GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED
STATES
For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
starlene@greens.org
Greens join protests against punitive anti-immigrant
bills, urge repeal of NAFTA
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party candidates and members
across the U.S. have spoken out against proposed immigration
bills, and are participating in various rallies and other
actions to protest punitive legislation, such as House
Bill 4437, directed at undocumented immigrants and those
who assist them.
"We call on Congress and state legislatures
to reject laws that turn people into criminals for seeking
a better life for themselves and their families,"
said Carol Brouillet,
Green candidate for Congress in California's 14th District.
"Congress should police those in high office who
abuse power, rather than attack the most vulnerable members
of society who have been underpaid and exploited, and
have done the most back-breaking labor to put food on
our tables."
Many Green Party members support 'El
Gran Paro Americano 2006: Un dia sin immigrante' ('The
Great American Boycott 2006: A day without an immigrant')
general strike and boycott planned for May 1 to demonstrate
the economic clout of immigrants.
"This country was founded on immigration,"
said Rae Vogeler,
Wisconsin Green candidate for U.S. Senate, who attended
a rally in Madison in support of immigrant rights on April
10 and has spoken out against two bills in her state,
Wisconsin Senate Bill 657 and Assembly Bill 69. "With
the exception of American Indians, we are all immigrants
or descendants of immigrants. Yet, there are several bills
at the state and national level that will be devastating
to immigrants, as well to lower-income U.S. citizens.
These bills discriminate against those least able to afford
and obtain documentation of legal residency status, whether
they be immigrants, or citizens of the United States."
Greens emphasized the role of international
trade pacts, which benefit corporate elites at the expense
of labor, human rights, and environmental protections,
in recent immigration to the U.S.
"If we're really concerned about the
flow of new immigrants into the U.S., we'd address the
damage cause by NAFTA," said said Sundiata Tellem,
co-chair of the Green Party's national Black Caucus. Mr.
Tellem, a Texas Green, is married to an immigrant. "International
trade authorities have allowed transnational corporations
to slash wages, disrupt other nations' economies by dumping
U.S. products on their markets, privatize water and other
public goods and services, and pollute the land. Many
new immigrants, especially those who arrive impoverished
and without documentation, are fleeing nightmares in their
home countries. We urge all Americans to stand up for
their safety and for the rights of working people who
are already citizens of the U.S., and join the Green Party's
call for repeal of NAFTA and similar trade pacts."
Green Party leaders also called for passage
of immigrant reform legislation, such as the American
Families Act, which contains provisions that allows families
to unite, including same-gender couples and their families.
Greens note that many people fleeing into the U.S. have
done so to escape sexual abuse, repression based on gender,
and anti-gay and anti-transgender violence.
"Hostile anti-immigrant laws, walls
along the border, workplace raids, and armed vigilantes
have put an ugly face on our nation," said Rebecca
Rotzler, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States
and an indigenous American (Eskimo). "America at
its best welcomes those who come here for economic security,
political asylum, and escape from ethnic, sexual, and
religious discrimination."
MORE INFORMATION
Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193
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