Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/28/2017
12:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location
Pennsylvania State Capital
Categories No Categories
Hosted by TuesdayswithToomey
GOAL: Demand that Senator Toomey and our state legislators uphold Pennsylvania’s values of being diverse and inclusive of immigrants and refugees. We are opposed to Senator Toomey’s sanctuary city legislation and instead want policies makes our communities safer by allowing local law enforcement to focus on building relationships with residents. Further, we are opposed to the anti-immigrant package of bills (“National Security Begins at Home”) introduced PA Represenative Metcalfe and colleagues.
[In case you’ve missed what our elected officials in PA have been up to: http://
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Adanjesus Marin (Make the Road PA,)
Maria Hernandez (Harrisburg Coordinator, Movement of Immigrant Leaders in PA)
Shamaine Daniels (Harrisburg Immigration attorney, tentative)
Karen Showalter (Momsrising.org)
Angel Ortiz (attorney, & former Philadelphia councilman)
Aaysha Noor, Atika Sayed, and Azra Sayed (members of Harrisburg Muslim community)
BRING: Bring a letter explaining why a diverse and inclusive city and state matters to you.
BACKGROUND:
Both President Trump and Senator Toomey campaigned on the idea of punishing “Sanctuary Cities” in particular and immigrant/refugee communities in general. In one of his first acts after being elected, Trump appointed know white supremacist Steve Bannon as his chief strategist. His executive order restricts immigration from Muslim nations and bans Syrians refugees indefinitely based on the false idea that this would make us safer. In President Trump’s address to the Joint Session of Congress, he unfairly framed a large group of people in our nation, immigrants, as criminals throughout his speech.
History has shown us it’s dangerous to vilify groups of people as Trump is doing. In recent weeks, we have seen several alarming hate crimes, including the murder of an Indian man in Kansas and two transgender women in Louisiana; arson at a Florida mosque and desecration of Jewish cemeteries in Philadelphia and Missouri. These acts are despicable and must be condemned by our elected leaders. We reject immigration policies based on hatred and bigotry.
REALITY CHECK #1 – Immigrants boost the economy and are growing, NOT draining it.
Immigrants play a large and important role, founding many of our largest companies, as well as building small businesses that fuel our economy. According to a special report by the American Immigration Council, “There is little apparent relationship between unemployment and the presence of recent immigrants at the regional, state, or county level in the United States.
REALITY CHECK #2 – Studies show immigrants are far LESS likely to commit crimes than people born in the U.S.
Immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes or be behind bars than the native-born. When you leave your house, family, country and everything behind in order to provide your children with safety and better lives, the last thing on your mind is to jeopardize those dreams. The U.S Conference of Mayors, the Major Cities Chiefs Association and 63 police chiefs and sheriffs have sanctuary cities legislation could harm community trust and make it harder for state and local law enforcement officers to do their job.
REALITY CHECK #3 – Immigrants pay substantial taxes & contribute to our communities.
Undocumented immigrants paid $11.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2012. And while many undocumented immigrants pay into our taxes, many do not take funds out. “The truth is that undocumented immigrants contribute more in payroll taxes than they will ever consume in public benefits.”
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