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China News Digest - US Regional Services (Bo Xiong) --------------- Date: Thu, 3 Aug 95 19:03:19 CDT From: my@math.luc.edu (Miao Ye) Message-Id: <9508040003.AA08255@math.luc.edu> Subject: Special Report Status: RO ============================================================================== %%%%%%% Editorial Board of Association for Chinese Community Affairs %%%%%%% Joint Newsrelease with Committee on Immigration Thursday, August 3, 1995 ============================================================================== +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Committee on Immigration is coalition of Chinese Students, Scholars and Professionals who work against the anti-immigration legislation HR1915 +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= ============================================================================== <<<<< SPECIAL REPORT >>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Public Rally tomorrow in New York City! ................................ 17 2. SENATE BILL TO MOVE TO FLOOR FOR A VOTE ON MONDAY, AUGUST 7TH .......... 48 ============================================================================== 1. Public Rally tomorrow in New York City! ................................ 17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS! Times Square, 45th Street and Broadway Manhattan, New York City Friday, August 4, 1995 12noon - 1pm This rally is called in the last-minute because the Congress is still moving! Certain legislative efforts are being made right now in order to sticking something into the process before the Congress goes to recess. The rally is organized jointly by several organizations including Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), which is having its convention this week in NYC, and National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. The current trend in the Congress to cut legal immigration and legal immigrants' benefits is going to hurt the Asian Pacific American (APA) community the most. One important reason is that the APA community has not been very outspoken on issues such as immigration which are so vital to them, and the lawmakers have got used to dump public discontent on to APA as scapegoats in bad economic times. If the anti-immigration forces achieve what they want, the number of immigration of all categories, whether it is employment-based or family-based will be cut drastically and some categories eliminated altogether. The legal immigrants with distinct minority ethniticities will be living under constant suspicion and fear. Many social benefits will become unavailable to immigrants. And these are only the things on the table. If we let the anti-immigration sentiment runs its own course without checking, nothing less than a new era of exclusion of Asian Pacific immigrants will descend on this nation, less than a century later from the similar dark age last time. The only way to prevent this to happen is to stand up, to speak out, to act, and to join the forces together. People in the Congress have been asking: "Where are the Asians?" This is the time to show up and shout "here we are and we want you to hear our voice!" Come to join the rally with us and all the friends who are committed to uphold the founding principle of this nation of immigrants, that all people are created equal. Posted by: Luo Ning ============================================================================== 2. SENATE BILL TO MOVE TO FLOOR FOR A VOTE ON MONDAY, AUGUST 7TH .......... 48 ============================================================================== THE FINAL HOURS OF WELFARE REFORM ARE UPON US! SENATE BILL TO MOVE TO FLOOR FOR A VOTE ON MONDAY, AUGUST 7TH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A SIMPLE CALL TO YOUR SENATORS' OFFICES IS URGENTLY NEEDED-OFFICES ARE LOGGING ALL CALLS! Here's What's Happening: We have learned recently that the Senate is planning to begin consideration of a welfare reform proposal on Friday August 4th, continue working through Saturday, August 5th, and begin voting on the dozens and dozens of expected amendments on Monday, August 6th. Consideration of the bill could continue for several days. As you recall, the Senate Finance Committee passed Sen. Packwood's (R-OR) welfare reform bill in June. Sen. Packwood is now working with the Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) on the finishing touches of a Dole substitute welfare reform bill and it is this bill that Sen. Dole will push to the floor for a vote. Advocates in Washington are trying hard to get a copy of the bill and analyze its provisions. As of this writing, we suspect that the Dole bill's immigrant-related provisions will likely mirror Sen. Packwood's bill though there are critical questions about the Dole bill that we do not know including: Will the Dole bill deem past citizenship? What programs are subject to the deeming provisions? Are there any exceptions such as for the elderly, or victims of domestic violence to the deeming provision? Here's What You Can Do: We need to register our concerns with members of the Senate by making phone calls between now and Monday. We have learned that Senate offices are now keeping logs of the calls they receive. The more calls that Senate offices log in about concerns with immigrant-related provisions, the greater the chance we can garner support for ameliorating amendments. In other words, loud and numerous screams help. Advocates in Washington are seeking Senators willing to offer helpful amendments. Given the make-up of the Senate, the most helpful sponsors will be Republicans. Any contacts or pressure that can be brought to bear on both Democrat and Republican senators is vital. Needless to say, without support from outside Washington we can not make a difference and we won't win these battles. The messages we suggest you deliver in your calls to your senators' offices are the following: 1. TREAT LEGAL IMMIGRANTS FAIRLY - Legal immigrants are productive, taxpaying, and law abiding residents of the U.S. Study after study has shown that immigrants are net contributors to the tax-base, and that over time their incomes out-pace native-born Americans. Some immigrants, like some native-born U.S. citizens, may fall on hard times and should be equally supported. 2. NATURALIZED CITIZENS SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED AND DIVIDED - Senate proposals that prevent naturalized citizens from receiving benefits create dangerous and destructive divisions in our society. Unprecedented Finance Committee action would have denied naturalized U.S. citizens access to benefits simply because they are foreign-born. Such provisions should not be allowed to become law. 3. MEDICAID COVERAGE IS CRUCIAL TO ALL AMERICANS- It is absolutely critical to the health and well-being of all Americans that all people in our communities receive adequate health care. Providing basic care to low-income people when they face an emergency or when they are sick is not welfare. Furthermore, restrictions on basic benefits to sick adults, children, and pregnant women will not stop them from getting sick or becoming pregnant-instead it will strain local health care providers' resources and drive up long-term care costs. 4. NON-CASH PROGRAMS LIKE CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES SHOULD BE EXEMPT _FROM RESTRICTIONS - Many non-cash programs like foster care must be spared from restrictions. No conceivable purpose is served by denying help to needy children who have been removed from their families. Similarly, services such as child-care or maternal services to pregnant women are smart short term investments that should be maintained. 5. CERTAIN GROUPS DESERVE SPECIAL EXEMPTIONS THAT EVEN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES' WELFARE REFORM BILL INCLUDED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS - It is unconscionable that the Senate would pass a law that would effectively force a battered woman and her children to remain in an abusive relationship because she would be without a safety net if she fled for safety. An exemption for victims of domestic violence and their children must be included. ELDERLY LEGAL RESIDENTS OVER THE AGE OF 75 - It is mean-spirited to not provide some age cut-off for denying benefits. The alternative to providing basic assistance to the elderly is they will find themselves in poverty and suffering from untreated illnesses. Costs for these problems will be passed along to the states, localities, and communities where the elderly live. PERMANENT RESIDENTS WITH DISABILITIES SO SEVERE THEY WILL NEVER NATURALIZE - This small number of unfortunate people who will never attain citizenship through no fault of their own deserve this nation's compassion and support. Posted by: Maurice Belanger National Immigration Forum (202) 544-0004, ext. 20 HN1786 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % Editor of Association of Chinese Community Affairs: Miao Ye % % Sign on/off at listserv@ifcss.org, with mailbody as: % % sub fcbs-l Firstname Lastname, or signoff fcbs-l % % Post at fcbs-l@ifcss.org % % Anonymous ftp at ifcss.org:/ifcss/Legal/cbs % % $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ % % $ Please support our common cause by $ % % $ making your contribution payable to $ % % $ ACCA Fund, and mail it to $ % % $ Mr. Frank Chen / ACCa $ % % $ 361 Ogden Avenue, $ % % $ Jersey City, NJ 07307 $ % % $Thank you for your pledge, and we will make a difference!$ % % $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%