Oppose the SAVE Act of 2007
November 26, 2007
The following alert is circulated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants campaign.
Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) has introduced the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. The legislation (HR 4088) has 112 cosponsors, approximately half Democrat and half Republican. In the Senate, Sens. Mark Pryor (R-AR) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced identical legislation prior to the Thanksgiving recess (S. 2368). To date, there are no cosponsors.
The SAVE Act is an enforcement-only bill that would expand the Basic Pilot program for employers to verify the status of their immigrant workers and increase resources for both border and interior enforcement, including an expansion of detention space. The legislation would also authorize funds to train state and local authorities to enforce immigration law. It does not include a legalization program, a worker program, or reforms to family immigration.
It is possible that, without objections from constituents, the SAVE Act could move legislatively in the upcoming year.
It is important that senators and representatives hear from their constituents that an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform is flawed and should not be pursued. Senators and representatives who have co-sponsored the legislation especially should hear opposition from their states or districts. Call the D.C. office using the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, or call the local office. Write an email or leave a message on your representative and senators’ websites: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.
Below is a list of co-sponsors of the SAVE Act in the House of Representatives, as well as model letters and talking points for your use. Please tell your elected officials that an enforcement-only approach to immigration is ineffective and should be opposed.
The following are current cosponsors of the legislation:
Democratic cosponsors as of 11/15/2007:
Arcuri (NY) Altmire (PA) Baird (WA) Barrow (GA) Bean (IL) Berry (AR) Bishop (GA) |
Boren (OK) Boswell (IA) Boucher (VA) Boyd (FL) Boyda (KS) Carney (PA) Cooper (TN) |
Cramer (AL) Davis (AL) Donnelly (IN) Ellsworth (IN) Gillibrand (NY) Gordon (TN) Hill (IN) |
Higgins (NY) Hodes (NH) Holden (PA) Kagen (WI) Kanjorski (PA) Lampson (TX) Marshall (GA) |
Matheson (UT) McIntyre (NC) McNerney (CA) Melancon (LA) Murtha (PA) Perlmutter (CO) Rodriguez (TX) |
Ross (AR) Ryan (OH) Shuler (NC) Space (OH) Stupak (MI) Tanner (TN) Taylor (MS) Udall (CO) |
All Republican cosponsors as of 11/15/2007
Akin (MO) Alexander (LA) Baker (LA) Barrett (SC) Bartlett (MD) Bilbray (CA) Bilirakis (FL) |
Blackburn (TN) Boozman (AR) Brown-Waite (FL) Broun (GA) Burgess (TX) Burton (IN) Calvert (CA) |
Campbell (CA) Capito (WV) Coble (NC) Conaway (TX) Culberson (TX) Davis (TN) Deal (GA) |
Doolittle (CA) Drake (VA) Duncan (TN) English (PA) Fallin (OK) Feeney (FL) Franks (AZ) |
Fortenberry (NE) Gilchrest (MD) Gingrey (GA) Gohmert (TX) Goode (VA) Goodlatte (VA) Graves (MO) |
Hall (TX) Hayes (NC) Hunter (CA) Inglis (SC) Jones (NC) Lamborn (CO) Manzullo (IL) |
Marchant (TX) McCaul (TX) McHenry (NC) Miller, Gary (CA) Miller (FL) Moran (KS) Murphy (PA) |
Musgrave (CO) Myrick (NC) Neugebauer (TX) Poe (TX) Price (GA) Renzi (AZ) Rohrabacher (CA) |
Roskam (IL) Royce (CA) Schmidt (OH) Sessions (TX) Shuster (PA) Smith (NE) Smith (TX) |
Tancredo (CO) Walberg (MI) Wamp (TN) Weldon (FL) Westmoreland (GA) Whitfield (KY)
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Please personalize the letter as much as possible.
Dear Senator/Representative:
I write to express my disappointment with your decision to co-sponsor HR 4088/S. 2368, the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007.
An enforcement-only bill would not adequately or effectively repair the broken U.S. immigration system. In order to do so, humane enforcement policies must be coupled with reform of our legal immigration system, including a path for permanent residence for undocumented immigrants and the creation of legal avenues for migrants to enter the country safely and legally to work.
Enforcement-only policies drive undocumented immigrants further into the shadows and bolster smuggling networks and human traffickers. Replacing illegal immigration with legal immigration would permit law enforcement to better focus their resources on apprehending criminals and would-be terrorists.
I urge you to withdraw your co-sponsorship of the SAVE Act. Instead, I urge you and your colleagues to return to the consideration of comprehensive immigration reform as soon as possible.
To those who are not signed on:
Dear Senator/Representative:
I write to urge you to oppose HR 4088/S. 2368, the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007.
... [USE SAME TWO PARAGRAPHS ABOVE.] …
I urge you to work with your colleagues to return to the consideration of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. This is the only way we can adequately repair our broken immigration system.
Talking points on the SAVE Act
- I ask that you oppose/withdraw your sponsorship of H.R. 4088/S. 2368, the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007. Enforcement-only legislation will not repair our broken immigration system. Only comprehensive immigration reform would both repair the system and secure our national borders.
- Any immigration legislation should also include a plan for legalizing the undocumented in the country, creating legal avenues for migration, and reuniting immigrant families. By creating legal visas for migrants to enter the country safely and legally, law enforcement can concentrate on apprehending criminals and would-be terrorists.
- I ask that you work with your colleagues to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill as soon as possible. A comprehensive bill would repair a broken system while an enforcement-only bill would only drive undocumented persons into the shadows and encourage further development of smuggling networks.