A BLUEPRINT TO REDUCE POVERTY IN NEW JERSEY

Enact comprehensive immigration reform.

Current immigration laws and policies have often led to the undermining of immigrations’ human dignity and have kept families apart.  The existing immigration system has resulted in a growing number of persons in this country in an unauthorized capacity, living in the shadows as they toil in jobs that would otherwise go unfilled.  Close family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents must wait years for a visa to be reunited.  And, our nation’s border enforcement strategies have been ineffective and have led to the death of thousands of migrants.

Enact comprehensive federal legislation which will address the plight of immigrant workers in the United States, as well as make our nation more secure, including a comprehensive package that should:

1. Provide a path to citizenship for undocumented migrants and their families in the US;
2. Provide legal avenues for migrants to enter our nation to work and support their families;
3. Reform the family-based immigration system so that families may be reunited in a more timely manner;
4. Restore basic due process protections for immigrants; and
5. Address the root causes of migration.

Reduce federal backlogs of available visas for family members that under current policies results in waiting five or more years for a visa to become available.

Reform state policies and practices concerning immigrants, by:

1. Establishing an Office of Immigrant Affairs.
2. Improving access to health care services and prenatal care for immigrants.
3. Improving access to English as a Second Language classes.
4. Allowing driving privileges to be extended to all immigrants.
5. Eliminating abuses of immigrants by employers.

A BLUEPRINT TO REDUCE POVERTY IN NEW JERSEY
© 2006 Anti Poverty Network of New Jersey
www.antipovertynetwork.org