June 6, 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 of2007" (SBEOIR). The provisions ofS.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,
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 Las 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 Lomita Adult Day Health Center, Harbor City
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 S1, 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