Thread: IL-7 Il congressmen sign letter to Obama urging imm refor

7 Illinois congressmen sign letter to Obama urging immigration reform this year

12:46 PM CDT, August 3, 2009

CHICAGO (AP) — Seven members of Illinois' congressional delegation are joining immigrant rights activists in pushing President Barack Obama for immigration reform this year.

U.S. Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Mike Quigley and Danny Davis have signed a letter to Obama that says laws need to be passed that keep immigrant families together, protect workers and provide safe migration opportunities.

U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush, Jan Schakowsky, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Phil Hare also signed the letter, which is circulating in the U.S. House.

Their announcement Monday echoes calls for reform by activist groups who are getting impatient that a reform bill isn't before lawmakers.

The groups include the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Obama has vowed to deal with immigration reform but has offered few specifics.


http://www.wqad.com/news/sns-ap-il--imm ... 2870.story

Fine, the politcal baffoons that sent this letter to Obama must agree to personally pay for illegals themselves and leave the American people's tax dollars alone.

They have complete forgotten who they work for. Let's remind them in 2010.

Will be interesting to see how many signatures they can drum up...something tells me immigration will not be too popular right now

according to a staffer in Jackson's office, the letter was written by
NY Congressman Crowley

Gutierrez is always in the middle of all of this crap. This traitor needs to go.

Originally Posted by butterbean

Gutierrez is always in the middle of all of this crap. This traitor needs to go.

His district is perhaps the most gerrymandered in the country. No chance his hispanic constituents will vote him out. I know, it's disgusting.

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

Originally Posted by butterbean

Gutierrez is always in the middle of all of this crap. This traitor needs to go.

His district is perhaps the most gerrymandered in the country. No chance his hispanic constituents will vote him out. I know, it's disgusting.

Have you seen the gerrymandering for Nydia Velazquez district?
It's OBSCENE!

So Danny, Mike, how much did Luis pay you guys?

Oh my goodness, these are the types of politicians we have in Illinois. I could barely listen to Quigley's speech.


Illinois Dems Renew Push For Immigration Reform

Quigley on comprehensive immigration reform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4fazoBo ... r_embedded

by Angela Caputo on August 03, 2009 - 5:13pm

When the summer recess is over and Congress returns to Capitol Hill, will immigration reform remain a top priority for Democrats? While members of Congress have been sending mixed messages about exactly how hard they'll push for reform, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has pledged to introduce legislation before Labor Day. And just this morning, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that she sees drafting such legislation as the most pressing issue on her department's agenda. Still, the White House itself has been somewhat slow to commit.

Today, seven Democratic members of Illinois' congressional delegation -- Reps. Mike Quigley, Danny Davis, Luis Gutierrez, Jan Schakowsky, Phil Hare, Jesse Jackson Jr., and Bobby Rush -- sent an open letter to President Obama urging him to add his political muscle to the immigration fight. "Letters like this push the agenda," Rep. Quigley said at a press conference today. "Our role as a congressmen is to help set the priorities." Watch:

As far as local immigration advocates are concerned, the goals for reforming the nation's immigration laws haven't changed since Obama took office. The broad objective is to put the nation's 12 million undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship. Sen. Dick Durbin's Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors bill (the DREAM Act) is also sure to be a key part of any package. Here's the outline included in the lawmakers' letter:

We must move forward with a commonsense, American solution that secures the border, protects the rights of all workers, and modernizes our legal immigration programs. A key element of this reform is requiring all undocumented immigrants to register, go through background checks, pay taxes, and study English in order to obtain legal status and be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship.

This comprehensive approach will not only secure our borders, level the playing field for workers, and stop dishonest employers from gaining an unfair advantage, but it will bring in critical revenue by integrating more people into the economy as workers, taxpayers, and consumers. The other options – maintaining the status quo or trying to force 12 million illegal immigrants to leave the country – are neither viable nor desirable.

Rep. Gutierrez has been laying the groundwork for these reforms for months now. In May, he wrapped up his 21-state Family Unity Tour, which sought to energize elected officials and grassroots organizers to push for change. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is helping to keep the momentum going through its own legacy campaign. "We see progres," Gutierrez said today. "And it is time for the President to take on reform -- this year."

http://progressillinois.com/2009/8/3/de ... ion-reform