Below is an alert from MALDEF…

Immigration Bill Advocates win early amendment fights
Senate turns back the Hutchison and Webb Amendments

The first two votes on amendments to the Comprehensive Immigration bill have gone our way. The Senate has rejected two amendments that we informed you of that would have made the legalization program unworkable.

This morning the Senate tabled, by a vote of 53-45, Senator Hutchison’s (R-TX) amendment that would have required both parents to leave the country, lacking immigration status, in order to apply for the Z visa. Had it passed, millions of immigrants would have been forced to risk being out of the country and out of status without their families. Few would have taken that risk. By a wider margin, the Senate tabled Senator Webb’s (D-VA) amendment, 79-18, that would have denied four million unauthorized immigrants the opportunity to apply for legalization. Your calls undoubtedly made a difference.

The Senate continues on immigration reform this week. More challenges are ahead – including even more damaging amendments — but MALDEF and other Latino, immigrant and community advocates will not “throw in the towel.” Today, MALDEF President and General Counsel John Trasviña joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, National Association of Latino and Appointed Elected Officials executive director Arturo Vargas, National Council of La Raza Vice President Cecilia Muñoz, United Farm Workers union president Arturo Rodriguez, Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in a national press teleconference to express continued support for Senate action.

The next hurdle facing Comprehensive Immigration Reform is an amendment expected to be offered by Senators Graham, Kyl and Martinez. This amendment would, like the Hutchison Amendment, require immigrants to return to their home country out of status before they get a Z visa. It would also permanently bar from legal status individuals who overstay their visa and require the mandatory detention of people who overstay their visas by 60 days even if they pose no threat or danger to the community or have substantial ties to the community.

We urge you to remind Senators that the Department of Homeland Security is already required to detain those who pose a threat to our community or national security; the amendment takes away all discretion from the Department of Homeland Security and uses up more detention bed space than is currently or even conceivably available in the future; and violates the rights of people who have legitimate reasons to be in the United States, may be domestic violence or trafficking victims fleeing their captors, or the victims of government error. Finally, this amendment would make the legalization program unworkable and would only replace the existing broken immigration system with another one.

All Senators may be reached at 202-224-3121