Resolved: Immigration Reform, 6.16.09

The following resolution was adopted by the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party of Denver.  It was drafted as a collaborative effort of members of the Diversity and Outreach Committee, the Colorado Latino Forum, and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. 

 

 

WHEREAS the United States of America has always been a nation of immigrants; and

 

WHEREAS we as a country, must consider the treatment of immigrants and how their integration into our society has lasting implications on the future of this country and significantly impact non-immigrants; and

 

WHEREAS over 2 million families directly affected by our broken immigration system have within them a mixture of citizens, permanent residents and undocumented persons; and

 

WHEREAS families from countries with long backlogs are regularly separated over twenty years while individual members of the family are waiting to obtain a visa; and

 

WHEREAS over 100,000 thousand parents and their children have been torn apart by deportations according to the Department of Homeland Security; and

 

WHEREAS current workplace and home raids have been proven by multiple court decisions and witness accounts to lack due process under the current enforcement strategies; and

 

WHEREAS more than 12 million undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. work, pay taxes and significantly contribute to key industries in this country; and

 

WHEREAS in order to protect US workers, all workers, regardless of immigration status, must be afforded a fair wage, the ability to change employers, workplace safety precautions and full workplace rights including the right to organize and whistleblower protections; and

 

WHEREAS full integration of immigrants into American society requires learning English and  access to citizenship; and

 

WHEREAS enforcement of federal immigration law by local law enforcement officials is costing local and state government millions of dollars, needlessly crowding our jails and damaging community policing efforts; and

 

WHEREAS there is a need to refocus our national security resources on threats to American security in a sensible, effective and efficient way; and

 

WHEREAS we continue to squander our investment in the youth who have attended U.S. schools and have been acculturated to American society, who should not be repatriated to countries of which they have no knowledge or familiarity and who consequently are often subjected to harsh conditions or recruited into international gangs; and

 

WHEREAS the DREAM Act is an essential component of investing in our country’s intellectual capital and competitiveness in a global market; and

 

WHEREAS Comprehensive Immigration Reform must include a path for students who have completed high school or a GED to obtain conditional residency to enroll in higher education or the armed forces; and

 

WHEREAS existing multilateral agreements (e.g. NAFTA, SPP, and CAFTA) do not adequately address these integral components of successful immigration reform, and the United States of America should pursue more effective cooperative regional alliances that build on proximal interdependence, economic interrelatedness and social affinities;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Executive Committe of the Democratic Party of Denver urges, without delay, that the United States Congress and the President pass a comprehensive immigration reform that includes a clear path to citizenship. Only then will the millions of Americans affected by our broken immigration system be fully able to participate in this great democracy where they have set down roots and have endeavored to live the American dream by contributing their labor.

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon President Obama and all Congressional leaders to support comprehensive immigration reform that would:

·         Provide a pathway to citizenship for immigrants.

 

 ·         Reunify immigrant families that have been separated by immigration itself or due to work place raids and ensuing indefinite detentions and deportations.

 

·         Increase the number of visas for short-term workers to come into the United States to work in a safe, legal, and orderly way.

 

·         Extend legal protection to all workers who come to stay for a certain period of time as well as for those who stay permanently including the right to bargain for higher wages, to protest against poor working conditions, and to preserve their human rights as workers, be they documented or undocumented.

 

·         Eliminate privately-operated detention centers, which are not regulated by the federal or state governments, and end indiscriminate raids of homes and workplaces that are violations of due process and human rights. 

  • Include a path for students who have completed high school or a G.E.D. to obtain conditional residency by enrolling in higher education, the armed forces, any apprenticeship program offered by a labor union, or a community service organization.