African American Leaders Band Together to Oppose Senate Immigration Bill

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Apr 23, 2013, 01:49 ET

WASHINGTON, April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday morning, April 24 at 9am, the African American Leadership Council will host a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to oppose the Senate Gang of Eight's 844-page plus, immigration bill. During the conference, the Council will call on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), to protect black labor by opposing amnesty and halting efforts to double legal immigration levels, as required under the bill.

Many black leaders have recognized the harm caused by large increases in immigration as the Senate bill entails. As the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recently reported, illegal immigration to the United States in recent decades has "depress[ed] both wages and employment rates for low-skilled American citizens, a disproportionate number of whom are black men."

"The Senate Gang of Eight's immigration bill is not only impractical, but immoral," said Frank Morris, Council leader, and former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. "Increasing immigration levels through amnesty and new visa programs, particularly at the low-skilled level, will flood the labor market with millions more people, leading to higher unemployment, more poverty, and a lower standard of living for many in the black community." Blacks have an unemployment rate nearly twice that of the national average. The Senate's immigration plan to drastically increase the immigrant work force will continue to keep that number high.

Coalition Leaders Urge the Congressional Black Caucus to:

Recognize the devastating impact that a legalization plan would have on low-skilled labor, particularly in the black community;
Remember its duty to protect black constituents by acknowledging the damaging impact mass immigration has on low-skilled workers.

"With unemployment at 7.6% this is preposterous," said Coalition member Charles Butler. "I think most everyone can agree on the need to support working and middle-class citizens during a depressed economy. This bill would provide green cards and residency benefits to illegal aliens when many Americans are hurting the most. What makes sense is for America's jobs to be reserved for people who are legally entitled to compete for them."

Coalition Members Include:

Dr. William G. Owens, President and Founder of the Coalition of African American Pastors, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, President and Founder of BOND (The Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny), Frank Morris, Former Executive Director, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Assistant Bishop Curtis A. Rodgers, Northern, IL, Church of God In Christ, Charles Butler, Veteran Chicago area Talk Show Host of The Take with Charles Butler, Leah V. Durant, Former US DOJ Immigration Attorney and Principal, Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC, T. W. Fair, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Miami, Vernon Robinson, Former Council Member, Winston-Salem, NC and former candidate for US Congressional Office, Kevin Jackson, Radio Host and Executive Director, The Black Sphere, Leo Alexander, Broadcaster, Writer and Political Commentator, Washington, DC