***IMMEDIATE ACTION*** THE SENATE MUST KILL THE BILL DETAINING IMMIGRANTS ACCUSED OF NON-VIOLENT PROPERTY CRIMES
The new House’s first order of business was repassage of the Laken Riley Act, a bill targeting undocumented immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes that died in the Democratic Senate last session. Reps. Hoyle and Bynum were among the 48 Democrats voting for passage of this possibly unconstitutional mean-spirited bill requiring ICE detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for the property crimes of burglary, theft, or shoplifting and allowing states to sue for the federal government’s alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.
Because wrongful arrests are common in minority communities, many innocent people could be indefinitely detained, which violates due process; and allowing state A-Gs to sue removes immigration enforcement from federal jurisdiction and gives incredible power to federal courts and A-Gs hostile to immigration.
The fate of this bill, labeled by Voto Latino as a “chilling first step toward widespread family separation,” lies with the Senate, where it’s already being considered.
CALL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS NOW: Thank Reps. Bonamici, Dexter, and Salinas for sticking up for immigrant families and opposing this mean-spirited unconstitutional legislation; castigate Reps. Hoye and Bynum for their hypocrisy in labeling it “immigration reform;” and demand that Sens. Merkley and Wyden convince their colleagues that it violates due process, upends federal immigration jurisdiction, and does nothing to fix our broken immigration system or to secure the border.
ACTION One: Call the Senate.
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
SEN. WYDEN: Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
ACTION TWO: Call the House.
REP. BONAMICI (OR-01): Oregon office: 503-469-6010 | DC office: 202-225-0855
REP. BENTZ (OR-02): Medford office: 541-776-4646 | DC office: 202-225-6730
REP. DEXTER (OR-03): DC office: 202-225-4811
REP. HOYLE (OR-04): Eugene office: 541-465-6732 | DC office: 202-225-6416
REP.L BYNUM (OR-05): Salem office: 503-986-1439 | DC office: 202-225-5711
REP. SALINAS (OR-06): Salem office: 503-385-0906 | DC office: 202-225-5643
