FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) today introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), the first comprehensive immigration reform legislative package introduced in this Congress.
The following can be attributed to New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman:
“The NYCLU and its 50,000 members across New York State congratulate Representative Gutierrez for taking a bold first step toward comprehensive reform of our broken immigration system by introducing his bill. For too long, too many New York families have been torn apart and too many hard-working immigrants have been kept in the shadows due to Congress’ failure to pass meaningful immigration reform. Today begins anew the hope of so many New Yorkers for the possibility of a just, humane immigration policy that respects basic fairness and civil rights.
We call on all of New York’s congressional delegation to take up the call for immigration reform as soon as possible. A sensible, fair immigration policy must provide a realistic path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; must restore due process, judicial review, and basic fairness to the immigration system; must treat immigrants in detention centers humanely and expand alternatives to immigration detention; must end local enforcement of immigration law; and must respect all Americans’ privacy and reject any attempt to create a national identity card system in the United States.
The NYCLU looks forward to working closely with New York’s congressional delegation in the coming months to advance the cause of immigration reform, a civil rights and liberties priority of the highest order. New York Senator Charles Schumer is expected to introduce the leading comprehensive immigration reform bill in the Senate early next year New York’s senior senator has proposed the creation of a national biometric ID program for all working Americans to be included as part of his reform bill. The NYCLU and its partners reject any national ID card system as a violation of basic rights and liberties.”
In November, the NYCLU released Justice and Common Sense: Immigration Reform for New York, outlining the civil rights and liberties priorities within comprehensive immigration reform.