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ISSUE: On January 23,
2003, the Senate passed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill (H.J.RES.
2), a joint resolution that provides Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 funding
for Federal government programs. A comparable resolution
passed the House of Representatives on January 8, 2003.
Selected members of Congress with jurisdiction over the legislation,
known as conferees, are currently meeting to work out the
differences between the two versions of the legislation. Once
the conferees complete their work, the full House and Senate will
vote on the final version of H.J.RES. 2 and send it to President
Bush.
NAAA-ADC, in coordination with other
civil rights organizations, is supporting the Senate version of
H.J.RES. 2, specifically Senate Amendment 54 proposed by Senators
John McCain (R-Arizona), Jon Kyl (R- Arizona), Edward Kennedy
(D-Massachusetts), Dianne Feinstein (D- California), and Russ
Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and agreed to in the Senate by unanimous
consent on January 22, 2003. The amendment in question
provides $165 million for the border security Entry-Exit System
while withholding Federal government funding for the controversial
National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), which has
raised serious concerns in immigration circles nationwide.
Senate amendment 54 also requires the Attorney General to report to
Congress regarding the origin, effectiveness and implementation of
the NSEERS program.
The House version of the legislation
does not contain a similar provision. Therefore, House and
Senate conferees will debate Senate amendment 54 when deciding the
final version of H.J.RES. 2.
RESPONSE: NAAA-ADC has written
to the House and Senate conferees of H.J.RES. 2 asking them to
support the Senate version of the legislation providing $165 million
for the border security Entry-Exit System while withholding funding
for the controversial National Security Entry-Exit Registration
System (NSEERS).
Since the 9/11 attacks on the United
States, NAAA-ADC has been vocal in support of serious security
measures that really enhance the safety and protection of the
American people. However, NAAA-ADC does not believe that
national security needs have to be achieved at the expense of
constitutionally protected civil liberties. Therefore, NAAA-ADC
has actively opposed controversial programs, like NSEERS, that
target innocent and law-abiding immigrants based on ethnicity,
national origin, race and religion instead of relying on solid
intelligence information relevant to counter-terrorism. NAAA-ADC
firmly believes that NSEERS has been counterproductive,
discriminatory and injurious to the civil rights of many immigrants
who are unfairly targeted as a "suspect" group.
TAKE ACTION: Please write your
members of Congress and ask them to support efforts to include
Senate Amendment 54 in the final version of the Omnibus
Appropriations Bill (H.J.RES. 2). By doing so, members of
Congress will be supporting much-needed funding to strengthen the
real security of our borders while suspending funding for the
ill-conceived and ineffective NSEERS program.
To take action now go to: www.naaa-adc.org
or www.capwiz.com/adc.
Your letter will have increased
significance if your member of Congress is a conferee on H.J.RES. 2.
For your information, Senators who
are conferees include: Stevens (R- Alaska), Cochran
(R-Mississippi), Specter (R-Pennsylvania), Domenici (R-New Mexico),
Bond (R-Missouri), McConnell (R-Kentucky), Burns (R- Montana),
Shelby (R-Alabama), Gregg (R-New Hampshire), Bennett (R- Utah),
Campbell (R-Colorado), Craig (R-Idaho), Hutchison (R-Texas), DeWine
(R-Ohio), Brownback (R-Kansas), Byrd (D-West Virginia), Inouye
(D-Hawaii), Hollings (D-South Carolina), Leahy (D-Vermont), Harkin
(D- Iowa), Mikulski (D-Maryland), Reid (D-Nevada), Kohl
(D-Wisconsin), Murray (D-Washington), Dorgan (D-North Dakota),
Feinstein (D- California), Durbin (D-Illinois), Johnson (D-South
Dakota), and Landrieu (D-Louisiana).
For your information, Members
of the House of Representatives who are conferees include: Young
(R-Florida), Regula (R-Ohio), Rogers (R- Kentucky), Wolf
(R-Virginia), Kolbe (R-Arizona), Walsh (R-New York), Taylor (R-North
Carolina), Hobson (R-Ohio), Istook (R-Oklahoma), Bonilla (R-Texas),
Knollenberg (R-Michigan), Kingston (R-Georgia), Obey (D-Wisconsin),
Murtha (D-Pennsylvania), Dicks (D-Washington), Sabo (D-Minnesota),
Mollohan (D-West Virginia), Kaptur (D-Ohio), Visclosky (D-Indiana),
Lowey (D-New York), Serrano (D-New York), and Moran (D-Virginia).
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