Sign Open Letter to Support Reform

from National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)

Arizona's SB 1070 brought the nation to a critical moment in its enduring, developing story as a nation of immigrants. We remain confident 1070 will eventually be struck down in its entirety by federal courts, and we are hopeful a new generation of local leaders will emerge to set things right in the Arizona state capitol. However, the simple truth is this: the attack on immigrants in Arizona didn't start with 1070, and it won't end in federal district court. We must turn the tide together on immigrant scapegoating, and we must overcome the current political environment where criminalization of Latinos and communities of color is deemed tolerable by most and desirable by some. It is our obligation to defend the victories for equality by those who came before us.

The time is now to turn the corner, both because the country is unifying against Arizona's policy and because there is tremendous urgency. While the Justice Department took the necessary step of filing a lawsuit in federal court, that action was by no means sufficient to undo the damage caused by the Obama administration's policies. Just yesterday, the New York Times published an editorial warning of the breathtaking scale in which Arizona-like policies are advancing throughout the country.

Please join us in taking immediate action with our brothers and sisters in the civil rights and criminal justice reform community.

We are inviting organizations and community groups to join us in endorsing an open letter drafted by a coalition of organizations that calls on the Obama administration to address the dangerous merger of the federal immigration enforcement system with state criminal justice systems (please, no individual sign-ons at this time). Your group/organization's endorsement is needed by Friday, September 3rd.

CLICK HEADLINE TO JOIN US IN ENDORSING THE OPEN LETTER.

As a nation, we are finally starting to acknowledge how racial disparities in the criminal justice system are creating and perpetuating racial hierarchy in the United States. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) increasing reliance upon programs such as 287(g), Secure Communities and the Criminal Alien Program (CAP) to enforce federal immigration laws threatens to undo that progress.

Direct Link to Sign-on page: http://bit.ly/SignOnLetter