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Posted: March 19, 2008 Act Now To Stop Ineffective Immigration Legislation
Although the issue of immigration has largely faded from According to FBI statistics released in December, there has been a 35-percent increase in hate crimes against the Latino community since 2003. State and local initiatives seek to deny immigrants services, punishing not only immigrants but also those who offer them comfort and support. Raids, deportations and militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border continue apace. Meanwhile, anti-immigrant legislators in the House of Representatives are attempting to force an up-or-down vote on the enforcement-only Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act (H.R. 4088). Your voice is urgently needed to encourage those who represent us to oppose this bill, and, instead, seek a fair and comprehensive solution to our broken immigration system. The SAVE Act will further militarize the U.S.-Mexico border, allotting more money to ineffective but showy solutions, such as additional border fencing and other infrastructure. It will force local police to act as immigration agents.
The SAVE Act also calls for an under-funded, unrealistic attempt at an employer verification system, based upon the Social Security Administration’s “no-match” letters, which have frequently been found faulty and unreliable. The legislation does nothing to address the reasons why many immigrants come to the
As Columban missionaries, we feel a deep solidarity with the migrant experience. We see firsthand the positive contributions that migrants make to our local communities, parishes, economy and to our nation’s future.
Yet we are saddened to find that xenophobia, fear and hate are the increasingly dominant motifs of the national dialogue on migration, and that the communities we accompany are under attack. We uphold that the starting point for any immigration policy should be respect for the basic human dignity and rights of the migrant as a child of God. Please call your representatives and tell them to OPPOSE the SAVE Act (H.R. 4088). From March 17-28, Congress will be on spring recess. Representatives will be working in their home districts and anxious to hear from their constituents. Take the opportunity to tell them that you expect a comprehensive and just solution to our broken immigration system.
To reach your representative, call (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to their office. Contact information can be found at www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html. Tell the appropriate staff member who handles immigration issues the following:
Thank you for your solidarity and concern! Posted: February 13, 2008 Time to Reform Outdated Federal Mining Law
Current In the absence of an appropriate and comprehensive mining law, mining activities have contaminated more than 40 percent of the headwaters of Western watersheds and released billions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment each year. Moreover, the approximately 500,000 mines now abandoned will take billions of taxpayer dollars to clean up. Yet companies pay no royalties on what they extract and continue to purchase land for next to nothing. This past November, the House of Representatives passed the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 (HR 2262), which provides a strong template for reform. Now it is the Senate’s turn to take up the legislation, although many fear that the Senate version will leave out critical issues that will render the legislation largely useless.
Reform is urgently needed to protect communities’ health and well-being in the
In many countries where Columbans missionaries are present, mining activities have led to environmental devastation, community displacement, harm to human health and even violence, particularly in
Legislative reform would provide a valuable platform for communities in these countries as they work as advocates for their rights against multinational companies, often based or financed in the Take a moment to write U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and encourage him to work for real and meaningful reform. A sample letter, which you can adapt, is copied below. Fax your letter to the committee office at (202) 224-6163 or send it using the electronic form at energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home. For more information, please visit www.earthworksaction.org/us_program.cfm Letter template: Dear Senator Bingaman,
I write to you as a concerned citizen and a person of faith to urge you to work for real and meaningful reform of the 1872 Mining Law during the current congressional session. The outdated 1872 law externalizes the heavy costs of mineral extraction onto local communities and ecosystems. Protecting the environment is a task given all of us by God, and reform will be positive for environmental standards and sustainability in the The lack of effective environmental provisions and reclamation standards, mechanisms for community input and local control, and sensible fiscal and land-use policies in regards to public lands within the 1872 Mining Law are becoming an increasing threat to the health, well-being and ways of life of those who live within the shadow of existing mines, as well as for surrounding ecosystems. The House of Representatives provided a strong template for reform with the passage of HR 2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, late last year. We urge you to use this bill as the basis for Mining Law reform and to include these important principles in any reform bill that is introduced in the Senate: Establish Environmental and Reclamation Standards. The 1872 Mining Law contains no environmental provisions, allowing hard-rock mines to wreak havoc on Western water supplies, wildlife and landscape. Strong standards are needed to make sure damage to land and water is prevented. Perpetual pollution should be banned and mines should be required to reclaim public lands to sustain post-mining uses. Implement Fiscal Reforms. Under current law, mining companies, both foreign and domestic, have been able to purchase public lands for $5 an acre and take valuable minerals from public lands for free. The sale of public lands to corporate interests should be permanently ended, and mining companies should pay a gross royalty similar to what other extractive industries pay for what they extract from public lands. Create Funds to Clean Up Abandoned Mines. Money generated by this new royalty should go to clean up the more than 500,000 abandoned mines scattered across the West. Give Local Communities a Voice in Land-Use Decisions. State, local and tribal governments should be able to put lands important to their community off limits to mining. Allow Mining to be Balanced with Other Land Uses. The federal government currently interprets the 1872 Mining Law as mandating that mining is the highest and best use for public lands, above clean water, fragile ecosystems or recreational uses. Land managers should be able to balance mining with other valuable land uses, and have the authority to deny mining permits when necessary. Protect Special Places from Mining. Treasured areas, such as Wild and Scenic Rivers, Roadless Areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern and Wilderness Study Areas, are not appropriate places for open-pit mines and should be put off limits to new claims. Thank you for your leadership on this issue and your efforts to ensure a meaningful and effective reform of the 1872 Mining Law that will be fiscally responsible and will protect local communities and ecosystems. Sincerely, [NAME] [Congregation, if appropriate] [City, State] |