AJC Calls Senate Immigration Bill a "Welcome Starting Point"
May 18, 2007 - New York - The American Jewish Committee, welcoming today's announcement of a bipartisan Senate package on comprehensive immigration reform legislation, urged lawmakers to improve the proposed bill as a means of fixing America's broken immigration system.
"The Senate bill has positive aspects worth applauding in the areas of legalization and border enforcement," said Jeffrey Sinensky, AJC's general counsel, but "we cannot endorse this bill at this time because other provisions, such as those calling for a reduction in slots for family reunification and a problematic temporary worker program, give us serious pause."
Since its founding in 1906, AJC has been a strong voice in support of immigration, long committed to fair and generous immigration policies as good for the United States and consistent with Jewish values.
"The proposed legislation is a positive first step as Congress seeks to enact a law that strikes an appropriate balance between increasing security of our nation's borders and better incorporating newcomers into American society," said Richard T. Foltin, AJC's legislative director and counsel. There are 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S.
Foltin urged Senators to find a way to better address future immigration flows, in particular by ensuring that those currently covered under the family-unification system will continue to be eligible for entry under the merit-based system.
"We strongly urge the Senate to adopt corrective amendments to make the bill better and more fundamentally fair," Foltin said.
Ari M. Gordon Assistant Director Department of Interreligious Affairs American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 891-6768 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org