Take notes and advise everyone of what is to come. We must counter this
commie, Open-border lobby group!

http://www.maldef.org/news/press.cfm?ID ... mIndex=yes

Senate Immigration Bill Undergoing Changes
Strong Latino Voice Needed Next Week When Senators Are Home
May 23, 2007

Latino and pro-immigrant voices must continue to be heard as the U.S. Senate
considers changes to last week's compromise agreement with the White House.
Your participation now by calling your Senators' district offices or
reaching them in Washington (202-224-3121) will strengthen MALDEF's and
others' efforts. The current focus is on family reunification and the
legalization program. Now is the time to act!

Menendez/Hagel Amendment - MALDEF, religious, Asian u American, and other
advocates strongly support this amendment to restore the ability of over
800,000 U.S. citizens to be reunited with close family members. Without this
bipartisan amendment, they would lose their place in the legal immigration
line and get shifted into the untested and unpredictable Point System for
visa allocation. Reducing opportunities for citizens who have waited to be
reunited with close family members should not be part of the overall
compromise. This amendment limits the damage to families and should be the
first amendment to be debated and voted upon today.

Clinton/Hagel Amendment - MALDEF Legislative Attorney Eric Gutierrez will
appear at a press conference today on Capitol Hill with Senators Clinton and
Hagel and immigrant advocates in support of this amendment that would treat
spouses and minor children of permanent residents as 'immediate relatives'
for immigration category purposes. If adopted, the amendment would mean that
spouses and minor children would no longer have to endure up to five years
of waiting for their visas.

Menendez/Obama Amendments - These senators are expected to offer two
amendments that would reduce the negative impact on family reunification
that would be created by the new Point System. MALDEF supports these
amendments that would (1) end the Point System after 5 years unless Congress
studies and extends it and (2) give family members a better chance of
emerging from the Point System with enough points to qualify for a visa.
MALDEF opposes this Point System entirely. If it remains in the Senate bill,
we will work to remove it in the House.

Dodd/Hatch Amendment - This bipartisan amendment would undo damage in the
compromise that makes it more difficult for the parents of U.S. citizens to
obtain a visa. The compromise would place a limit on the number of visas for
parents at roughly half the current usage. The amendment retains the
limitation but raises it to 90,000 visas per year or roughly the current
usage. MALDEF supports this amendment.

Moving to the legalization program, an unexpectedly harsh amendment may be
offered by freshman Missouri Senator McCaskill. In addition to the $5,000
fine, various application fees and eight or more year process for eventual
legal status that is already in the compromise, the potential McCaskill
Amendment would force individuals seeking legal status to admit to the
misdemeanor of entering the United States without authorization and to
perform hundreds of hours of 'community service.' MALDEF strongly opposes
this amendment as an unnecessary and unduly excessive obstacle to legal
status. The amendment ignores that (1) unauthorized immigrants already work
in some of the most dangerous, difficult, and unwanted occupations and (2)
the requirements under the compromise are already far more stringent than
any of the many legalization programs the government has regularly
administered over the past 80 years.

On Tuesday, MALDEF President and General Counsel John Trasviña addressed the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York City on the immigration legislation
and, with Legislative Attorney Eric Gutierrez, conducted a press conference
with the ACLU and AFL-CIO on various provisions of the bill. We will
continue to carry out these and other activities and invite you to let us
know of opportunities where we can educate the Latino community and others
about what is at stake in the current deliberations or assist you in your
own efforts.