Green Party US Senate hopefuls charge today's Senate changes in immigrant legislation don't go far enough, call for ‘amnesty, equality'
GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA NEWS RELEASE
SACRAMENTO (March 27, 2006) - In the wake of massive statewide rallies this past weekend attended by close to a million people, Green Party candidates for U.S. Senate Monday heavily criticized proposals which would still criminalize immigrants, demanding "amnesty" and "equality" for all undocumented workers.
They said a measure approved late Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee still doesn't go far enough, and must still pass the full Senate and a compromise with the House bill (HR4437), which calls for criminalizing undocumented immigrants.
Three Greens - Tian Harter, Todd Chretien, Kent Mesplay - are running in the June Primary for the right to meet incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein in November. They called on her to do more than guarantee workers for the agricultural industry - as she did Monday - and stand up for the estimated 11 million hardworking undocumented immigrants now in the U.S.
"Nothing short of equality is acceptable," said Chretien, with Harter adding "We need amnesty for those who are here."
"We are witnessing the birth of a new civil rights movement, which is demanding amnesty for undocumented workers, the demilitarization of the Mexican-American border and general equality for immigrant workers,"Chretien said. "These protests announce the arrival of the immigrant community as a powerful political force. I oppose proposals for a new bracero program, the so-called guest worker programs, because they do not grant amnesty and equality to all undocumented workers."
"HR 4437 would impose great hardship on many hardworking and decent people. The first step is to stop that legislation," said Tian Harter, who marched in Watsonville this weekend with 1,000 others, including Fernando Suarez del Solar, whose son Jesus was one of the first people that died in Iraq.
"As an engineer, I am painfully aware that the immigration system has been manipulated to bring down wages in the high tech sector. I want to ensure everyone gets jobs, and is treated equally," added Harter.
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Contacts:
Crescenzo Vellucci, State Press Office,
916.996.9170,
Sara Amir (Los Angeles),
310.270.7106,
Dr. Bob Vizzard (Sacramento),
916.206.8953,
Daniel Brezenoff (Southern California),
310.422.2211,
Susan King (San Francisco),
415.823.5524,
The Green Party of California
PO Box 2828
Sacramento, CA 95812
Phone: (916) 448-3437
Web: http://www.cagreens.org
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