Immigrant Justice: Legislation
Below are several bills supporting immigrants' rights that have been recently introduced into the 111th Congress. Download a blank petition sheet (Excel) (PDF) and modify it to focus on the bill of your choice. Have your social action committee or minister write a cover letter (PDF), and bring the cover letter and petition sheets to coffee hour, a potluck event, or other congregational gathering. Once you've collected your signatures, mail the petition pages with the cover letter to your representative. Don't forget to check OpenCongress or Thomas to see if your Representative is already a co-sponsor of the bill.
- HR 1215: Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act
Representative Roybal-Allard’s (CA-34) proposed legislation will improve detention conditions, protect immigrant children, and create alternatives for incarceration. This legislation is aimed primarily at the general immigrant population, rather than at people who may be considered a threat to the United States. People seeking new lives in the United States, or those who are fleeing persecution in their native countries deserve not to be treated as criminals by the Department of Homeland Security, and H.R. 1215 will reduce this current trend.
- HR 182: Child Citizen Protection Act
Representative Serrano's (NY-16) proposed legislation amends the Immigration and Nationality Act in order to allow immigration judges to take the welfare of a citizen child into consideration and prevent the deportation of undocumented parents when deemed to be in the child's best interests. Send emails through a Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) online action campaign.
- HR 1024: Uniting American Families Act
Representative Nadler's (NY-8) proposed legislation will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting same-gender permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as opposite-gender spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents.
- HR 2076: Border Security and Responsibility Act 2009
Representative Grijalva (AZ-7) proposed legislation will allow land managers, local officials, and local communities to have a say in border security decisions, and ensure that laws intended to protect air, water, wildlife, culture, and health and safety are fully upheld.
Last updated on Monday, May 4, 2009.
