From: Joan Friedland , National Immigration Law Center Tuesday, October 26, 2004 10:27 AM UPDATE AND CONTINUING ALERT ON 9-11 BILLS: KEEP CALLING HOUSE AND SENATE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO OPPOSE DRIVER'S LICENSE AND FOREIGN IDENTITY DOCUMENT RESTRICTIONS AND OTHER ANTI-IMMIGRANT PROVISIONS IN H.R. 10 AND S. 2845 PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY ALERT!!!!! The House and Senate conference committee has been unable to reconcile the intelligence reorganizations bills passed by the House (H.R. 10) and the Senate (S. 2845). It now seems almost impossible that Congress will be able to pass a final bill in time for the President to sign it into law before the Nov. 2 election. But it is important not to let up the pressure, because the conference committee could finish its work in time for a bill to be passed and signed into law when Congress returns in November.
As we have reported previously, H.R. 10 contains anti-immigrant measures including a provision that would eliminate states' ability to provide driver's licenses to immigrants without regard to immigration status. For a summary of House and Senate driver's license provisions see http://nilc.org/immspbs/DLs/HR10andS2845sidebyside_101404.pdf H.R. 10 would also prohibit acceptance of foreign identification documents, including consular IDs (matrículas consulares). Its other anti-immigrant provisions will radically expand expedited deportations, suspend habeas corpus (the right to ask a court to review a detention/deportation) for the first time since the Civil War, allow deportations to a country with no government, allow more mandatory indefinite detentions, make it more difficult for people fleeing torture to gain asylum, and allow Homeland Security to deport immigrants before federal courts have decided on their case. S. 2845 will give the Department of Transportation authority to set standards for driver's licenses but does not have HR 10's other anti-immigrant provisions.
Your voices have been critical in persuading conferees not to agree to the anti-immigrant provisions in the House bill. So please keep calling Senate and House conferees and tell them:
You oppose the numerous anti-immigrant provisions in H.R. 10 (including driver's license and foreign identity document restrictions).
These provisions have nothing to do with national security and should not be added to Intelligence Reorganization legislation passed by the Senate.
Please also ask conferees to reconsider driver's license provisions of the Senate bill that go beyond the 9-11 Commission's recommendations and might lead to a national ID card.
House conferees are Peter Hoekstra, R-MI; Henry Hyde, R-IL; David Dreier, R-CA; James Sensenbrenner, R-WI; Duncan Hunter, R-CA; Jane Harman, D-CA; Ike Skelton, D-MO; and Robert Menendez, D-NJ.
Senate conferees are Susan Collins, R-ME; George Voinovich, R-OH; Mike DeWine, R-OH; Norm Coleman, R-MN; John Sununu, R-NH; Pat Roberts, R-KS; Trent Lott, R-MS; Joe Lieberman, D-CT; Carl Levin, D-MI; Richard Durbin, D-IL; John Rockefeller, D-WV; Bob Graham, D-FL; and Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ.
Contacting Members of Congress
Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your Representative or Senator’s office.
For House members’ contact information see http://www.house.gov/writerep/ .
For Senate members’ contact information see http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm .
For more information about the House bill's driver's license and foreign ID provisions, see http://nilc.org/immspbs/DLs/9-11hr10dlfacts_101404.pdf and http://nilc.org/immspbs/DLs/9-11hr10foreignidfacts_101404.pdf For more information about all the anti-immigrant provisions, see http://www.rightsworkinggroup.org/ .
Thanks for all your help.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tyler Moran, National Immigration Law Center, moran@nilc.org, 208-333-1424 Joan Friedland, National Immigration Law Center, friedland@nilc-dc.org, 202-216-0261 Michele Waslin, National Council of la Raza, mwaslin@nclr.org, 202-776-1735
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