TROUBLING MOVEMENT ON IMMIGRATION         

 

The U.S. Senate may soon consider several immigration enforcement bills before adjourning for the mid-term elections.  These bills are pieces of H.R. 4437, the enforcement-only bill passed by the House in December, and were approved by the House last week.  They may now be sent to the Senate for consideration or they could be attached other “must pass” legislation, such as the Homeland Security Appropriations bill or the Defense Authorization bill.  Rather than meeting with Senators to negotiate a more comprehensive approach to immigration reform, the House has chosen to try to force through H.R. 4437 a piecemeal fashion.  With only a week left before the election recess, the Senate is under a lot of pressure to follow the House on immigration. It is critical that we speak out against this approach and urge Senators to hold firm for a comprehensive immigration reform package.

 

          ACTION NEEDED         

 

1) Call your Senators today with the following messages:

• oppose passage of the Secure Fence Act of 2006 when it comes to a vote on the Senate floor; 
• oppose any enforcement-only immigration bills which may come before the Senate;
• oppose attachment of these bills to any appropriations legislation

The Capitol Hill switchboard number is 202-224-3121 and the operator can connect you to your Senators' offices.

 

2) Send a letter to your Senators to reinforce your call - a NEW letter is available at our action website for you to edit and send.

 

Click here for more information on the House enforcement bills.

 

          BILL INTRODUCED TO COMBAT CHILD MARRIAGE         

 

We just wanted to share information with you about a bill that Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) introduced in July. The Child Marriage Prevention and Protection Act of 2006 (S. 3651) calls upon relevant U.S. government agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy to address child marriage within their existing development assistance programs. It also directs the U.S. State Department to regularly report on child marriage in their annual Human Rights report.  Child marriage is prevalent in many developing countries, putting millions of girls at risk. Girls who marry young are more likely to live in poverty, experience violence at home and much less likely to continue attending school. The practice of child marriage not only violates girls’ human rights — nearly all girls are given away in marriage without their consent — it also undermines the effectiveness of billions of dollars spent on development aid in poor countries.

 

The National Advocacy Center recently joined with other NGOs in endorsing S. 3651 and we will continue to monitor the legislation and keep you informed of its progress.

 

For more information, please visit the International Center for Research on Women.