Sensenbrenner-King Illegal Immigration Bill is very cold

Last night I attended a candlelight vigil held in Marshalltown to support a campassionate immigration policy and to oppose the Sensenbrenner-King Illegal Immigration bill. The events was sponspored by Latinos en Accion and Iowa CCI.

The evening was extremely cold (wind chill probably near 0 degrees), so I wasn't expecting a huge crowd. Despite the cold weather, the event went great. There were some good speakers, great signs thanks to students from Grinnell College (such as "Say no to Sense-lessbrenner") , and amazingly there were close to 150 people there. The speakers outlined how NAFTA has affected farmers in the United States and Mexico, how the Sensenbrenner-King bill harms immigrants and communities, and the need for real immigration reform.

The Sensenbrenner-King (Peter from NY, not Steve from IA) Bill passed in the House in December and will be debated soon in the Senate. The bill would pose harsh penalties to not only illegal immigrants, but to anyone who aids illegal immigrants. That would include churches and non-profits, maybe even schools and hospitals. It would make all local police into immigration agents, harming the safety of our communities by making immigrants scared of being arrested if they report illegal behavior.

150 people braved the cold to stand up for compassionate immigration reform, so please call Senator Grassly and Senator Harkin and ask them to oppose the Sensenbrenner-King Anti-immigration (HR 4437) and to vote in favor of the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill.

Senator Grassley: (515) 288-1145
Senator Harkin: (515) 284-4574