Organizational Letter Endorsement Campaign for Humane Immigration Reform

Call for Endorsements

Dear Organization Leaders,

As you may have heard, the Senate and the White House are in the process of deliberating on a final immigration reform bill. Among the issues of most concern to us are 1) the proposal to eliminate the current family preference categories for siblings & adult children and severely cutting the numbers for parents, as well as the failure to fully eliminate the family immigration backlogs 2) the proposal levying extremely high processing fees and fines and the required touchback to country of origin, and 3) the proposal to prohibit future immigrant workers to enter with family member and providing no ability to establish themselves by seeking a path to citizenship.

Family is among the most prized of American values. When considering that more than 70% of immigrants from Korea enter the U.S. through family petition, the deal brokered by a bipartisan group of Senators and the White House will destroy the current family based immigration system and effectively cut future of Korean immigration.

We cannot sit down and let our elected officials decide on our future on their own. The Korean Resource Center and NAKASEC is initiating a community campaign to make our voices heard in the Senate and the White House so that any legislation may include preserve current family preferences, fully eliminate the family immigration backlogs, provide simple & broad legalization for undocumented, and establish a future worker program with a path to citizenship.

Our activities are as follows. Please have your organization endorse a letter that KRC and NAKASEC will send to the Senate and the White House. Our first deadline is May 24th (Thursday)

1. Meeting with Guillermo Gonzalez, Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Deputy State Director on May 25th at 3pm.
2. Sending a letter to key Senate leaders and the White House.
3. Phone call and signature drive campaign.

For any questions, please contact Yongho Kim, Immigrant Rights Coordinator, at yk [at] krcla.org or 323-937-3718.

Dae J. Yoon
Executive Director
Korean Resource Center

Endorsement Form

Endorsing Organizations

Endorsing Organizations as of June 4th are (total: 46):

California
ARP Korean Church, Gardena
California Korean Contractors Association, Los Angeles
Dae Heung Korean Presbyterian Church, Gardena
Good Friend Mission for Disabled People, Los Angeles
Good News Presbyterian Church of San Francisco (PCUSA), San Francisco
Hanmi Family Counseling Ctr, Garden Grove
Korean American Educational Research Center, Los Angeles
Korean American Human Rights Institute, Upland
Korean American Patriotic Action Campaign, La Mirada
Korean American Peace Association, Los Angeles
Korean Chamber of Commerce of Orange County, Garden Grove
Korean Churches for Community Development (KCCD), Los Angeles
Korean Dry Cleaners - Laundry Association of Southern California, Gardena
Korean Resource Center (KRC), Los Angeles
Korean School at Torrance Presbyterian Church, Torrance
Korean Senior Citizen Mutual Club, Los Angeles
Korean Senior Citizens Association of S.F. Valley, Northridge
Korean-American Federation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Korean-American Seniors Coalition, Los Angeles
Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), Los Angeles
LA Center Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles
LA Open Door Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles
Medical & Dental Association in San Fernando Valley, Northridge
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, Los Angeles
Pacific American Volunteer Association (PAVA), Los Angeles
Sacramento Korean Baptist Church, Farr Oaks
Sarang Nanum Methodist Church, Paramount
SFMKMC, San Bruno
Southern California Korean American Council of Churches, Los Angeles
St. James' Church, Los Angeles
Temple Church of Christ Korean, Los Angeles
The Church at Phillippi, Los Angeles
The Light of Glory Church, Los Angeles
The Way Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles
World Mission Takwondon Association, Los Angeles
Young Koreans United (YKU) of Los Angeles, Los Angeles

Illinois
Asbury UMC
Baptist Church of Schaumburg
First Korean United Methodist Church of Chicago
Full Gospel Chicago Church
Hahna Korean Presbyterian Church
Korean American Community Services
Korean American Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC), Chicago
Salem Korean UMC
SamMool KUMC
Southgate Korean Church

Letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein

May 24, 2007

Honorable Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Fax: (202) 228-3954

Dear Senator Feinstein:

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, are writing to you to express our profound disappointment with Senate Bill 1348 “Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform Act of 2007” (SBEOIR). The provisions of S.B. 1348 does not meet the aspirations of millions of Americans demanding a fix to the broken immigration system.

As a community composed of one out of five who is undocumented and working in the underground economy and tens of thousands caught in the family immigration backlogs, the issue of humane immigration reform is of utmost importance to Korean Americans. Korean Americans are a predominantly immigrant population who are deeply aware of the devastating impact of denying basic due process rights and civil liberties to individuals. Exit poll results from the November 2006 elections in Los Angeles, CA indicate that 78% of Korean American voters favor creating a way for the undocumented to legalize their status. Moreover, 87% favor the reduction of the amount of time the government takes to process paperwork for immigrants waiting to enter the country.

S.B. 1348 is a bill that, while offering an opportunity for most of the 12 million undocumented immigrants to legalize their immigration status, only allows for this after an incredibly long waiting period and fulfilling an unrealistic country-of-origin-touchback requirement. Moreover, the remaining components of the deal are simply unworkable and unacceptable.

We cannot support a deal that shatters the current family based immigration system by eliminating preferences for siblings and adult children, as well as severely restricting entry for parents. Similarly, we cannot support a deal that proposed a future worker program with virtually no path to citizenship. We are essentially on the road to recreate the problems that face us today by creating a permanent underclass of unprotected immigrants – the new undocumented of the future.

We will oppose any deal that tears immigrant families apart, undermines basic rights and divides America by establishing a guestworker program that creates a permanent underclass of disposable, temporary workers with few rights. Immigration reform must preserve all current family preference categories, fully eliminate the family immigration backlogs, create a future worker program with a path to citizenship, and broad legalization for all.

To this end, we will continue to educate, organize, and mobilize our community, because we believe that immigration reform is key to America’s future. Together, we will redeem the American dream.

Sincerely,

Letter to Sen. Harry Reid

May 24, 2007

Honorable Harry Reid
United States Senate
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
FAX: 202-224-7327

Dear Senator Reid:

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, are writing to you to express our profound disappointment with Senate Bill 1348 “Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform Act of 2007” (SBEOIR). The provisions of S.B. 1348 does not meet the aspirations of millions of Americans demanding a fix to the broken immigration system.

As a community composed of one out of five who is undocumented and working in the underground economy and tens of thousands caught in the family immigration backlogs, the issue of humane immigration reform is of utmost importance to Korean Americans. Korean Americans are a predominantly immigrant population who are deeply aware of the devastating impact of denying basic due process rights and civil liberties to individuals.

S.B. 1348 is a bill that, while offering an opportunity for most of the 12 million undocumented immigrants to legalize their immigration status, only allows for this after an incredibly long waiting period and fulfilling an unrealistic country-of-origin-touchback requirement. Moreover, the remaining components of the deal are simply unworkable and unacceptable.

We cannot support a deal that shatters the current family based immigration system by eliminating preferences for siblings and adult children, as well as severely restricting entry for parents. Similarly, we cannot support a deal that proposed a future worker program with virtually no path to citizenship. We are essentially on the road to recreate the problems that face us today by creating a permanent underclass of unprotected immigrants – the new undocumented of the future.

We urge you to exercise forceful leadership position in protecting families, workers, and a pathway to citizenship during this legislative debate. Immigration reform must preserve all current family preference categories, fully eliminate the family immigration backlogs, create a future worker program with a path to citizenship, and broad legalization for all.

To this end, we will continue to educate, organize, and mobilize our community, because we believe that immigration reform that values immigrants as America’s families, workers, and neighbors, truly reflects America’s ideals.

Sincerely,

Letter to White House

May 29, 2007

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
FAX: 202-456-2461

Dear President Bush:

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, are writing to you today to express our opposition to the White House Plan and our profound disappointment with Senate Bill 1348 "Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Reform" (SBEOIR). The provisions of S.B. 1348 do not meet the aspirations of millions of Americans demanding a fix to the broken immigration system. We are concerned that your intervention resulted in the weakening of key provisions in the final bill that was brokered by a bipartisan group of Senators.

As a community composed of one out of five who is undocumented and working in the underground economy and tens of thousands caught in the family immigration backlogs, the issue of humane immigration reform is of utmost importance to Korean Americans. Korean Americans are a predominantly immigrant population who are deeply aware of the devastating impact of denying basic due process rights and civil liberties to individuals. Exit poll results from the November 2006 elections of indicate that an overwhelming 75% of Asian Pacific American voters support creating a way for the undocumented to legalize their status here in the United States,

In fact, a broken immigration system impacts all Americans. American voters consistently express support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship. Data from a May 2007 CNN poll show that 80% of the American public favors a program that would allow the undocumented an opportunity to come out of the shadows. In a second bipartisan poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and The Tarrance Group for the National Immigration Forum and the Manhattan Institute shows that a 65-26 majority of likely voters in favor of a path to citizenship. Support for immigration reform is alive and well among those voters most likely to come to the polls in 2008.

S.B. 1348 is a bill that, while offering an opportunity for most of the 12 million undocumented immigrants to legalize their immigration status, only allows for this after an incredibly long waiting period and fulfilling a country-of-origin-touchback requirement. With this exception, the remaining components of the deal are simply unworkable and unacceptable.

Family values are core to America and all Americans. The shattering of the current family-based immigration system by eliminating preferences for siblings and adult children, as well as severely restricting entry for parents, goes contrary to that fundamental belief; a belief that you yourself espouse and have included on all of your campaigns.

We will oppose any deal that tears immigrant families apart, undermines basic rights and divides America by establishing a guestworker program that creates a permanent underclass of disposable, temporary workers with few rights. Immigration reform must preserve all current family preference categories, fully eliminate the family immigration backlogs, create a future worker program with a path to citizenship, and broad legalization for all. If not, we will essentially be on the road to recreate the problems that face us today by creating a permanent underclass of unprotected immigrants – the undocumented of the future.

To this end, we will continue to educate, organize, and mobilize our community, because we believe that immigration reform that values immigrants as America's families, workers, and neighbors, truly reflects America's ideals.

Sincerely,