Oppose the Anti-Immigrant

Act to Enhance Community Safety

Dear MIRA Members, A group of state legislators recently held a press conference to announce the filing of an anti-immigrant bill falsely called "An Act to Enhance Community Safety." This bill represents a reckless response to hateful anti-immigrant headlines. Research shows immigrants are less likely to commit crime than the native-born. Yet the sponsors of this bill have seized on a few recent crimes in which reporters highlighted perpetrators immigration status as an excuse to promote a sweeping anti-immigrant package under the guise of promoting safety. This Bill Would:

Prevent hard-working students from obtaining a higher education, by outlawing in-state tuition not only for the undocumented, but for many categories of immigrants that are currently eligible. Harm workers by requiring those doing business with the state to use E-verify, a system with a high error rate that would increase unemployment among authorized workers, including U.S. citizens. Invite racially-motivated sweeps of minority and immigrant neighborhoods by increasing fines for building code violations. Effectively bar impoverished U.S. citizen children from public housing based on their parents immigration status. Damage community-police relations and discourage crime reporting, including domestic violence reporting, by requiring verification of immigration status of anyone confined by police for any time. Require Massachusetts to report its implementation of the failed and dangerous Secure Communities program.

This year, Connecticut and Rhode Island decided to allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges. Rather than keep Massachusetts economically competitive with these New England states, this bills sponsors would like us to follow the lead of Alabama, by punishing and terrorizing our immigrant neighbors.

UPCOMING ACTIONS AGAINST THIS ANTI-IMMIGRANT PROPOSAL MIRA and our members are planning a series of actions against this outrageous bill. Send an e-mail to caguilera@miracoalition.org if you would like to be part of these actions and to invite your community to defeat this anti-immigrant proposal. Together we can do it, as we have won similar fights throughout the year! How to be part of this month of actions: 1. Statewide Petition, Thursday, Oct. 21st/ Friday, Oct. 22nd: Please circulate broadly the online petition that you will receive in your inbox. 2. Collect signed post cards, through the end of October: You will receive a pack of post cards, please collect signatures from your district and send them back to us at 105 Chauncy St., Boston, MA 02111. 3. Halloween at the State House, Monday, October 31st: Will Senators give immigrants a trick or a treat? Bring your children to the MA State House on Halloween. Together we will send a message to Senators to treat immigrant families fairly and to stop the scary legislation tricks! 4. Interfaith and Human Rights Press Conference, Monday, November 7th: Press conference with interfaith and human rights friends to denounce anti-immigrant actions in Milford and demand legislators to stop the hate. 5. Pro-immigrant action @ MIRA's Thanksgiving, Monday, November 14th: Share a table with your community at MIRA's annual Thanksgiving Luncheon: RSVP here. Be part of our pro-immigrant action, to voice our concern about this potential antiimmigrant bill. For more information on these actions and to be part of this fight please contact: Cristina Aguilera at caguilera@miracoalition.org