That time of the year has come – the legislative session is now in full swing and many crucial immigrants rights issues will come up.
Here’s one for today. This urgent request is being circulated in progressive circles throughout the nation. Please take a moment to read about how our representatives would like to add E-Verify stipulations to the stimulus package now under consideration. As an organization that holds up the rights of all people, we ask you, our ROP Immigration Fairness Network members, to step up and take action against this stipulation, which would unfairly target immigrant communities.
To ROP’s Immigration Fairness Network,
That time of the year has come – the legislative session is now in full swing and many crucial immigrants rights issues will come up.
Here’s one for today. This urgent request is being circulated in progressive circles throughout the nation. Please take a moment to read about how our representatives would like to add E-Verify stipulations to the stimulus package now under consideration. As an organization that holds up the rights of all people, we ask you, our ROP Immigration Fairness Network members, to step up and take action against this stipulation, which would unfairly target immigrant communities.
Read below for full information on the issue.
In Solidarity,
Amanda.
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Dear Immigrant Rights Supporter,
The amendment represents a massive expansion of the E-Verify program. As has been well documented, the E-Verify program is deeply flawed, inaccurate, and subject to substantial employer abuse. Bottom line – it is not ready for a massive expansion and definitely not in times of economic crisis.
The E-Verify provision in the stimulus will:
• Harm workers who are either falsely denied work or are targeted by employers abusing the E-verify program;
• Create substantial new burdens for businesses, especially small businesses, at precisely the wrong time;
• Send the wrong signal to new voters that the Congress prefers to play politics by enacting symbolic and ineffective immigration "enforcement" measures over serious and effective economic stimulus or serious immigration reform.
ACTION NEEDED
1. Call Speaker Nancy Pelosi (head of Democratic Leadership) at 202-225-0100.
2. Call Chairman Obey (chair of the House Appropriations committee) at 202-225-3365.
3. Tell them:
• You are extremely disappointed that the E-Verify requirement was included on the Stimulus and you want the provision stripped from the bill.
• Including E-verify in the stimulus package completely undercuts the purpose of the bill and will only be counterproductive for American business, workers and the economy.
• Real solutions to our economic problems and immigration reform should be approached seriously and separately.
• The flawed E-Verify program’s database errors will wrongly workers their jobs.
FAIR (the Federation for American Immigration Reform) just sent out an alert to its very active network to call committee members in support of this provision. We need to counter their calls.
Background
E-Verify is a voluntary internet-based program intended to allow employers to electronically verify the information that workers present to prove their employment eligibility by accessing information in databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). For more information on why the provision should be stripped from the economic stimulus bill, see Talking Points.