Coalition Announces Community Forums on the Impact of Immigration Proposals

Washington, DC - In response to Congress' immigration field hearings, the Liberty & Justice for All campaign coordinators will host three community forums about the impact of current immigration proposals. Campaign leaders including Hate Free Zone Washington (Seattle, WA), the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (Oakland, CA), and the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (Dearborn, MI) will hold the forums in mid-August (August 15-17, 2006). The forums will occur in Bellingham (WA), Detroit (MI), and Arizona.

Members of Congress advocating for "enforcement only" are pushing for overly punitive provisions that will ensnare millions of hard-working would-be Americans without providing any path to legalization. The community forums will examine the impact of this approach on local communities.

"Many of the proposals have nothing to do with border security but instead punish working families because of minor infractions or simply for seeking a better life," said Paul M. Igasaki, Executive Director of the Liberty & Justice for All Campaign. "This will result in the separation of parents from their children with no legal recourse to reunite the family."

"Current proposals and administration efforts seek to deport people and to jail them without any of the basic due process rights guaranteed everyone by the Constitution such as an opportunity for court review," added Igasaki. "Congress should create a fair immigration system that will respect human rights and civil liberties."

Campaign leaders are available to talk with media representatives about local community perspectives about current immigration proposals and suggest fair alternative solutions.