Letter from Roy Beck that I received.


From: Roy Beck, President, NumbersUSA
Date: Thursday 14APR05 2 a.m.


Senate to continue vote on amnesty and guestworkers today......Phone NOW, please

We won an important first vote against amnesties for illegal aliens late Wednesday in the U.S. Senate. It was a very reassuring 61-38 tally. (See below for how your Senators voted.)

But the Senators who want to globalize U.S. jobs promised that they will force several more votes today (Thursday) to reward illegal immigration and import more foreign workers.

Let's finish this job. Please start calling U.S. Senate offices as soon as you see this Alert. (See below for suggested messages.)
Your NumbersUSA Capitol Hill Team is hearing Senate staffers say Senators and their top officials are rattled by the intense scrutiny and controversy surrounding all of this. Large numbers of you are reporting that Senate staffers are insisting that their bosses do NOT support AgJobs even though we know that they are co-sponsors. There appears to be a great deal of fear and uncertainty in many of the pro-amnesty offices. Now is the time to help those offices feel even more intensity of public passion on these issues.

1. ACTION ........ Phone your Senators against AgJobs amnesty and H-2B guestworker bills


Deeper in this email, you'll see how they voted on an important resolution Wednesday. That will give you an idea of the tone to take with each office.

The lead Senators on Wednesday for flooding the country with foreign workers were Sen. Craig (R-Idaho) and Sen. Mikulski (D-Maryland).

Sen. Mikulski promised to force a vote first thing when the Senate opens today. She wants a vote on her S. 352 bill. It would increase H-2B visas for lower skilled foreign workers from 66,000 a year to an estimated 227,000.

She is trying to attach S. 352 to H.R. 1268, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005.

Sen. Craig took the floor Wednesday and even spoke some in Spanish to make it clear that he will do everything possible to get a vote today for his AgJobs amnesty that would put another 3 million illegal aliens and relatives on the road to U.S. citizenship. AgJobs is S. 359.

We are thinking that AgJobs could come as early as early afternoon, but have no way of knowing for sure.

You can find your two Senators’ phone numbers online here:

www.numbersusa.com/myMembers

or here:

www.numbersusa.com/congressinfo/


2. ACTION ........ Script for your phone call against AgJobs amnesty


Your message can be as simple as:

This is _______, calling to ask Senator_____ to oppose S. 359 as an amendment to the Emergency Iraq Supplemental under Senate consideration this week.

If you have time, you may want to be a bit more expansive and say:

This is _____ calling to ask Senator _______ to please oppose S. 359 as an amendment to the Emergency Iraq Supplemental and to vote against any other amendments that would increase foreign workers or reward illegal aliens with any sort of amnesty or path to citizenship.

Other points you might make if you want to and are given time:

Widely touted as a “guest worker� proposal, AgJOBS is an amnesty for every illegal alien, along with his/her family, who can produce sufficient evidence to show, “as a matter of just and reasonable inference,� that the illegal alien performed agricultural work in the United States for as little as the equivalent of 2 ½ standard work weeks – 100 hours – between July 1, 2003 and December 31, 2004.

This bill would reward people who have violated U.S. immigration laws, encourage past violators to return, and motivate more illegal aliens to enter the United States. Furthermore, it would grant these illegal aliens legal permanent resident status, placing these illegal aliens on the path to U.S. citizenship!

It would also help guarantee that most farm work jobs will continue to offer peasant wages, benefits and working conditions.


3. ACTION ........ Script for your phone call against H-2B visa expansion for low-skilled foreign workers


There are currently 14 million Americans who are unable to find full-time work.

Yet, Sen. Mikulski is crying the alarm of worker shortages to perform work at resorts , and they are disproportionately well represented in the high unemployment rates for the top H-2B industries. Americans are counting on Senators standing strong against the lobbying efforts of industries that profit from the H-2Bs. A vote for S. 352 is a vote for driving up unemployment and depressing wages.

Your message can be as simple as:

This is _______ calling to ask Senator_____ to oppose S. 352 as an amendment to the Emergency Iraq Supplemental considered by the Senate this week. We have plenty of unemployed American workers who need the jobs that this bill would give to H-2B visa holders.

You may also want to discuss these points:

Increasing these low-skilled visas from 66,000 to 227,000 a year would be a terrible slap at our unemployed, lower skilled American workers.

The top five occupations for which employers import the most H-2B workers are: 1) landscape laborer, 2) forest worker, 3) maid/housekeeping, 4) stable attendant, and 5) construction worker.

Yet, the three industries with the highest unemployment rates in the United States are: 1) agriculture, including landscape laborers and forest workers, (11.8 percent); 2) construction (10.3 percent); and 3) leisure/hospitality, including maids and housekeeping (8.3 percent).

The unemployment rate among the 12 million American adults who do not have a high school diploma is almost 9 percent and the unemployment rate among Black Americans is 10.5 percent. Unskilled, American workers are the most vulnerable to unemployment.

Increasing the number of H-2B workers will reduce the number of jobs available to these Americans, drive down wages, and drive up unemployment.

YOU LIKELY WILL WANT TO LEAVE YOUR POSITION ON BOTH AMENDMENTS ON THE SAME CALL.


4. TODAY'S LITTLE VICTORY ........ Majority vote to keep ALL the immigration amendments off this spending bill


Sen. Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Feinstein (D-California) offered a resolution that the Senate would keep immigration amendments off the spending bill so aid could get to our troops in Iraq as soon as possible.

When Craig and Mikulski rose to defend their proposals, Cornyn and Feinstein really spoke forcefully against amnesty and importing so many foreign workers.

It was spirited war of words that revealed that the elections of several more House Members to the Senate, we are hearing immigration finally debated more candidly and with an ear for what the American people are saying.

Sen. Isaakson (R-Georgia), Sen. Kyl (R-Arizona) and Sen. Coburn (R-Oklahoma) were fantastic allies of our throughout the debate.

Isaakson voted agaisnt the resolution today and with the open-borders Senators because he said he was ready for a full-fledged fight over immigration and thought it might as well be now as later. He noted that the citizens of Georgia have lost patience with the amnesty talk and lack of enforcement.

And Sen. Sessions (R-Alabama) was the best with common sense quips like this one:

"I don't think the Empire is going to fall if we don't have someone turning down the hotel sheets -- and maybe if we paid an American a couple bucks more an hour, maybe he/she would do it."

Although the Senate passed this resolution handily, many Senators feel it doesn't bind them to anything. That is why Mikulski immediately introduced an immigration bill to be attached to the Defense spending bill.

Nonetheless, we are hopeful that everybody who voted for the resolution can be persuaded to vote against any amendments today that add big immigration measures.


5. HOW THEY VOTED


Here is the roll call vote for the resolution. Senators voting YEA helped us by working toward the Senate passing a "clean bill" that doesn't have immigration matters on it. That would help us get a better chance to back House Members in keeping in the final conference report of the bill a ban on driver's licenses for illegal aliens, and other anti-illegal-alien measures.

Alabama:Sessions (R-AL), YeaShelby (R-AL), Yea
Alaska:Murkowski (R-AK), YeaStevens (R-AK), Yea
Arizona:Kyl (R-AZ), YeaMcCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas:Lincoln (D-AR), YeaPryor (D-AR), Yea
California:Boxer (D-CA), NayFeinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado:Allard (R-CO), YeaSalazar (D-CO), Yea
Connecticutodd (D-CT), NayLieberman (D-CT), Nay
Delaware:Biden (D-DE), NayCarper (D-DE), Nay
Florida:Martinez (R-FL), YeaNelson (D-FL), Nay
Georgia:Chambliss (R-GA), YeaIsakson (R-GA), Nay
Hawaii:Akaka (D-HI), NayInouye (D-HI), Nay
Idaho:Craig (R-ID), NayCrapo (R-ID), Nay
Illinoisurbin (D-IL), NayObama (D-IL), Nay
Indiana:Bayh (D-IN), NayLugar (R-IN), Yea
Iowa:Grassley (R-IA), YeaHarkin (D-IA), Nay
Kansas:Brownback (R-KS), YeaRoberts (R-KS), Yea
Kentucky:Bunning (R-KY), YeaMcConnell (R-KY), Yea
Louisiana:Landrieu (D-LA), YeaVitter (R-LA), Yea
Maine:Collins (R-ME), YeaSnowe (R-ME), Nay
Maryland:Mikulski (D-MD), NaySarbanes (D-MD), Nay
Massachusetts:Kennedy (D-MA), NayKerry (D-MA), Nay
Michigan:Levin (D-MI), NayStabenow (D-MI), Nay
Minnesota:Coleman (R-MN), YeaDayton (D-MN), Not Voting
Mississippi:Cochran (R-MS), YeaLott (R-MS), Yea
Missouri:Bond (R-MO), YeaTalent (R-MO), Yea
Montana:Baucus (D-MT), NayBurns (R-MT), Yea
Nebraska:Hagel (R-NE), YeaNelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada:Ensign (R-NV), YeaReid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire:Gregg (R-NH), YeaSununu (R-NH), Yea
New Jersey:Corzine (D-NJ), NayLautenberg (D-NJ), Nay
New Mexico:Bingaman (D-NM), NayDomenici (R-NM), Yea
New York:Clinton (D-NY), YeaSchumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina:Burr (R-NC), YeaDole (R-NC), Yea
North Dakota:Conrad (D-ND), NayDorgan (D-ND), Nay
OhioeWine (R-OH), NayVoinovich (R-OH), Nay
Oklahoma:Coburn (R-OK), YeaInhofe (R-OK), Yea
Oregon:Smith (R-OR), YeaWyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania:Santorum (R-PA), YeaSpecter (R-PA), Yea
Rhode Island:Chafee (R-RI), YeaReed (D-RI), Nay
South CarolinaeMint (R-SC), YeaGraham (R-SC), Yea
South Dakota:Johnson (D-SD), NayThune (R-SD), Yea
Tennessee:Alexander (R-TN), YeaFrist (R-TN), Yea
Texas:Cornyn (R-TX), YeaHutchison (R-TX), Yea
Utah:Bennett (R-UT), YeaHatch (R-UT), Yea
Vermont:Jeffords (I-VT), NayLeahy (D-VT), Nay
Virginia:Allen (R-VA), YeaWarner (R-VA), Nay
Washington:Cantwell (D-WA), YeaMurray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia:Byrd (D-WV), YeaRockefeller (D-WV), Nay
Wisconsin:Feingold (D-WI), NayKohl (D-WI), Nay
Wyoming:Enzi (R-WY), YeaThomas (R-WY), Yea

Here they are in alphabetical order:

YEAs ---61
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Santorum (R-PA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---38

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Not Voting - 1
Dayton (D-MN)



6. FEEDBACK ..... Selected comments from you


"I just called my Senators, Snowe and Collins. The young lady at Sen. Snowe's office took the info but said that she didn't know what the Senator's position on the AgJobs bill is.

"I spoke to another young lady at Sen. Collins' office, who again took the info and said that she didn't know the Senator's position on the bill. She also told me that she (personally) had gotten only one other call about the AgJobs bill and really wasn't familiar with it. I told her I thought that was a little surprising, and we discussed the bill a little. Am not sure if that indicates that Sen. Collins isn't getting calls on the issue, or if this particular staffer just hadn't handled such calls."

-- John F., Baileyville, ME

"NumbersUSA is doing a great job. I am an Independent that currently leans left. I have been working on the Democrats to get them to moderate their point of view on amnesty, illegal immigration and temporary work visas. In addition to faxes, I have written Mr Corzine and Lautenberg extensively.

"It's hard to change Democrats; view on immigration issues. They are so pro-immigrant that they fear coming out against amnesty, illegal immigration and temporary work visas. But, politicians have a survival instinct. If they think their constitutency is turning against them on these issues, they will change or they will lose elections.

"This is a long term battle. Thank you for fighting it and good luck!"

-- Robert

"Yesterday I called Senator Craig's office in Lewiston, Id. In no uncertain terms I informed the polite young woman on the phone that I vacationed in Idaho last summer and was shocked at the massive numbers of illegals we encountered in Idaho. We took our 10 year old granson on a rafting and camping trip in Idaho and then drove through to Washington state. A beautiful trip. Yet, at every stop we encountered high numbers of illegals. On two occassions we stopped to eat and were the only english speaking people in the place. We also stopped at a Walmart and again, as english speakers, were in the minority. I told her that we live on the border in east San Diego County and our remote ranch is inundated with illegal traffic and not enough border agents. We have gangland graffiti on our boulders. We have to carry a gun to take our grandkids for a walk where our kids used to ride their ponies and bikes unescorted. And Senator Craig's efforts to grant amnesty for illegals is a real slap in the face to those of us who suffer under this flood of border crashers and it is especially hurtful to our working poor. She promised to relay my message."

-- Donna Tisdale, Morning Star Ranch, California

"We will keep up the pressure until this issue is settled. I had to smile about some Washington Staffers being amazed that there are so many of us so well informed on the AG bill.. (Thank's to Numbers U.S.A).

"With the help of your staff, Roy, Washington can no more look at the American people as a bunch of sheep that can be herded in any direction they want us to go.."

-- John Harris

"My second conversation with a different Craig staffer was considerably longer but just as fruitless.

"This person says Craig knows AgJOBs isn't "the best solution but given that our current laws aren't working to stop the flow of illegals, "we have to start somewhere." I asked how we stop illegal immigration when amnesties only encourage others to sneak and wait for their amnesty to come around.

"Well," he said, "we don't know how many are here and we don't know who they are, so we need to document them and then make it much harder for others to come in illegally." How about getting serious about enforcing our existing law, cracking down on employers?" I asked.

"We don't have enough money for internal enforcement, and that's the problem," he said.

"So what you're saying," I said "is that because we can't enforce our laws the best thing to do is allow these people to stay and ultimately get citizenship." He agreed this was a good idea.

"I felt like a hamster on a wheel."

-- Dave