CONGRESS MUST ADDRESS IMMIGRATION REFORM

Daily Action
Written By Dick Thompson

Governor DeSantis’ use of already traumatized legal asylum seekers to rile up the MAGA base exposes the GOP’s ugly underbelly.

QUICK READ: By turning traumatized Venezuelan asylum seekers into political pawns, Florida’s MAGA Governor, Ron DeSantis, has refocused voters’ attention on our failure to address immigration reform. Biden’s proposed legislation is languishing in Congress, and MAGA courts have stymied his attempts to humanize our immigration system. To create a welcoming immigration system, which most Americans want, we must elect more Democrats to the House and the Senate who share this vision.


CONTENTS:

BACKGROUND

Last week, Florida’s Governor DeSantis paid a donor’s aviation company $1,565,000 in taxpayer dollars meant to be used in Florida for COVID relief to round up 48 already traumatized Venezuelan asylum seekers in Texas under false pretenses and dump them in Martha’s Vineyard. 

DeSantis  did this to upstage the MAGA governors of Texas and Arizona, who’d recently spent millions of taxpayer dollars bussing thousands of migrants to New York City, Chicago, and Washington, all “liberal”cities.

Since 70% of voters favor a welcoming immigration policy, DeSantis’ stunt also refocused attention on hopelessly outdated immigration policies dating from 1986. 

Biden’s attempts to reverse Trump’s inhumane policies have been stymied by MAGA state officials who’ve gotten their cases before Trump’s judicial appointees. 

Biden’s comprehensive reform agenda also foundered, since his bill—creating a pathway to citizenship, expanding visas and green cards, broadening asylum eligibility, modernizing border security, and addressing the root causes of migration—went nowhere. 

In the short-term, Congress can:

  • Provide undocumented immigrants a durable legal status 

  • Restructure the inadequately funded immigration courts

  • Reform the visa process

  • Remove the dehumanizing term “alien,” from statutes, as Oregon did.

To create a welcoming immigration system, we need more Democrats in Congress who share this vision.

ACTION One: Call the Senate.

Script for Oregon Senators

SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753

My name is [--] and I'm a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

When Governor DeSantis used already traumatized asylum seekers in the U.S. legally to rile up the MAGA base, he both exposed the GOP’s ugly underbelly and refocused voters’ attention on the need for immigration reform. Between now and election day, you need to constantly remind voters that only Democrats want to create a just and humane immigration policy and that we need more Democrats who share this vision to push Biden’s immigration agenda across the finish line.

SEN. WYDEN:

Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

When Governor DeSantis used already traumatized asylum seekers in the U.S. legally to rile up the MAGA base, he both exposed the GOP’s ugly underbelly and refocused voters’ attention on the need for immigration reform. Between now and election day, you need to constantly remind voters that only Democrats want to create a just and humane immigration policy and that we need more Democrats who share this vision to push Biden’s immigration agenda across the finish line.

Script for Republican Senators

D.C switchboard: 202-224-3121

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], [state], [zip code].

Do you want your party to appeal to voters’ basest instincts? It is past time for you to recognize that creating a just and humane immigration system is what your constituents and business interests want. You need to become part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

ACTION TWO: Call the House.

Script for Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)

Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

When Governor DeSantis used already traumatized asylum seekers in the U.S. legally to rile up the MAGA base, he both exposed the GOP’s ugly underbelly and refocused voters’ attention on the need for immigration reform. Between now and election day, you need to constantly remind voters that only Democrats want to create a just and humane immigration policy and that we need more Democrats who share this vision to push Biden’s immigration agenda across the finish line.

Script for Cliff Bentz (OR-02)

Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

Do you want your party to appeal to voters’ basest instincts? It is past time for you to recognize that creating a just and humane immigration system is what your constituents and business interests want. You need to become part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Script for Earl Blumenauer (OR-03)

Oregon office: 503-231-2300 | DC office: 202-225-4811

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

When Governor DeSantis used already traumatized asylum seekers in the U.S. legally to rile up the MAGA base, he both exposed the GOP’s ugly underbelly and refocused voters’ attention on the need for immigration reform. Between now and election day, you need to constantly remind voters that only Democrats want to create a just and humane immigration policy and that we need more Democrats who share this vision to push Biden’s immigration agenda across the finish line.

Script for Peter DeFazio (OR-04)

Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

When Governor DeSantis used already traumatized asylum seekers in the U.S. legally to rile up the MAGA base, he both exposed the GOP’s ugly underbelly and refocused voters’ attention on the need for immigration reform. Between now and election day, you need to constantly remind voters that only Democrats want to create a just and humane immigration policy and that we need more Democrats who share this vision to push Biden’s immigration agenda across the finish line.

Script for Kurt Schrader (OR-05)

Salem office: 503-588-9100 | DC office: 202-225-5711

My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code].

When Governor DeSantis used already traumatized asylum seekers in the U.S. legally to rile up the MAGA base, he both exposed the GOP’s ugly underbelly and refocused voters’ attention on the need for immigration reform. Between now and election day, you need to constantly remind voters that only Democrats want to create a just and humane immigration policy and that we need more Democrats who share this vision to push Biden’s immigration agenda across the finish line.

ACTION THREE: Good Trouble.

GOOD TROUBLE: Below are opportunities to fight for our democracy. As John Lewis said, go make some “good trouble.” 

FURTHER READING

Dick Thompson
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