Rally Calls for Comprehensive Immigration Reform; Old Policy Is "Out of Step With Reality"
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 10/17/2005
Immigration reform advocates, legislators and immigrants are calling for comprehensive reform of an immigration system that Rep. Jim Kolbe, R. Ariz., said is "out of step with reality" and will continue to be a growing problem in the nation if changes are not made.Rep. Kolbe's remarks came at a September 20 rally at the Foundry United Methodist Church that kicked off a series of town hall meetings on immigration reform.
According to Rep. Kolbe, comprehensive immigration legislation must address three key issues: border security, an employment verification system, and a guest worker program. He said that the nation's current immigration laws actually encourage illegal immigration because the laws cannot be effectively enforced.
The rally also aimed to raise awareness of the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005. The bill -- currently stalled in committee -- requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and implement a national border security program, establishes a temporary worker program, and provides new allowances for family reunification.
Senator John McCain, R. Ariz., a co-sponsor of the bill, also spoke at the rally. He stressed that under this bill, amnesty would not be granted to immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally, but would provide them with the opportunity to obtain legal status.
Representative Luis Gutierrez, D. Ill., who spoke on the importance of family reunification, stressed the bicameral and bipartisan cooperation in drafting the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005.
"This issue has no party. It is an American issue," added Karen Narasaki, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center, a national organization that fights for fair immigration policies.
A number of immigrants shared their stories of the failures of the present immigration system.
One speaker affected by the failures of the present immigration laws was a fifteen-year-old, U.S. citizen Andrew Gyu-Hang Young, whose immigrant parents were recently forced to leave the country, leaving him here alone. Frustrated with the immigration laws, Young asked, "Why would my government arrest and incarcerate my mother, a non-criminal, for 178 days, move her ten different times within the State of Michigan, but never require a simple court hearing to decide if such punishment was appropriate?"
Dortota Scewczyk, an immigrant from Poland, came to the U.S. with her husband when she was 24, leaving behind their daughter, Klaudia, who was a year old. When her husband became violent and threatened to have her deported if she left him, Scewczyk sought help from Sanctuary for Families, a battered women's group that provides legal assistance
Scewczyk was able to leave her husband and apply for a green card, but she is still waiting to be reunited with her daughter, who is now five years old. "My lawyer tells me that based on my priority date and the backlog, it will take several years before I see Klaudia again. I am not sure what a priority date is or what backlog means. I am only sure of one thing: I miss my daughter," Scewczyk said.
The rally was sponsored by the New American Opportunity Campaign in partnership with the National Capital Immigration Coalition.
