More than 100 Members of Congress Urge House Leaders to Move Comprehensive Immigration Reform with Strong Labor Protections
WASHINGTON – A group of 101 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter today to Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi supporting comprehensive immigration reform that includes polices that ensures economic competitiveness and does not undermine working conditions of U.S. workers.
“While we build a common sense immigration system to allow millions of aspiring Americans to become citizens a priority, we must also ensure that changes to our legal immigration laws provide access to a just system with fair wages and fundamental rights for all workers – those already in our country as well as those who come to work in the future,” the members of Congress wrote.
Leader Pelosi has already joined other leading Democrats to introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill that contains many key worker protections. Members hope that Speaker Boehner will work with Leader Pelosi and the Democratic leadership to bring such a bill to the floor in a bipartisan manner and under a fair process so that workers’ rights may be addressed.
October 3, 2013
Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi:
We write to urge you to enact legislation that would reform our nation’s broken immigration system and ensure a reformed system includes robust protections for U.S. and foreign workers. We strongly support key reform elements that include: 1) broad and humane treatment of the 11 million aspiring Americans, including DREAMers, and an earned path to citizenship making it possible for them to fully integrate into the nation’s social and economic fabric; and 2) policies that prevent unscrupulous employers from exploiting foreign workers and reducing wages and job opportunities for U.S. workers, while directing enforcement resources in a smart and effective manner.
We must craft a new immigration policy that ensures U.S. competitiveness in a global economy and does not undermine the working conditions of U.S. workers. To achieve these goals, the following principles should be included in any reform legislation:
- Reasonable limits on the future flow of immigrant workers into the U.S.;
- Requirements for employers to engage in robust efforts to recruit U.S. workers before resorting to immigrant/imported workers;
- Prevailing wage and decent working condition requirements;
- Portability among appropriate employers so immigrant workers are not indentured to abusive ones;
- Protections against abusive labor recruiter arrangements, including whistle-blower protections and transparency on recruiter practices;
- Meaningful recourse for workers to fight violations of labor and employment laws, including whistleblower protections and access to compensation for damages incurred as available under federal, state and local laws;
- Protections in e-verify system to guard against misuse, protect worker’s privacy and provide remedies for both workers and employers who lose employment opportunities because of government database errors; and
- Making clear that immigration enforcement remains solely the federal government’s domain,
Many of these components have been supported by both business and labor in the Senate’s immigration reform legislation and reflect the future economic needs of business and workers. We respectfully request that any proposal moved to the House floor include these principles or that the process provide the opportunity for these issues to be considered through amendments.
While building a common sense immigration system to allow millions of aspiring Americans to become citizens is a priority, we must also ensure that changes to our legal immigration laws provide access to a just system with fair wages and fundamental rights for all workers – those already in our country as well as those who come to work in the future – so that the rights, wages, and working conditions of U.S. workers are not undermined.
Sincerely,
1. George Miller
2. Sander M Levin
3. Zoe Lofgren
4. Luis V. Gutiérrez
5. Lois Capps
6. Rosa L. Delauro
7. Ann M. Kuster
8. Chris Van Hollen
9. Judy Chu
10. Matt Cartwright
11. Jerry Mcnerney
12. John Delaney
13. Bill Foster
14. Janice Schakowsky
15. Alcee Hastings
16. Adam Schiff
17. John Dingell
18. Anna Eshoo
19. Rush Holt
20. Jim Mcdermott
21. Peter Defazio
22. Robert Brady
23. Charles Rangel
24. Danny Davis
25. Sam Farr
26. Wm. Lacy Clay
27. Marcia Fudge
28. Louise Slaughter
29. Steve Cohen
30. Lloyd Doggett
31. Jared Huffman
32. Eric Swalwell
33. Richard Nolan
34. André Carson
35. Hank Johnson
36. Raúl Grijalva
37. Michelle Lujan Grisham
38. Mark Takano
39. Barbara Lee
40. Bobby Rush
41. Corrine Brown
42. John Lewis
43. Suzanne Bonamici
44. Lucille Roybal-Allard
45. John B. Larson
46. James P. McGovern
47. Paul D. Tonko
48. Juan Vargas
49. Joe Courtney
50. Gene Green
51. Brian Higgins
52. Sanford D. Bishop
53. Brad Sherman
54. James Moran
55. Eleanor Holmes Norton
56. Joseph P. Kennedy, III
57. Michael Michaud
58. Lois Frankel
59. Betty Mccollum
60. Elizabeth Esty
61. Stephen F. Lynch
62. Alan Grayson
63. Mike Honda
64. Carolyn B. Maloney
65. Julia Brownley
66. Mark Pocan
67. Yvette D. Clarke
68. Janice Hahn
69. Grace F. Napolitano
70. Alan Lowenthal
71. William L. Enyart
72. John Garamendi
73. David Cicilline
74. Carol Shea-Porter
75. Emanuel Cleaver
76. Beto O’rourke
77. Theodore Deutch
78. Bruce Braley
79. Marc Veasey
80. Michael Doyle
81. Sheila Jackson Lee
82. Peter Welch
83. Albio Sires
84. Chaka Fattah
85. Ed Perlmutter
86. Chellie Pingree
87. Diana Degette
88. Steven A. Horsford
89. Raul Ruiz
90. Frederica S. Wilson
91. Bennie G. Thompson
92. Derek Kilmer
93. Jackie Speier
94. Linda T. Sánchez
95. Loretta Sanchez
96. Frank Pallone, Jr
97. Earl Blumenauer
98. James Langevin
99. Niki Tsongas
100. Dina Titus
101. Tony Cárdenas
102. Gregorio Sablan
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