CLARK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: January 7, 2004

CONTACT: Bill Buck
CONTACT: Jamal Simmons
 

"During the last election, President Bush promised to work with President Vicente Fox and our allies to meaningfully reform our
 immigration system. That's one of many promises he hasn't kept.  Once again, the White House is talking about immigration reform, but they're
 not doing enough about it.  The Bush proposal is too little, too late.  It shouldn't take an election to get President Bush to focus on immigration
 reform.

"Today, the Bush White House proposed an immigration reform program that  fails to help the immigrants who contribute to their communities every
 day, that fails to fix backlogs in the current system, and that fails to focus law enforcement resources on improving border security.  It is wrong to leave foreign workers trapped in a temporary worker program.

"Real reform must be based on the core principles of economic security, access to legalization, family reunification, and homeland security.  We
 should allow hard-working, law-abiding, undocumented workers to eventually earn their citizenship.

"We need leadership in the White House that recognizes the important contributions that immigrants make to this country."
 

DEAN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 7, 2004

Contact: Press Office

BURLINGTON--Governor Howard Dean issued the following statement in response to President Bush's immigration proposal:

"I share the disappointment of millions of hardworking immigrants who had hoped the President would show true leadership in addressing the difficult issue of immigration reform.

"The President's proposal will help big corporations who currently employ undocumented workers.

"But it does nothing to place hardworking immigrants on a path to citizenship and would create a permanent underclass of service workers with second-class status.

"President Bush's decision to raise immigration at this juncture appears to be little more than a cynical gesture in an election year."

Governor Dean believes:

We need earned legalization for undocumented immigrants in the US who work hard, pay taxes, and otherwise obey the rules, so that they can become full participants in society, including becoming citizens.

We also need a temporary worker program that responds to US labor demands but ensures US workers are not displaced, and that offers family unification, the right to organize, and a clear path to citizenship.

And we need strong, enforceable labor standards in our trade agreements and should target development assistance to areas of high migration. This will help create strong middle classes in other countries so that people will not need to migrate to the US in search of work.
 
 
 

EDWARDS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, January 7, 2004

CONTACT:
Jennifer Palmieri
 

EDWARDS SAYS BUSH IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL IS WRONG FOR IMMIGRANTS AND WRONG FOR AMERICA

North Carolina Senator John Edwards (D-NC) today released the following statement in response to President Bush's new immigration proposal:

"President Bush's election-year plan violates our country's most fundamental principles: We are a nation of immigrants who are equals, not second-class guest workers, and we believe in equal rights and equal treatment for all.  President Bush's plan would move millions of people into a second-class status with no real promise of citizenship.  This is wrong for Latino immigrants, and it is wrong for all Americans who believe in America's promise of equal justice for all.

"The right kind of immigration reform will ensure that immigrants who work hard, pay their taxes, and play by the rules have the opportunity to become permanent members of the American community."

GEPHARDT

Gephardt Statement on Bush's New Immigration Policy
January 7, 2004 -

Washington, DC - Dick Gephardt today released the following statement on President Bush’s Immigration policy.

"After a long delay, President Bush has announced immigration reform principles that place a greater emphasis on political positioning than serious policy solutions. President Bush's proposal to grant temporary worker status to undocumented immigrants is, at best, a half measure that has the potential to do more harm than good.

"Over the past three years, President Bush has been silent on the need for comprehensive immigration reform that is fair to undocumented immigrants who play by the rules and pay their taxes while enhancing homeland security.  I was the first to introduce legislation that accomplishes both goals.  My Earned Legalization and Family Unification Act of 2001, drafted with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, would bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and into the light of greater accountability by granting legal status to those who can prove that they have been in the United States for five years, have a work history of at least two years and can pass a criminal background check.  My legislation would also speed the reunification of immigrant families to solidify family ties and build stronger communities.

"Our nation needs immigration reform because it is the right thing to do.  We must recognize and reward the hard work of undocumented immigrants who have come to our country to embrace the American dream and contribute to our economic prosperity.  At the same time, we need immigration reform to enhance our security. Reducing the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States will enable us to better focus on individuals who pose a real terrorist threat to our nation. In addition, streamlining the enforcement of our immigration laws will allow us to shift important enforcement resources to tracking down those who have come to the United States to do us real harm.

"I welcome President Bush back to the debate on immigration reform, but I challenge him to go beyond mere rhetoric and support a more comprehensive reform proposal such as my earned legalization proposal.  I also challenge the president to press the Republican leadership in Congress to pass important bipartisan immigration proposals that are pending in Congress like the DREAM Act, which will provide assistance and access to a college education for qualified undocumented immigrant students who are among our best brightest."
 
 
 

KERRY


For Immediate Release
January 7, 2004

Contact: David Wade
David DiMartino

Kerry Statement On New Immigration Policies

"President Bush promised that America's relationship with Latin America would be a centerpiece of his foreign policy.  Until now, he has ignored that promise, breaking faith with Hispanic Americans and Latin America.  Bush has also failed to follow through on his promise to work with Vicente Fox, leaving that relationship in tatters.

 "Bush's policy rewards business over immigrants by providing them with a permanent pool of disenfranchised temporary workers who could easily be exploited by employers.  Bush's proposal fails to address the plight of immigrants coming to work in the United States by not providing a meaningful path to becoming legal permanent residents.  And if Bush is really concerned about the plight of immigrants coming to work in the United States he should tell his party to stop the
heartless and divisive politics the Republican Party is employing in California to get a new Prop 187 on the ballot for next year's election, and a similar effort in Arizona to victimize immigrants for the failures of government and an unstable economy.

 "As president, I will support sensible reform of our immigration system that protects workers and also provides employers with the employees that they need.  I will immediately resume our dialogue with President Fox and put in place an earned legalization program that will allow undocumented immigrants to legalize their status if they have been in the United States for a certain amount of time, have been working, and can pass a background check.  This makes sense for the economy, provides fairness to people in our communities who have worked hard and paid taxes, and will also allow us to strengthen our homeland security by bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows and into the light of greater accountability."

KUCINICH

Kucinich Questions Bush Immigration Plan
For Immediate Release: January 7, 2004
 
Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich released this statement today:
 
"The net result of President Bush's proposal could be disastrous.  His approach will solidify second-class status for low-wage immigrant workers, because their rights will be dependent on the whims of their employers.  You can imagine what will happen if workers try to organize.
 
"I support and will work to implement the cause of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride that crossed this country in September, including legalization and a road to citizenship for all immigrant workers in this country, the right of immigrant workers to re-unite their families, protecting the rights of immigrants in the workplace, and protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of all."
 
 
 

LIEBERMAN

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jano Cabrera
 

Wednesday, January 7, 2004

LIEBERMAN STATEMENT ON BUSH IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL

Lieberman released comprehensive proposal in September

For more details on Lieberman’s plan, visit www.joe2004.com/immigration
 

ARLINGTON, VA -- Joe Lieberman, who released his own comprehensive immigration reform proposal last September, responded to the expected release of President Bush’s immigration reform plan today:

“George Bush’s plan leaves foreign workers as fodder for our fields and factories, without giving them a path to legalization and a fair shot at the American Dream.  He’s had an election year conversion to immigration reform, but it’s too little and three years too late.”

Lieberman cited four major differences between Bush’s plan and his plan:

• EARNED LEGALIZATION: Lieberman’s plan provides a path for immigrants to earn legal status; Bush’s does not.  Lieberman would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for permanent residency if they have lived in the U.S. for at least five years, worked hard, obeyed the law, and pay taxes.  In contrast, Bush’s plan would essentially force immigrants back to their home countries after their work visa expires.

• BACKLOGS: Bush’s plan does little to address the huge backlogs that are keeping legal immigrants from their spouses and children.  Lieberman would increase the number of visas, hire more consular officials to process applications, and give the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services a greater share of the old INS budget.

• IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS: Bush’s plan does little to protect immigrant workers from exploitation by unscrupulous employers.  Lieberman would guarantee fair wages and safe workplace conditions.  He would also ensure that undocumented immigrants in detention receive a bond hearing, and access to counsel.

• AMERICAN DREAM FUND: Unlike Bush’s plan, which does nothing to help immigrants who want to learn English, Lieberman would establish an American Dream Fund -- a public-private partnership to expand access to existing English as a Second Language classes and create new programs where the need is greatest.

 For more details on Lieberman’s plan, visit www.joe2004.com/immigration