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Salvador is right:  We should never support someone who rejects the rights 
of our people.  I certainly do not.

Unfortunately Ray's campaign must have made a mistake when that statement 
was made because it surely does not reflect Ray's opinion on undocumented 
immigrant workers.  In fact, quite the opposite is true.  Ray has even gone 
as far as making a commitment to help undocumented workers obtain 
immigration status and assist them on their path to citizenship.  Ray also 
fully supports the US Chamber of Commerce position on immigration as 
follows:

http://www.uschamber.com/issues/index/immigration/uscc_immigration_policy_statement.htm

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Statement on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
There is no question that the U.S. immigration system is broken. There are 
an estimated 10-12 million undocumented migrants in the United States, and 
deporting them would be the equivalent of removing the population of the 
state of Ohio—not a realistic option. As a country, we are facing an aging 
population and a severe shortage of workers to fill essential jobs when U.S. 
workers are not available.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizes that our immigration system is 
broken. To fix it, a comprehensive approach is needed because it is easier 
to enforce laws that make sense and are workable.

The Chamber supports legislative action that:
Is comprehensive, addressing both future economic needs for workers and the 
status of undocumented workers already in the United States.
Strengthens national security by providing for thorough screening of foreign 
workers and creating strong disincentives for illegal immigration.
Strengthens the rule of law by establishing clear, sensible immigration laws 
that are effectively enforced. We need a reliable, efficient, accurate and 
workable employment eligibility confirmation system that is easy to use so 
that businesses can decipher federal immigration laws without expensive 
lawyers.
Creates an immigration system that functions efficiently for employers, 
workers, and government agencies. We need a fast and dependable way to match 
willing employers with willing employees, and visa limitations that 
fluctuate according to market needs.
Ensures that U.S. workers are not displaced by foreign workers. U.S. workers 
should have first shot at all job opportunities before they are opened up to 
foreign workers.
Ensures that all workers enjoy the same labor law protections. Only by 
bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows can we protect them from 
unscrupulous employers who might exploit them, undermining the vast majority 
of employers who pay a fair wage.
Taken together, these proposals can help fix our broken immigration system 
and return business owners to doing what they do best: creating jobs. The 
U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognizes that immigrants have played an important 
role throughout our nation's history. Our economy will depend on immigrants 
even more heavily in the near future, when huge numbers of aging baby 
boomers begin to retire. By putting the right laws in place now, we can 
clear up the problems created by illegal immigration and take a large step 
toward alleviating worker shortages that will surely grow unless we act. We 
need legislation that is fair, balanced, meets the needs of our growing 
economy, and meets the test of common sense.

A bill passed by the House in December of 2005 (H.R. 4437) starkly 
illustrates the wrong approach to immigration reform. This bill would 
require all employers of all sizes from all parts of the country to verify 
that every one of their current employees is eligible to work here even 
though they have already been approved to work under the procedures required 
under current law (this would apply to 140 million employees across the 
United States!). Penalties for paperwork violations would rise to as much as 
$25,000 per person. But the House bill ignores other important immigration 
issues—such as what will happen to the millions of undocumented migrants 
already here, or how our growing need for low-skilled workers will be met.

In the Senate, a bipartisan compromise immigration bill, the Comprehensive 
Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611) was passed in May 2006. The bill 
constitutes a sound legislative blueprint which addresses both the security 
and economic needs of the country. The bill is designed to improve security 
and border enforcement, and it increases employer sanctions for knowingly 
hiring illegal aliens and establishes an employment eligibility confirmation 
system. The bill addresses the country's need for workers by creating a new 
temporary worker program and implements a method to deal with the estimated 
12 million undocumented immigrants working in the U.S. by providing avenues 
for certain undocumented workers to achieve legal status and ultimately 
lawful permanent residency, provided strict criteria are met.

The Senate bill also includes important provisions on other key immigration 
issues. S. 2611 increases the cap on H-1B high-skilled visas, and also helps 
reduce the employment-based green card backlog. The Senate bill also 
provides relief for uses of seasonal H-2B visas, by extending an exemption 
for repeat users until 2009. In addition, the Senate bill extends the 
deadline on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and also provides 
initiatives that will help implement it more effectively.

Though the Chamber considers this bill a major step toward providing a 
workable solution to the issue of the nation's broken immigration system, it 
does have concerns with certain provisions of the bill, and many changes 
will need to be made before the bill becomes law. For example, the new 
employment verification system and the prevailing wage requirements under 
the temporary worker program need particular attention. The method for 
addressing the undocumented may also be unnecessarily complicated and may 
need refinement. These two very different bills will now have to be 
negotiated into one bill, which will be a difficult endeavor, but the 
Chamber will continue to push for a comprehensive, rational approach to 
immigration reform.



From: Salvador Carranza <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask], LASUP <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [MadisonLUChA] Elections for Mayor
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:26:47 -0700 (PDT)

I just received this e-mail promoting Ray Allen for Mayor.  I heard that Ray 
Allen said that in his opinion, undocumented families shouldn't receive any 
services from the city whatsoever.  That only "citizens" should be served by 
the Mayor and the City of Madison.  If this is the case, I am outraged!!! 
And I can't understand how anybody that cares for our Latino Community can 
promote a person that, on one side of his mouth talks about economic 
opportunity for all, and on the other uses the same anti-immigrant rethoric 
that his Republican Allies and right wing zealots use.  How could we ever 
support someone who rejects the rights of our people?  We know where Mayor 
Dave stands, because he stood with us at the steps of the Capitol giving a 
voice to our community.  It is now our chance to stand with Mayor Dave for 
re-election. Vote for Mayor Dave!!

Salvador Carranza

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