To: The United States Senate

North Dakotans Want Immigration Reform!

Concerning the issue of immigration reform, the U.S. stands, once again, at an historic moment of immense importance. We are a nation of immigrants who have watched our own immigration laws misused in order to distract attention away from other issues and to promote racism. The spirit of our immigration laws does not permit so severe an interpretation of the letter of those laws and we can no longer tolerate our antediluvian immigration system nor those who would profit from its dysfunction. It is insensitive, discriminatory, un-American, and counterproductive to treat immigrants in so scurvy a fashion. A nation of immigrants should not be using immigration laws in order to practice racism, to tear families apart, or to mistreat workers.

It is a moral imperative that we renovate and reform our immigration laws. We call on our Senator, Heidi HeitKamp, to work toward this end. Propose or support any bill that will provide an evenhanded and expeditious pathway to legal status and/or citizenship for eleven million undocumented Americans. We need a bill that will infuse immigration policy with the core U.S. values of accountability, equality, transparency, responsibility, and humanity. We need a system that allows those workers, who strengthen our society and our industries, to contribute to our nation and participate in our society with dignity and equal treatment under the law. We need a just, rational, and equitable solution.

Senator HeitKamp, please do what is right for our state and our nation by supporting any immigration reform that respects human rights, our values, our communities, and our families. We, the undersigned, advocate for the sentiment and the actions outlined here and we ask that you join us.

Why is this important?

Every day, families are torn apart and workers are abused with impunity by perpetrators who would use our antiquated immigration system in order to sanction these, and other, abuses. The time for action is now!