NAKASEC Statement on Unsuccessful Immigration Enforcement Amendments

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2010

Contact:
Olivia Park, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703 x209
EunSook Lee, NAKASEC, 323-937-3703 x205

CONGRESS DODGES IMMIGRATION REFORM WITH UNSUCCESFUL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AMENDMENTS
President Obama’s Beefing Up of Border Security is Not Comprehensive Immigration Reform

(Washington, DC) Today, three amendments proposing more immigration enforcement were defeated in the Senate. If passed, the government would have appropriated another $200 million towards Border Patrol – at a time when the number of patrollers and federally trained agents are already at an all-time high. In the wake of Arizona’s controversial and politically divisive SB1070 bill, many politicians continue to distract from addressing immigration reform by pushing inefficient and costly bills, instead of solving the moral crisis that is on our hands. The heart of immigration issues lie deep beyond the borders as twelve million undocumented immigrants continuously suffer from an unjust and broken immigration system.

EunSook Lee, Executive Director of NAKASEC said, “Billions of dollars have been funneled into wasteful and ineffective border security measures. At the same time, a record number of families are being torn apart due to daily deportations under the Obama administration. Border enforcement is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform.”

This continued inability to act responsibly by passing comprehensive immigration reform was further exacerbated by the announcement from President Obama’s administration that they will deploy 1,700 National Guard troops and set aside another $500 million towards securing the border.

“It is the failure of federal action that enabled rogue states like Arizona to pass the misguided and mean-spirited SB 1070 bill. With children separated from their parents, students unable to pursue their dreams, and workers exploited on the job, we are at a moral and political crossroads where inaction is no longer an option for Washington. We are calling on Congress and President Obama to take serious steps toward legalizing the twelve million undocumented immigrants in America and reforming visa backlogs so that families long-separated may be reunited,” said EunSook Lee.

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NAKASEC is a national organization founded in 1994 by local Korean American community organizations to project a national progressive voice on major civil and immigrant rights issues. NAKASEC works to promote the full civic participation of Korean Americans as part of a greater goal of building a national movement for social change, and is part of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and the Reform Immigration For America (RI4A) campaign.