LCCR Calls for Rejection of "Harsh and Unfair" Immigration Bill
Feature Story by Tyler Lewis - 12/14/2005
A sweeping immigration bill opposed by a number of national organizations is set for a vote by the House of Representatives on December 15.The Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act (HR 4437), sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R. Wis., was approved (23-18) by the House Judiciary Committee last week.
The bill would make any unlawful presence in the United States, even a visa overstay, a felony and would expand the government's ability to indefinitely lock up immigrants who cannot be deported, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) noted in a letter sent to the house on December 14 in opposition to the bill. Many of the provisions would apply retroactively, which would affect noncitizens currently living in the U.S.
Civil rights groups say that the bill needlessly criminalizes immigrants. Ralph G. Neas, executive director of People For the American Way (PFAW), said in a statement that the bill "would make criminals out of hard-working, tax-paying members of our society, take away from some legal permanent residents the ability to become citizens, and deprive many immigrants of critical rights."
"While we need to have a comprehensive approach to reforming our nation's broken immigration system, this deeply flawed bill attempts to criminalize undocumented immigrants without providing any safe, legal alternatives for people who simply want to share in the American Dream," LCCR Executive Director Wade Henderson said.
A report, "American Justice Through Immigrants' Eyes," released last year by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund and the American Bar Association, criticized immigration reform laws enacted in 1996 that created a "two-tier system of justice that singles out one segment of society for less favorable treatment."
The report states that such a system "runs sharply against the grain of American principles and poses a threat to the integrity of the justice system as a whole."
Immigration reform is a contentious issue for GOP legislators and HR 4437 will likely expose the rift that exists within the party on this issue. Many Republicans agree with Democrats that at the very least, there needs to be some kind of guest worker program that will provide undocumented workers with some form of legal status.
Many civil rights and immigrants' rights groups believe that HR 4437 is being rushed through Congress without enough study before the session ends. "These controversial powers should be subjected to the full consideration of the legislative process and proper debate and deliberation," said Caroline Frederickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office.
Other organizations opposing HR 4437 include the ACLU, PFAW, the National Council of La Raza, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
