August Recess Has Begun–Congress Needs to Hear from You!

The August recess begins this weekend, and with it, a crucial, month-long stretch where the fate of the Schumer-Obama amnesty bill very well could be decided.

Yesterday, dozens of pro-amnesty activists were arrested for disrupting traffic outside the U.S. Capitol, while several more were arrested just outside of House Speaker John Boehner’s office. Similar protests and acts of civil disobedience are being plotted across the country all in support of amnesty. It’s critical that the voices of those that oppose amnesty and support American workers are heard over the next several weeks.

Our Local Activism Coordinator, Melanie Oubre, is working day and night tracking down town halls, listening sessions, constituent hours, and other opportunities for you to meet with your Members of Congress during the August recess. In the coming weeks, she’ll be sending out notifications to those of you that have an event in your area and posting meeting alerts on your Action Board.

Here’s some additional information Melanie would like to share with you:

New tools for activists! 

NumbersUSA is now on MeetUp.com! This feature allows you to meet other members before a town hall or plan your own event. “Join” and find your local town hall on this list to coordinate with other immigration activists in your area. You will have to submit your email. Meetup.com

We have a full list of town halls up on our site here. Please bookmark this site & check back frequently because we are adding new town halls everyday!

Remember, all town halls in your area will be posted on your Action Board once our staff finds the town hall details. Plus, you can now share town hall meetings straight from your Action Board on Facebook and Twitter!

Be fully prepared for a town hall by reading over suggested topics on our Stop Amnesty site.

Are you signed up to get town hall alerts? If not, click this link to subscribe.

Don’t see a town hall near you? Call your Rep and ask for his/her August schedule.

In advance of the recess, the immigration issue remained front and center throughout the week. A new study was released by the Government Accountability Office that found that the Department of Homeland Security has lost track of more than 1 million foreign visitors. These are foreign citizens who came to the United States on temporary visas, but there is no record of them ever leaving.

The Schumer-Obama amnesty bill includes a provision that requires completion of a biographic entry-exit system at sea and air ports, but it actually weakens current law by excluding land ports and requiring a biographic system instead of a biometric one. None of the bills currently under consideration in the House include entry-exit requirements.

Also this week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s plans to draft a DREAM-like amnesty bill suffered another set back when the union representing 12,000 immigration agents wrote a letter in opposition to any such bill. These agents would be responsible for handling the visa applications from illegal aliens who would benefit from an amnesty, and they say the agency is not prepared to handle the massive influx of applications.

Again, please continue to be on the lookout for any Town Hall notifications we send out and check our Stop Amnesty page for more details.