is receiving a lot of attention since passing the Illegal Immigration Relief Act which suspends the license of businesses that employ illegal aliens, imposes fines on landlords renting property to illegal aliens and declares English as the official language for the city. Hoping to stop the other towns from passing ordinances targeting illegal immigration, the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders filed lawsuits against Hazelton and Riverside, New Jersey. Riverside also recently passed an ordinance similar to the one passed in Hazelton.

Arguments against the ordinances state that local governments are violating the supremacy clause of the Constitution by attempting to regulate immigration which is a federal matter. Hazelton Mayor Louis Barletta said Hazelton is "prepared to take the fight to the highest court in the United States if we have to." The mayor has also created a legal defense fund for the city and has stated the ordinance has been effective already, "It's been incredible. We have literally seen people loading up mattresses and furniture and leaving the city en masse. That was our goal."

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