Question: I became a Lawful Permanent Resident several years ago, and am very grateful. However, there are several persons that I know that are not so lucky. They are still fighting to obtain legal residency in the U.S. Some are in deportation proceedings. Some are hiding in the shadows of America. Some are fearing everywhere they go. Are there any new leaders in Congress and should we give thanks of an elusive freedom that is so difficult to obtain?
Answer: Recently, the President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) wrote on this subject. I think it best to simply quote him. He states:
‘From the moment that terrorists attacked the United States last September, AILA has consistently supported measures legitimately required to guarantee our national security without eroding the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
AILA gratefully recognized President George W. Bush’s leadership when he reminded the nation that neither the Arabic community in the United States, nor the members of the Islamic faith throughout the world, are in any way responsible for the terrorist acts of criminals. And AILA called on leaders from both sides of the aisle to put the national interest above partisan considerations.
Midterm Congressional elections are eminent, and the siren song of perceived political advantage has started to separate the opportunists from the statesmen. Events of the last few days have, as they say, given opportunism a bad name.
On June 20, the Dallas Morning Herald quoted Representative George Gekas, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims (noting Census Bureau estimates that the undocumented population tops 8 million), as saying: “There are thousands among those millions, perhaps millions among those millions, who have exactly that kind of mind set . . . to become terrorists.”
Term limits resulted in Lamar Smith relinquishing the Immigration Subcommittee Chair in 2000. While never an immigration advocate, George Gekas, it was said, was no Lamar Smith. Could he possibly believe that there are millions of terrorists lurking among us? Had the Chair misspoken or had he unearthed an opportunist’s play book and thus signaled a sea change? Perhaps significantly, Mr. Gekas retained Smith’s subcommittee staff. And, to Mr. Gekas’s evident surprise, reapportionment has made his District more competitive, thus resulting in a serious challenge; he now must fight to win an 11th term.
Our answer came soon enough. On June 26, 2002, Mr. Gekas introduced the “Securing America’s Future through Enforcement Reform (SAFER) Act” (H.R. 5013).
SAFER is a cynical amalgam. It is over 200 pages long, but much of it can be categorized as: (1) piling on (in increasing penalties for offenses that may already be substantial); (2) redundant; and (3) grandstanding (taking credit for proposals that may eventually be enacted in other legislation). To be sure, SAFER contains some novel twists that are more than a little offensive and more than a little dangerous. (Mr. Gekas’s summary of SAFER was posted on the News Flash section of InfoNet and will remain available as Doc. No. 02062731; the text of the full bill will be posted as soon as it becomes available.) Legislatively, SAFER is irresponsible, but as its sponsors well know, it is also DOA. However, that is not the point. The point is that the political calculations were made and Representative Gekas cast his lot; he has bought FAIR’s agenda of Fear and Loathing wholesale.
This week we celebrate our independence. The first July 4th after September 11, 2001 promises to be especially poignant. It is a particularly appropriate time to rejoice in America’s liberty and diversity and to remember the sacrifices of our people, who for four centuries, have come to these shores from every corner of the world to cultivate, nurture and defend our freedom and way of life. America is immigrants and the children of immigrants. This year a second day is just as important as July 4th to validate and affirm our nation’s freedom: our election day, Tuesday, November 5.
I trust that on this July 4th we will hear and think a lot about fundamental American values. Between now and November 5 we must redouble our efforts to preserve these values. No one is better equipped to rebut anti-immigrant rhetoric than AILA attorneys. Don’t let mindless or hateful rhetoric go unchallenged. Write Opinion pieces and Letters to the Editor and be proactive in encouraging your clients to do the same. Go back to the basics–actively support candidates who have the courage to stand up for fundamental American values, immigrant rights and the rule of law. Encourage each of your eligible clients to naturalize, to register, and to vote. (A brochure, in both English and Spanish, with state-by-state voter registration information can be found on the InfoNet–go to “Advocacy Center,” then click on “Take Action” followed by “Vote Drive”). And oppose the politicians who have cynically chosen to use this moment of national crisis to undermine our heritage as a nation of immigrants, who would curtail the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Write a check, support our friends and be sure that our foes pay the price. The tools you need are at your fingertips, through InfoNet.
The late North Carolina Congressman Richardson Preyer would began a campaign by telling the troops “It’s bumper sticker, door bell ringing time again.” So it is. Let us begin.’
Let us never take for granted the freedoms which we enjoy. There are people in our very backyard who will attempt to limit those freedoms and take them away from us.
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