Thread: Catholics 'Justice for Immigrants'---fake constituents

We need to protest to elected US officials that this campaign makes no distinction between true constituents and illegal aliens who merely are staying with a US official's district. In our state when an initiative petition has been improperly signed by a few, they will throw out the entire sheet of ten signatures. They have a very harsh standard with improper signatures on something that affects a legal measure.



http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/
Sample statement from Postcard Campaign in the Justice for Immigrants strategy of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Dear Senator____________

I am a concerned constituent and agree with the US Catholic Bishops that he US immigration system is broken and in need of repair. I ask that this year that you support immigration reform legislation that keeps families together, adopts smart and humane enforcement policies, and ensures that immigrants without legal status register with the government and begin a path toward citizenship. Our families and communities cannot wait.
Name_______________________________
Address_____________________________
City/State/Zip_________________________

Under US law a "constituent" legally entitled to lobby the US Congress is either a citizen or a lawfully admitted permanent resident. All other lobbying must go through a process established by the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Yet, what distinction does this Postcard Campaign make when they ask if people will sign the cards? Furthermore, in order to advocate (lobby) for this campaign they are lobbying for "foreign principals" and even when that is done by US citizens they are obligated to work under the parameters of the FARA law. In federal statutes related to the FARA law, tough penalties are spelled out for those, including elected officials who violate them:

[/b]Whoever, being a public official, is or acts as an agent of a foreign principal required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act of 1938 or a lobbyist required to register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 in connection with the representation of a foreign entity.....
(18 U.S.C. § 219 is not a registration statute, but is a conflict of interest statute which makes it a criminal offense for a "public official" of the United States in the executive, legislative, or judicial branches to be or to act as an agent of a foreign principal required to register under FARA. This does not apply to special government employees who register under FARA and obtain certification from the head of the employing agency that such employment is required in the national interest.)[/b]


{b]18 USC§ 951. Agents of foreign governments

(a) Whoever, other than a diplomatic or consular officer or attache, acts in the United States as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the Attorney General if required in subsection (b), shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(b) The Attorney General shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing requirements for notification.

(c) The Attorney General shall, upon receipt, promptly transmit one copy of each notification statement filed under this section to the Secretary of State for such comment and use as the Secretary of State may determine to be appropriate from the point of view of the foreign relations of the United States. Failure of the Attorney General to do so shall not be a bar to prosecution under this section.

(d) For purposes of this section, the term "agent of a foreign government" means an individual who agrees to operate within the United States subject to the direction or control of a foreign government or official,
18 U.S.C. § 951 is aimed at non-political activities, and requires all agents operating under the control of foreign governments or foreign officials, other than diplomats, to notify the Attorney General before acting. There is a limited exception for those engaged in legal commercial transactions. Registration under FARA serves as the requisite notification.{/b}

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http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-197043-.html