WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- With U.S. lawmakers in their districts for the Memorial Day recess, immigration-reform advocates from the left and right are waging a lobbying blitz.
The Senate will resume debate on immigration-reform legislation when the senators return to Washington next week. In the meantime, groups on both sides of the debate see an opportunity to influence legislators in their home districts.
"We intend to make sure that they are hearing from the community in every corner of their states and districts as they return home for the recess this week. Our message is simple: Congress needs to act, and act now, but they must get it right," said Clarissa Martinez, a campaign manager for Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which describes itself as a national coalition of pro-immigrant organizations.
Before breaking for the recess, President Bush and a bipartisan group of senators agreed to a proposal for immigration reform that would give temporary legal status to millions of illegal immigrants if they identified themselves, paid a fine and agreed to undergo background checks.
The CCIR called the Senate proposal "an important development in the debate" but warned that certain provisions in the agreement would split families apart, create a permanent underclass of exploited workers without basic rights and undermine due process of law.
Caroline Espinosa, a spokesperson for Numbers USA, an organization that advocates for immigration reduction, said that the number of members registered on the group's Web site swelled after the president and senators reached a compromise. The organization is drawing from these grassroots supporters to "ramp up its efforts" this week.
Espinosa said Numbers USA encourages its members to attend town-hall meetings and contact their senators and representatives while they are in the districts to voice their opinions.
"We give our members the tools they need and they do the rest," Espinosa said.
However, legislators and immigration-reform advocates alike acknowledge that the proposed changes will never satisfy all parties. CCIR said in a statement it will push for an immigration policy that "is better than what we have now."
