Asian American Justice Center

It Hurts Our Nation’s Ability to Combat Employment Discrimination!

noemail@advancingequality.org — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:00:00 GMT

During Senate committee proceedings, Senator Alexander introduced and passed an amendment to the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill that would severely restrict the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) ability to fully investigate and pursue civil actions against employers that have English-only policies in the workplace and are using these policies in a discriminatory manner.

This provision sets a dangerous precedent of eroding the ability to enforce anti-discrimination laws. A significant number of these cases demonstrate that the EEOC was pursuing employers who had no legitimate business reasons for enforcing English-only policies. Many employers were abridging more fundamental rights in the workplace such as forbidding employees from speaking their native language during breaks.

While the Senate included this provision in their CJS appropriations bill, the provision did not pass in the House. We must call upon Members in the House CJS Subcommittee to push their fellow lawmakers to remove this harmful provision from the final bill in negotiations.

TELL THEM: By preventing the government from seeking action against employers who have "English-only" policies, this provision cripples the ability of our nation to effectively prevent employment discrimination. This provision serves to only deepen barriers and propose a harmful solution to workplace discrimination.

The Alexander "English-Only" Amendment hobbles government effectiveness and accountability and its ability to properly prosecute employment discrimination.

The CJS bill is in conference from November 5-16. Please contact conferees now and urge them to strike the Alexander English-only amendment from the final CJS bill. Call the following numbers to urge Members to remove the English-Only provision!

Alan Mollahan (WV)	(202) 225-4172
Chaka Fattah (PA)	(202) 225-4001
C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger (MD)	(202) 225-3061
Adam Schiff (CA)	(202) 225-4167
Rosa L. Delauro (CT)	(202) 225-3661
David E. Price (NC)	(202) 225-1784
David Obey (WI), Ex Officio	(202) 225-3365

For questions or additional information please contact Pang Houa Moua at pmoua@advancingequality.org or (202) 296-2300 x122.

2-Nov-07 10:00 AM

You Can Help Immigrant Students Today!

noemail@advancingequality.org — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:00:00 GMT

CALL NOW to Urge Your Senators to Vote for the DREAM Act!

With a possible Senate vote on the DREAM Act as early as Wednesday, anti-immigrant groups are already flooding the Senate phones with their hateful messages. We need your help now more than ever to remind our elected officials that we should give talented youth a chance to contribute to this country!

TELL SENATORS TO VOTE FOR S. 2205 THE DREAM ACT!

Last week, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) re-introduced the DREAM Act as a new stand-alone bill, S. 2205. There are an estimated 65,000 students who graduate from high school every year without legal immigration status, including many Asian Americans. These students face a daily fear of deportation from the only country they know and many difficulties pursuing higher education or military service.

If made into law, the DREAM Act would apply to individuals brought to the U.S. at least five years ago as children, who have grown up here, and who have remained in school and out of trouble. They could get a green card six years after graduating from high school if during that time they continue on to college or serve in the military.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be directly connected to your Senators' offices. We must call more often and be louder than the anti-immigrant groups. Call now to urge both your Senators to support the DREAM Act!

23-Oct-07 5:00 PM

Calls Needed Today to Protect Families!

noemail@advancingequality.org — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:00:00 GMT

Urge Your Senators to Vote for the Following Amendments!

The current immigration bill being considered by the Senate contains provisions that severely limit the ability of families to be reunited. The following amendments will help America keep its promise to promote family values.

Menendez-Hagel Amendment

• The current Senate immigration bill will clear only part of the family-based backlog. United States citizens who submitted applications for adult children or siblings after May 1, 2005, the “cut- off date,” will lose their place in line and be punished for playing by the rules.

• The Menendez-Hagel amendment would change the “cut-off” date for legal immigrant applicants from May 1, 2005 to January 1, 2007 – the same “cut-off date” set for the legalization of undocumented immigrants.

Clinton-Hagel-Menendez Amendment

• Current immigration law and the current Senate immigration bill limit the number of green cards available to spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to 87,900 per year. This has resulted in a backlog of over 1 million family members who wait five or more years.

• The Clinton-Hagel-Menendez amendment will re-categorize spouses and children of LPRs as “immediate relatives,” thereby eliminating the cap on the number of visas available to these family members, allowing permanent residents of the U.S. to reunite with their spouses and minor children.

Dodd-Menendez Amendment

• The current Senate immigration bill would set an annual cap for green cards for parents of U.S. citizens at 40,000 (less than half the current annual average number of green cards issued to these parents). It would also create a new family visitor visa program that only allows parents of U.S. citizens and spouses and minor children of immigrants going through the legalization process to visit for 30 days per year and includes overly harsh collective penalties for overstaying.

• The Dodd-Menendez amendment would increase the annual cap of green cards from 40,000 to 90,000 for parents. It would also extend the duration of the family visitor visa from 30 days to 180 days and make the visa renewable for three years in order to make it easier for families to remain together for a longer period. Additionally, it would make penalties levied on individuals who overstay their visa only applicable to that individual and not collectively applied to their fellow citizens.

Obama-Menendez Amendment

• The current Senate immigration bill proposes a merit-based point system to replace the current systems of family-based and employment-based immigration. This system would separate millions of families and inhibit businesses from hiring experts in various fields. This departure from 100 years of immigration tradition has not been tested, and its impact on American families and society is unknown.

• The Obama-Menendez Amendment would “sunset” or repeal the point system after five years of implementation. Congress could then renew the point system or reinstate revised versions of the historically used family-based and employment-based systems – whichever serves the American people best. This amendment would not change the bill’s purpose or substance – but it would safeguard our immigration system and ensure that only the best practices are permanently implemented

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be directly connected to your Senators’ offices. Urge both your Senators to support the Menendez-Hagel, Clinton-Hagel-Menendez, Dodd and Obama-Menendez Amendments today!

4-Jun-07 4:00 PM