On May 22, the San Francisco Labor Council voted

>unanimously to endorse the national statement by the

>National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

>(NNIRR). [See copy of statement below.]

>

>The resolution to support this NNIRR statement was

>first introduced on May 8 by Frank Martin del Campo on

>behalf of the San Francisco chapter of the Labor

>Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) and the

>Economic and Social Justice Caucus of the S.F. Labor

>Council. Because of the length of the text, the

>delegates voted to bring it up for a discussion and

>vote at the Council's meeting on May 22.

>

>At the meeting of the Council last night, the

>resolution was reintroduced by SEIU Local 790 delegate

>Maria Guillen, and was motivated -- in an extended

>educational presentation -- by OPEIU Local 3 delegate

>Alan Benjamin. Nine delegates rose to support this

>resolution, including Michael Theriault, head of the

>S.F. Building and Construction Trades Council.

>

>The adoption by the S.F. Labor Council of this NNIRR

>statement is significant in that it sends a signal to

>all members of Congress -- and, more generally, to the

>broader immigrant rights movement -- that the San

>Francisco labor movement is fully united in opposition

>to all the so-called "immigration reform" bills

>currently under consideration by the Congress.

>

>The San Francisco Labor Council resolution refuses to

>accept the unacceptable tradeoffs contained in the

>McCain-Kennedy "immigration reform" bill, or more

>recently in the Hegel-Martinez "compromise bill." It

>affirms unambiguously that immigrant families, workers

>and communities deserve legalization with rights, full

>labor protections, and family reunification -- not more

>guest worker-programs, border militarization, immigrant

>prisons and deportations.

>

>It affirms, echoing the words of AFL-CIO Vice President

>Linda Chavez-Thompson, that immigrant workers "should

>be recognized as full members of society -- permanent

>residents with full rights ... because to embrace the

>expansion of temporary guest-worker programs is to

>embrace the creation of an undemocratic, two-tiered

>society."

>

>By unanimously adopting this resolution in support of

>immigrant rights, the San Francisco Labor Council --

>uniting all its AFL-CIO and Change to Win affiliates --

>has demonstrated its continued leadership role in

>putting forward a progressive vision for all working

>people.

>

> ***

>

>[Statement by National Network on Immigrant and Refugee

>Rights (NNIRR) adopted May 22, 2006 by the delegates'

>meeting of the S.F. Labor Council.]

>

>National Statement to Support Human and Civil Rights

>for All Immigrants And to Oppose Compromise Immigration

>Reform Proposals

>

>Fair and Just Immigration Reform for All

>

>We stand together as immigrant, faith, social justice,

>labor, peace, human and civil rights organizations and

>other concerned communities to support human and civil

>rights for all immigrants and to oppose the immigration

>"reform" proposals presently in the U.S. Senate. We

>oppose H.R. 4437, the immigration bill passed in the

>House of Representatives in December, as well as all of

>the compromise bills presented in the Senate.

>

>We call upon members of Congress and the Administration

>to stop masquerading these proposals as immigration

>reform. We demand nothing less than immigration

>policies that are fair and just, and that respect the

>rights and dignity of all immigrants and other members

>of our society.

>

>The rush to reach a bipartisan accord on immigration

>legislation has led to a compromise that would create

>deep divisions within the immigrant community and leave

>millions of undocumented immigrants in the shadows of

>our country. We oppose the behind-the-scenes brokering

>currently playing out in the legislative process. These

>trade-offs and deals are based on election-year

>campaigning and demands by business lobbyists, rather

>than on the best interests and voices of immigrant

>communities. We say, "No deal!"

>

>In a re-ignited civil rights movement, millions of

>immigrants, their families, neighbors and co-workers,

>along with faith and labor leaders, peace and justice

>advocates, have marched and rallied in cities across

>the United States. The mobilizations have served as a

>wake-up call for the whole country to acknowledge the

>vital role of immigrants as co-workers, neighbors and

>members of our broad society. And, as details of the

>current legislative compromise have become known, the

>voices of immigrant communities are rejecting the

>proposals for a so-called legalization program, and are

>denouncing the further erosion of human and civil

>rights through the enforcement and criminalization

>provisions. The stakes are considerable, and affect all

>of us.

>

>This year is the 20th anniversary of the 1986

>legalization and employer sanctions law, and the 10th

>anniversary of the restrictive Illegal Immigration

>Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. We cannot

>allow the current proposals to be enacted as this

>generation's flawed immigration reform legacy.

>

>What We Want: Fair and Just Immigration Reform

>

>Fair and just immigration reform means:

>

>* Genuine legalization and opportunities to adjust

>status for all undocumented immigrants, including youth

>and farmworkers

>

>* Preservation of due process, including restoration of

>access to the courts and meaningful judicial review for

>immigrants.

>

>* No indefinite detention or expansion of mandatory

>detention

>

>* No expansion of guest-worker programs

>

>* No more wasted resources allocated to further

>militarize our borders and that contribute to the

>crisis of human rights and lives in the border regions

>

>* An end to employer sanctions and electronic worker

>verification systems

>

>* The strengthening and enforcement of labor law

>protections for all workers, native and foreign born

>

>* No use of city, state or other government agencies in

>the enforcement of immigration law

>

>* No more criminalization of immigrants, or their

>service providers

>

>* Expansion of legal immigration opportunities, support

>for family reunification and immediate processing of

>the backlog of pending visa applications

>

>* Elimination of harsh obstacles to immigrating,

>including the HIV ban, "3 and 10 year bars," and high-

>income requirements for immigrant sponsors.

>

>The Current "Legalization" Proposal is Unacceptable

>

>The proposed 3-tiered temporary worker program offers

>little hope for broad, inclusive legalization of

>undocumented immigrants. What some are calling a "path

>to citizenship" in the last Senate bill is merely a

>massive temporary worker program without worker

>protections, and contains numerous hurdles that will

>drastically limit the number of undocumented immigrants

>who can actually legalize. Such a program would divide

>communities, including mixed-status families, erode

>wage and benefits standards, and place a greater burden

>on safety-net services.

>

>The Enforcement Proposals Undermine All of our Rights

>

>Significant provisions in the current Senate proposals

>would dramatically undermine a broad array of rights,

>increase the criminalization of all immigrants, result

>in mass deportations, and unfairly exclude millions

>from eligibility for any legalization opportunity. The

>expansion of expedited removal would eliminate the

>right to a court hearing, while the broadened

>definition of "aggravated felony" to include many minor

>offenses would result in mandatory detention and mass

>deportations. The proposals also seek to reinstate

>indefinite detention and increase detention facilities,

>including the use of closed military bases. Encouraging

>local police to enforce immigration law would not only

>add an additional burden that detracts from current

>responsibilities, but would discourage immigrant access

>to public safety institutions.

>

>Moreover, the increased resources to militarize the

>border, which has already cost over $30 billion in the

>past 12 years, has not deterred unauthorized border

>crossings and instead has caused a humanitarian crisis

>with the deaths of some 4,000 people in the desert.

>Current border enforcement policies, laws and

>practices, without provision for safe and legal entry,

>have resulted in the detention and criminalization of

>tens of thousands of people at a significant daily cost

>to taxpayers.

>

>The Proposals Fail to Protect Workers

>

>The current proposals would further erode already weak

>labor protections and rights for immigrants and other

>workers. Immigrant workers have historically been used

>as "cheap labor" by employers and industries unwilling

>to pay decent wages or to maintain reasonable working

>conditions. These proposals continue in that same

>shameful vein, and are designed to force and keep wages

>down to compete with cheap labor suppliers globally.

>

>Workers need more, not less, rights. A real

>legalization proposal needs to be coupled with the

>repeal of employer sanctions, the provision of the

>landmark 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act that

>has led to the criminalization of immigrant workers,

>and which would be deepened through an expansion of an

>employment verification system. This program has done

>nothing in the last twenty years but increase

>discrimination and abuse of immigrant workers.

>

>Employers have had greater leverage to threaten and

>intimidate immigrant workers, break organizing efforts,

>carry out unjust firings, and lower wages and work

>conditions for all working people. These abuses impact

>the entire American workforce, particularly the most

>vulnerable toiling in low-wage jobs such as

>farmworkers, day laborers and domestic workers.

>

>No Expansion of Guest Worker Programs

>

>A key concern is the significant expansion of guest

>worker programs found in almost all Senate proposals

>and supported by the Administration. We oppose these

>programs both when they are tied to legalization for

>undocumented immigrants already living and working

>here, and as a means for managing future flows of

>immigrants into the United States. The U.S. does not

>have a shortage of workers; what we have is a shortage

>of employers willing to pay a living wage and maintain

>decent working conditions.

>

>Guest worker programs have been condemned by labor and

>immigrant communities for their long record of

>violations of labor rights and standards, including

>blacklists and deportations of workers who protest. In

>1964, Ernesto Galarza, Cesar Chavez and other defenders

>of workplace rights won the abolition of the old

>Bracero guest worker program. The purpose of that

>program, they said, was the creation a vulnerable

>workforce in order to drive down wages and break union

>organizing efforts among immigrants and non-immigrants

>alike. The purpose of current proposals is the same.

>Temporary, contract workers are prevented the option of

>putting down roots and becoming full and equal members

>of our communities.

>

>Future migrants should not be forced to accept a

>second-class status, violating our country's most basic

>commitments to equality. They should be given permanent

>residence status, allowing them to work and travel

>freely, to exercise their labor rights, and to live as

>any other member of our society.

>

>No Compromise, No Deal on Fair and Just Immigration

>Reform

>

>In recent years, immigrant community members, including

>youth and students, farmworkers and others, have

>effectively organized and rallied in support of

>legislative proposals to strengthen their rights and

>opportunities to be equal members of this society.

>Despite the loud and determined voice of immigrant

>communities, advocates and supporters for fair and just

>immigration reform this year, we have yet to see an

>acceptable proposal from Congress. And with H.R. 4437

>already passed by the House, we are very aware that any

>proposal from the Senate would be subject to further

>compromise in a Senate-House reconciliation process,

>and would likely produce laws that would detrimentally

>affect current and future immigrants for years to come.

>

>Increased enforcement does not address the complex

>issue of global migration. Employer sanctions and

>beefed up border security have been in place for

>decades as deterrents to migration, and yet the number

>of undocumented continues to grow. The sources of

>migration rest in the problems of economic and

>political instability, poverty and war in migrant-

>sending countries.

>

>Despite the urgency of the immigration issue in this

>country, it is clearly not just a "domestic" issue and

>our policies need to consider support for economic

>stability, fair trade agreements and peace as vital to

>addressing the migration of people in search of work,

>survival, and safety.

>

>We will continue to raise our voices for genuine

>immigration reform that respects the rights and dignity

>of all immigrants, and is fair and just. Immigrant

>workers, students and families are making incredible

>sacrifices to raise their voices for themselves and

>future generations, in the face of recriminations and

>disciplinary actions from employers and schools. As

>immigrant communities continue to mobilize for their

>rights, on May 1 and beyond, we will support their

>right and choice to express themselves.

>

>We pledge to increase public education efforts and the

>building and mobilization of meaningful alliances, and

>we will encourage and support immigrant community

>leadership to advance real immigration reform. We call

>upon Congress and the Administration to heed the voices

>of immigrant communities demanding genuine immigration

>reforms: real legalization, equitable inclusion in our

>society, justice, and respect for human rights.