It doesn't matter whether your family came over on the Mayflower, poured in through Ellis Island or landed at Kennedy Airport, as Americans we instinctively recognize the inspiration and commitment it takes to aim for a better life in a new country. As immigrants, and as Americans, we each have a stake in the debate about how we treat non-citizens, and an interest in preserving the character of our nation. Many of the provisions in these new laws treat legal immigrants unfairly and are not related to real immigration reform at all. It is precisely because of this inequity that I join together with the leaders of cities and counties from across the nation and call upon Congress for immediate restoration of benefits to legal immigrants. Anything less than this would be cruel and contrary to the principles upon which this great nation was founded.
Immigrants fuel our economy by investing in businesses and in neighborhoods.
America's cultural and intellectual life is energized by the special gifts and talents that immigrants bring to our nation. The new laws recently passed by Congress and signed into law by the President unfairly target immigrants in the United States by severely limiting their access to many federal benefits which citizens are entitled to receive. The benefit restrictions will have a devastating effect on individuals, families, and communities across America. Since legal immigrants work and pay taxes like American citizens, they should be entitled to temporary assistance when they fall into personal difficulty. Furthermore, the denial of federal assistance to legal immigrants in need is patently unfair and arguably unconstitutional and inhumane.