As the House begins its August recess today (the Senate goes home next week), Members of Congress are returning home to kiss babies and meet with constituents on a host of issues. We are betting that some of those visits will be about this country’s broken immigration system.
Nothing moves members of Congress more than face-to-face meetings with constituents letting them know what they care about. So in honor of summer recess, the IPC is reminding you of our top resources that can be used when paying a visit to your local legislator.
IPC’s Guide to Comprehensive Immigration Reform includes brief highlights of the various immigration issues currently in need of fixing, as well as, the toughest questions people ask about immigration. Additionally a fact sheet, What Immigration Reform could mean for the U.S. Economy explains why immigration is good for our ailing economy and our Comprehensive Immigration Reform: A Primer lays out the key elements for reform. There are also several state fact sheets with detailed information about the state’s immigrant population available on our webpage immigrationpolicy.org.
In addition to busying themselves with meetings with constituents, the Miami Herald suggests some summer reading for Congress: the bi-partisan Council on Foreign Relations report detailing the need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
“The council’s 160-page report was produced by a committee co-chaired by former Gov. Jeb Bush and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty. It states that, “If the United States continues to mishandle its immigration policy, it will damage one of the vital underpinnings of American prosperity and security, and could condemn the country to a long, slow decline in its status in the world.””
So if you are one of those “staycationers” looking for new places to visit in your own backyard this August, you now have the tools for a democracy field trip—something else fun to do during the dog days of summer.
