DES MOINES – Wednesday morning at the state capitol, a broad coalition including workers, elected officials, business, faith, law enforcement, civil rights and community groups gathered to tell Congress: “Time to do the right thing.” House Resolution 18, introduced recently at the Iowa Statehouse, urges Congress to take steps to update the country’s immigration laws by supporting the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (HR 6). The purpose of the gathering was to raise awareness of the issue and urge Representatives Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer to join Rep. Dave Loebsack in signing on as co-sponsors of the federal bill.
HR 6, the federal bill, would grant permanent protections to recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Various speakers shared their perspective and reasons for supporting people who have DACA and TPS status by explaining what they bring to the state.
Police Chief Mark Prosser of Storm Lake spoke about the vibrancy, workforce and “incredible value” that immigrants, DACA and TPS recipients bring to his community. Prosser cited examples of volunteer fire fighters and people who have “stepped out of the shadows, and we believe they should be supported.” He called on “reasonable leaders to come to the middle and start creating good immigration reform.”
Community members and businesses also stressed the importance and urgency of providing solutions. Cecilia Martinez, a staffer at the Iowa State Capitol, noted that “Congress has had time to pass legislation to solve the problem that Trump created when he rescinded DACA.” Monarch Building Materials from Dallas County noted the importance of a permanent solution for Iowa’s workforce, saying “We need a permanent solution for employees who are integral parts of our team and have deep roots going back decades in our community.”
The broad coalition of groups highlights that communities are facing serious threats and that Congress needs to come together despite the politics of the issue to find permanent solutions and a path forward. For Iowa’s elected officials, silence on immigration issues is a strategy, but it’s not necessarily a good one. Polls show that Iowa voters agree, with 81% of Iowans supporting a permanent path to citizenship for young immigrants known as DREAMers.
“Iowans want to see our elected officials support policies that match up with the things they promised during their campaigns,” said Erica Johnson, who directs the Immigrant Rights Program for the American Friends Service Committee in Iowa. “Iowans want commonsense, humane solutions to the crises created by the Trump administration.
Erica Johnson
Director
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
There are ways to enter this country legally. When we let the illegal immigrants come in, give them shelter and sustenance, all we are doing is awarding those who have broken the law. If they really love this country and respect its values, they would enter the country the right way, the legal way, the American way.
The Dumwits really hate it when their ideas go south and bite them in the A$$!!!!!!!
This is why America elected a non politician, a politician would not think of such a great way to stick it to the hypocritical Left.
The best plan for the ones that have come through. Not only get them to the sanctuary cities, but give them addresses to the neighborhoods every politician & outspoken media & entertainers who claim they are all just looking for & should be allowed into the US, no matter how many or what crime records they may have. Tell the illegal aliens, they all claim to need sanctuary, but they got here illegally, that people at specific addresses want to help them, feed them & offer them safe shelter. Excuse the run-on sentence. I’m excited about this concept.
The problem with immigrants is that the govt will end up paying for their medical, food, housing, education, cell phone, cable, car, and everything else. And when these migrants realize what else they can milk the govt for, they will be on welfare for life. If they were worth anything, they would stay where they were and make a living. They come to America because they know they can live here for free.
They can live free, because hard working Americans pay their taxes.1
You are lying again.
If one is unable to take the oath of office the way it has been administered for more than 200 years, if one is unable to swear to protect, and defend this Nation and it’s citizens, if one is unable to uphold The Constitution of this Nation, then one should not hold office, as well, one should GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS COUNTRY…
Amen to that.
There’s a bounty on gophers, why not illegals? Shoot’em all go Trump!
I don’t think that there has been a bounty on gophers for decades. Where do you go to collect the money.1
More socialist agenda and the old ploy – immigration reform! Here is the reform – CLOSE THE FREEKIN BORDER .
Istnieją rasistowskie bigoty, które komentują tę stronę. Uważają, że są lepsi niż inni ludzie. Co więcej, wierzą, że zabijanie jest moralnym i etycznym rozwiązaniem ich uprzedzeń.
Nice try with Google translate. There is nothing racist about desiring that YOUR grandchildren – rather than the grandchildren of someone living in a foreign country – inherits YOUR country. You’re not going to find a single Pole telling you otherwise.
What kind of a moron would say that????
It’s a fact of life now, and has been for over half a century (that I can recall). Immigrants who came to this country, were requited to work the packing plants in places like Chicago. They quickly assimilated, and after becoming citizens, worked their way into the fabric of our society.
Today, there is still a need for unskilled workers in the U.S. They are drawn to areas such as construction, hospitality, health care, food services, and of course in the Mid-West, agriculture. Jobs that a lot of people (especially the young) just refuse to do.
One placement agency in North Iowa is proposing to bring Puerto Ricans into the area. They are U.S. citizens, and have no restrictions on coming to the mainland. Since 2010, more than 500,000 have come from the Caribbean island, where unemployment is 8.3%.
I will not mince words here. If people want to come to our country, let them in just as we have in the past. Follow the rules, establish themselves on the path of citizenship. The people at our Southern border should be processed just as we did the hoards of people that flooded in from Europe.
The idea some here and elsewhere propose, to shoot people who wish to enter our country on sight, is both uncivilized and immoral. I seem to recall that no one thought to shoot those 70,000 or so Polish that came into our country illegally in the late 80’s. I suggest there is some sort of prejudice involved.
Keep your morals to yourself along with your lack of proportions. Who cares about 70000 poles since the eighties. In the same timeframe our population increased by 100000000, mainly due to illegal immigrants pouring over the southern border so they could have huge Latino families here. Contrary to what you say this is not business as usual. Since it’s inception, our country have never been near as many foreign borns as right now, and if we don’t stop it America as we know it will cease to exist.
EXACTLY!!!!
“Police Chief Mark Prosser of Storm Lake spoke about the vibrancy, workforce and “incredible value” that immigrants, DACA and TPS recipients bring to his community”
Isn’t this the same activist that lied to our face at the Prestage meeting that crime per capita did not increase when their packing plant imported hundreds of young, single, poor foreign males?
Immigrants that have been here for decades, as stated in the article, that have assimilated, have been employed for years, have established homes and residency, and have proven themselves to be good American citizens, let them stay. The vermin at the border that want to come here and suck off pelosi and aoc (and others)teats, with reckless abandon, need to be fully vetted before they are allowed in. This is my country, I have supported it all my life, including 20 years in the military. For the sake of my grand children and great grandchildren, I don’t want it turning into a slum third world country, like where they are coming from. (Once deleted, twice posted)
ha ha ha ha
Allen, How do you know that the people who are at the border are “vermin”? Do you know anything about any of them? Do you know why they are at the border other than they want to be Americans? Have you ever been to one of those “slum third world” countries? Do you know what the saying is on the Statue of Liberty? When you look it up, strive to understand it. Thank you for your service but work at understanding why you served.
If they want to be an American, they should (all) come in the front door, like my ancestors did. Not sneak across the border like rats, (vermin). Also, I know why I served, it was to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Not to agree with the bleeding hearts that allow illegals into this country to get votes and suck our system dry. Save your breath, nothing you say will change my mind about people coming into this country illegally.
What ancestors are those Allen? And when? Have you looked up the inscription on the Statue of LIberty yet?
that’s not what your sister said.
Immigrants that have been here for decades, as stated in the article, that have assimilated, have been employed for years, have established homes and residency, and have proven themselves to be good American citizens, let them stay. The vermin at the border that want to come here and suck off pelosi and aoc (and others)teats, with reckless abandon, need to be fully vetted before they are allowed in. This is my country, I have supported it all my life, including 20 years in the military. For the sake of my grand children and great grandchildren, I don’t want it turning into a slum third world country, like where they are coming from.
ha ha ha ha are you special?
You, obviously are not!
No, I’m not special. Unlike you, I have never participated in the special olympics. and I have accomplished many things in my life. So stop with the idiotic rhetoric, your showing your intelligence, or lack of.
ha ha ha ha
Amen.
Cue the patriotic music and show a picture of the flag.
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