The stigma of the term "illegal"

There are many people in Arkansas that cannot get a driver's license or apply for Social Security benefits because they have no proof of citizenship. Many have joined the military and have served our country honorably yet cannot enjoy the same protections under the law.

As a teacher of many students who were learning English as a second language, I have witnessed the suffering of their families, many of whom have struggled for a decade or two to become full-fledged contributors to our society. America needs to provide a timely path to citizenship for all aspiring Americans.

Tell Washington to STOP and REWORK the Immigration Bill!! It discriminates against certain immigrants while helping others!!

WE NEED TO LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY NOT A CAPITALIST COUNTRY!

This is a massive violation of American rights and Liberties. Regardless of where you sit in the political spectrum both sides have massively abused power from 9/11 to the recent IRS scandal. If we give the government the ability to to track our every move in the name of immigration can we trust that they won't target people and track people for political reasons? Even if this was run on the up and up it will cause massive TSA experiences from applying job to getting medicine. The cost of freedom is too high. Just say no.

Fellow Americans: Please join me in expressing the need for Members of Congress to use terms such as “undocumented” and “undocumented workers” in describing foreign nationals and immigrants, rather than offensive references like “illegals”, “illegal aliens”, or “illegal immigrants”. By standing together against the use of these latter terms publicly elected Representatives can avoid unproductive debates and discussions, which are extremely offensive to those who have not been born in the U.S. The United States of America is home to nearly 40 million immigrants, which is more people than makes up the total population of California. Nearly 16% of the U.S. labor force is foreign-born and, as of 2010, nearly one-fifth of all Fortune 500 companies had at least one founder who was an immigrant. Clearly, foreign nationals and immigrants have made significant contributions and sacrifices that add measurably to America’s prosperity and the sustenance of our way-of-life. The words and labels that America selects to describe and refer to non-citizens and to those not born in the U.S. are supremely important. Your support of this movement will promote a way forward on merits and produce a comprehensive and sensible immigration reform legislative package. I grew up in a time where people of color were given numerous labels and called horrific names. I have worked though my youth into the present to fight against all of those negative labels. Because of this, I cannot stand aside while other groups are marginalized by the labels placed on them by others, so I will join with them to prevent such atrocities from continuing. Please follow the link below for facts about immigration in your state: http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/economic-and-political-impact-immigrants-latinos-and-asians-all-50-states Respectfully, BOBBY L. RUSH Member of Congress

This week hundreds of people from across the South and around the country are joining together to send Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) an unequivocal message: “Stop your shameful attempts to torpedo immigration reform and rip apart immigrant families!” Will you join us by signing this petition? The Senate Judiciary Committee is currently marking up S 744, the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act.” As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Sessions is doing everything he can to derail long-awaited and desperately needed immigration reform. He introduced 49 mean-spirited amendments that have so far been rejected even by members of his own party. Sessions has a long history of opposing civil rights and racially offensive remarks. He once called the NAACP “un-American,” made jokes about the Ku Klux Klan, and prosecuted three civil rights workers for voter fraud. He was an ardent supporter of Alabama’s HB 56, the nation’s most intrusive and hateful anti-immigrant law. Texto de la petición en español: "Senador Sessions: Deje de impedir la S 744, El Acta de Seguridad Fronteriza, Oportunidad Económica y Modernización Migratoria. Hemos esperado por mucho tiempo para reformar nuestro sistema dracónico de inmigración y sus colegas en el Senado estan trabajando arduamente para asegurar que eso suceda. Usted dice que está preocupado sobre el impacto que podría tener la S 744 en los empleos y en la economía, a pesar de que apoyó fuertemente la HB 56 de Alabama, la ley anti-inmigrante más intrusa y odiosa del país, y una ley que le está costando a su estado billones de dólares en producción económica y decenas de miles de trabajos. Alega que la familia es sagrada para usted, pero apoya políticas que están separando a miles de familias inmigrantes. Las familias inmigrantes son vitals para el Sur y este país y ayudan a fortalecer a sus comunidades economicamente, socialmente, y espiritualmente. Necesitamos una reforma migratoria integral que incluye un camino a la ciudadanía ahora. Le pedimos que permita que el Comité Judicial apruebe El Acta de Seguridad Fronteriza, Oportunidad Económica y Modernización Migratoria para que avance al Senado completo y esperamos que decida estar en el lado correcto de la historia y que vote ‘sí.’"

Humane iimmigration reform. I am friends with many aspiring Americans and observe daily how much they have to offer the US. It makes economic sense because it costs $23,000 to deport each person.

Right now, the Senate Judiciary Committee is working on markup of immigration reform legislation -- and the barriers to a path to citizenship in the current bill remain too high. On Tuesday, May 21, faith leaders from across the country will hold a People’s Hearing on Capitol Hill to put a human face on the debate, press for improvements to the bill, and deliver to Senate leaders the names of all who've signed this petition. Faith leaders, DREAMers and other community leaders will share their personal testimonies about the impact of current immigration policy on families and the need for a fair, direct and affordable path to citizenship in the final legislation.

Sen. Heitkamp will have a major role fixing our broken immigration system. We need Sen. Heitkamp to support a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants currently living in the United States without papers. Most of these immigrants have lived in this country for more than a decade and have come to America to seek a better life for their families. They are Americans-in-waiting who are ready to fulfill the requirements of our citizenship process - to study English, pay taxes, maintain a good record and be of good moral character. We need humane immigration laws that keep families together and make economic sense.

Last week, the Heritage Foundation released a controversial immigration report, widely discredited after it was discovered that one of its authors believes that “no one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites.” Now Republican Rep. Steve King is embracing the ugly report and is using it to oppose immigration reform. King hosted a recent press conference and cited the shoddy Heritage figures as fact, saying that "at no stage in their lives" do undocumented immigrants "make a net financial contribution to this country." This was no slip of the tongue -- he upped the ante by endorsing the Heritage report as "legitimate" in an op-ed the very next day. Some leading Republicans have already spoken out against the Heritage report, including Marco Rubio and Rep. King's colleague in the House, Paul Ryan. We need Rep. King and all members of the House to stop promoting this report so offensive to Latinos. When you sign this petition, we'll make sure that John Boehner, the leading Republican in the House, sees your message as well. Demand that Rep. Steve King stop promoting hateful viewpoints as fact today.