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Hunger Strike For Immigrant Rights
We need your support.
Why will we go without eating?
1. We believe that no human beings are illegal!
2. We believe that the proposed law (H.R. 4437) is "unjust!"
-The law would make you be a snitch for immigration.
-The law would make you turn in your own grandmother if she was
undocumented.
-The law would make you a criminal if you help immigrants.
What can I do?
1. Come out and support the fasters. Bring your family.
-Everyday there will be a candlelight vigil starting at 6p.m.
-There will be rallies on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Monday at 12pm.
2. Call Senator Feinstein and tell her to vote no on H.R. 4437
415.393.0707, 202.224.5042
3. Let people know what is happening. Call your friends, "myspace" them.
4. Wear your orange arm-band everywhere you and "represent."
Where?
S.F. Federal Building (Golden Gate & Larkin, southwest side)
When?
Tuesday, March 21st noon to Monday, March 27th noon
BAY AREA IMMIGRANT RIGHTS COALITION
310 EIGHTH STREET, SUITE 303 � OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94607
PHONE: 510-839-7598 � FAX: 510-465-1885 � WWW.IMMIGRANTRIGHTS.ORG
The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration
Control Act of 2005 (HR 4437)
BACKGROUND: SPEEDY ACTION WITH DANGEROUS RESULTS
HR 4437 was passed by the House of Representatives on December 16,
2005, by a vote of 239 to 182. With a mere 8 days between introduction
and passage of this legislation, HR 4437 is clearly a rushed and
recycled attempt at "immigration reform." HR 4437 proposes more
unenforceable laws that wholly fail to address what many in both the
American public and Congress have recognized: That our immigration
system is broken and needs to be fixed in a manner that brings
immigrants out of the shadows of our society and provides families a
way to legally and safely reunite. Nonetheless, the White House has
issued a statement in support of HR 4437. The Senate is expected to
act on both HR 4437 and other proposed immigration legislation
starting in February.
"LOW-LIGHTS": SELECT PROVISIONS OF HR 4437
Criminalizes undocumented immigrants Under current law, living in the US without legal status is a civil violation, not a criminal one. This means that although undocumented immigrants can be arrested and deported by immigration officials, they do not face criminal charges and the possibility of prison time. HR 4437 would change this, by creating a new federal crime of "unlawful presence" and broadening the definition of immigration violations to include every violation - however minor, whether intentional or not -
as a federal crime. Criminalizing any and all immigration violations
would eliminate any opportunity for millions of undocumented immigrants who may be convicted under this provision to ever earn legal status through any future legalization program. It is also a back door way to authorize state and local police to enforce immigration laws.
Criminalizes organizations and individuals assisting undocumented
immigrants HR 4437 proposes to expand the definition of the federal crime of
"alien smuggling" to include assisting a person to remain or attempt
to remain in the United States unlawfully. This would subject social
and legal services organizations, refugee agencies, churches, and
others who work with immigrants to criminal penalties for providing
such assistance. Even family members and charitable workers could
face federal prison time for assisting undocumented immigrants.
Authorizes state and local police to enforce immigration laws
An amendment that was adopted into the final version of HR 4437
proposes to authorize law enforcement agencies with the authority to
enforce immigration laws. It further proposes the withholding of
federal funding to states that have a policy limiting the cooperation
between state and/or local police and federal immigration officials.
Recycled from Sensenbrenner's CLEAR Act bill, these exact proposals
already have been soundly defeated and strongly criticized by law
enforcement officials and others as a dangerous shift from the
long-standing policy reasons for keeping criminal and immigration
enforcement separate.
Authorizes automatic and indefinite detention for almost all immigrants
HR 4437 proposes the mandatory detention of all non-citizens
attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully. The only exceptions would be
for Cubans, and for those permitted to withdraw an application for
admission or who are paroled into the U.S. "for urgent humanitarian
reasons or significant public benefit." In addition, the bill seeks
to overturn a U.S. Supreme Court decision finding indefinite detention
to be unconstitutional, by creating a new category of "dangerous
alien" that would permit the government to indefinitely detain
individuals under removal orders who cannot be deported to their
native country.
Expands greatly the immigration consequences of criminal convictions
HR 4437 contains numerous provisions to increase the authority of the
government to deport non-citizens convicted of crimes. For example,
it proposes that a single offense of driving while intoxicated or
refusing a breathalyzer test in violation of state law to be a ground
for deportability or inadmissibility. It also authorizes the use of
expedited removal (i.e. deportation without a hearing) against anyone
who is inadmissible based on criminal grounds.
Creates a phone and Internet based employment eligibility verification
system The bill requires all employers, including those who recruit or refer
individuals for employment such as non- profit groups and labor
agencies, to use this verification system. This proposal would do
away with the current I-9 verification process, putting in its place a
system that already has been proven to be fraught with errors and used
to unlawfully discrimination against non-citizen workers.
Calls for a fence along the US-Mexico border and the elimination of
the diversity visa program Amongst the most obviously unworkable and mean-spirited provisions, HR 4437 calls for the building of a two-layered fence in parts of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. In addition, it calls for
the study of the feasibility of building a fence along the U.S.-Canada
border. HR 4437 also proposes the end to the diversity visa program.
This document was produced by Anita Sinha of the International
Institute of the East Bay (www.iieb.org) and Larisa Casillas of
Services, Immigrant Rights, Education Network (www.siren-bayarea.org).
It incorporates information from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
(ILRC) (www.ilrc.org) and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
(www.nilc.org)
Mr. Cesar A. Cruz (teolol)
director-Avenues Project- www.AvenuesProject.org
co-founder-Making Changes Ctr.- MakingChangesCenter.com
websites: www.cesarcruz.com, www.teolol.com
My Space: cesaracruzteolol
tuesday,
march 21
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wednesday, march 22
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thursday, march 23
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friday, march 24
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12pm � Press Conf. at the San Francisco Federal Building (Golden Gate
& Larkin) announcing the Start of the hunger strike
5pm �March from Dolores Park (19 & Dolores) to the Fed Bldg.
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12pm � Press Event in front of the SF Federal Bldg. connecting African
American and immigrant struggles .
6pm � Candlelight Vigil, SF Federal Building
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6pm - Candlelight
Vigil, SF Federal Building
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6pm � Candlelight Vigil, SF
Federal Building Federal
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saturday, march 25
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sunday,
march 26
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monday,
march 27
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12pm � National Day
of Solidarity and Press Event
6pm � Candlelight
Vigil, SF Federal Building
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6pm - Candlelight
Vigil, SF Federal Building
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11am � March to Senator Feinstein�s office (Montgomery y
Market) and Press Event
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