"Unions are from Mars..." by Pancho Arguelles - cont.


...As if the people hasn’t done enough to deserve it - braving the dangers of river, desert and ocean to get here; living underground for years; doing the hardest jobs for the worst wages; enduring the loneliness away from families. We have already done the earning.

 

The campaign strategy was to bring the issue of legalization directly to the forefront prior to the 2002 mid-term elections and, thereby commit both parties to action and make their positions (or lack thereof) public. Almost from the beginning, the alliance faced problems. The most serious was a conflict about the wording of the postcard. The initial labor-created message said:

Dear President Bush and Members of Congress: Every day, immigrant workers make vital contributions to our economy, our communities, and our nation. Nearly 50,000 members of America’s Armed Forces are immigrants who defend our country. Unfortunately, our outdated immigration laws force many immigrants and their families - who work hard and pay taxes - to live in fear of being deported for simply going to work each day. I urge you to support immigration policies that reward work by giving hard working, tax paying immigrants already in the United States the opportunity to earn legal status. Sincerely,

While the idea of the legalization postcard campaign appealed to us - as a vehicle to project a pro-legalization voice and to partner community, labor and faith groups, we were disappointed by both the process and the message...

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