| VIA FAX Dear Senator:
The Senate will soon consider HR 6061 PCS, the Secure
Fence Act of 2006, which has erroneously been referred to
as the "fence bill." This bill goes far beyond the
construction of border barriers. It provides unprecedented
authorities to the Secretary of the Department Homeland
Security (DHS) "to take all actions necessary and
appropriate to prevent all unlawful entries into the U.S."
The consequences of such an immense and vague mandate to
the Secretary could result in policies and procedures that
would adversely affect American communities at the Northern
and Southern borders, and maritime states wherever
'border' might be defined. United States citizens and lawful
permanent residents would not be immune to the consequences
of the extraordinary powers granted DHS in this bill. We
must remember that the border is not simply a delineation
line; communities live along the border and their rights
must be respected. Moreover, DHS must be held accountable
for actions taken in these communities.
Finally, we question the wisdom of delegating such
sweeping authority to a government agency. Numerous GAO and
CRS reports to Congress cite accountability and management
problems at DHS, showing that DHS requires the same
Congressional and legal oversight as other agencies
of the government.
H.R. 6061 is a broad bill with potentially harmful
consequences for American communities. We strongly urge the
Senate to oppose H.R. 6061.
Signed by the following organizations:
American Immigration Lawyers Association
American Library Association
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, New York
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Michigan
Asian American Justice Center
Border Action Network, Tucson, Arizona
CARACEN, Washington, D.C.
CAUSA, Oregon
Center for Community Change
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for National Security Studies
Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program
Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, Tucson, Arizona
Grassroots Leadership, Charlotte, North Carolina
Hispanic Coalition, Miami, Florida
Hispanic Development Corporation, Newark, New Jersey
Interfaith Refugee Action Team- Elizabeth, New Jersey
International Catholic Migration Commission
El Centro, Inc., Kansas City, Kansas
Episcopal Migration Ministries
FIRM (Fair Immigration Reform Movement)
First Amendment Foundation
First Friends, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, Miami, Florida
Idaho Community Action Network, Boise, Idaho
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Immigrant Legal Resource Center, San Francisco, California
Latin American Community Center, Wilmington, Delaware
Latino Family Services, Detroit, Michigan
Legal Momentum
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State
MAAC Project, San Diego, California
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Committee Against Repressive Legislation
National Council of La Raza
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
National Korean American Service and Education Consortium
National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women
Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest
NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby
New York Immigration Coalition
NWA Crisis Intervention Center, Springdale, Arkansas
Political Asylum Project, Austin, Texas
South Asia Network, Los Angeles, California
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
UN DIA (United Dubuque Immigrant Alliance), Dubuque, Iowa
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
Wind of the Spirit, Immigrant Resource Center, Morristown,
New Jersey
Individuals:
(Affiliation for Identification Purposes Only)
Kathryn Birkhead, Member, Hispanic Women's Organization of
Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas
Gabriel Camacho, Massachusetts Chapter President, Labor
Council for Latin American
Advancement, Boston, Massachusetts
Hilary Chester, Ph.D.
Lynn Marcus, Tucson, Arizona
Berta J. Romero, Washington, D.C.
Jane Rudd, Ph.D., Washington, D.C.
Andy Silverman, Tucson, Arizona
Naomi Swinton, Wilmington, North Carolina
Celeste Valencia, LMSW, International Catholic Migration
Commission, San Antonio, Texas
Roberta Warmack, President, Latinos for Education & Justice
Organization, Calhoun, Georgia
Virgil Wiebe, Associate Professor of Law, University of St.
Thomas School of Law
Maria Zamora, Dalton, Georgia |
