Immigrants Bereaved by Sept. 11 Could Become Legal Residents

[babylonsister]

http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002560121.html

Immigrants Bereaved by Sept. 11 Could Become Legal Residents
By Colby Itkowitz, CQ Staff

A House Judiciary Subcommittee will mark up bipartisan legislation Friday that would allow immigrants who lost a spouse or a parent in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to become legal permanent residents.

The bill (HR 1071) would allow those recognized by the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund to stay in the United States as long as they abide by the rules and regulations governing legal permanent resident status.

The measure was introduced in February by Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., and Peter T. King, R-N.Y.

A companion Senate measure (S 615) was introduced by Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, and Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

“These immigrants should not be punished for losing a loved one on 9/11,” Maloney said in a statement. “Our country must act with compassion in the treatment of all the victims of 9/11, regardless of their immigration status.”

The bill will be marked up by the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law.

Similar provisions were attached to a Senate immigration bill in the 109th Congress, but that measure never became law.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. This song always makes me cry

http://www.emmasrevolution.com/audio/yourname.mp3

If I Give Your Name

Author: Sandy O & Pat Humphries

Mi esposa, my wife, worked on the 80th floor
The company had hired illegals before
She got the job by word of mouth
That's the way in the north when you're from the south
They say 3,000 but the counting's not done
Mi esposa está muerta
Three thousand and one

Chorus:
I have no papers, I have no rights
All my days end in sleepless nights
Missing you, silently
If I give your name
Will they come after me?

Mi hermano, my brother, the elevator man
A doctor in our country but you take what you can
I saw the photos in Union Square
But I could not leave his picture there
They say 3,000 but that's not true
Mi hermano no volverá
Three thousand and two

Chorus

Mi hija, my daughter, went in early that day
She had always been that way
Her daughter asks, "Where did she go?"
How to tell her, I don't know
They say 3,000 but that can't be
Perdí a mi hija
Three thousand and three

Chorus

Mi padre, my father, I have no words
I tried to find you when I heard
They gave some ashes to families
But I'll only have the ones I breathe
They say 3,000 there's so many more
Desaparecidos
Three thousand and four

Chorus

Mi esposa, my wife. Will they come after me?
Mi hermano, my brother. Will they come after me?
Mi hija, my daughter. Will they come after me?
Mi padre, my father. If I give your name,
Will they come after me?

Copyright 2001 Sandy O & Pat Humphries

www.emmasrevolution.com

"9/11 happened when we were moving from NYC to the DC area. Our first response was to write 'Peace Salaam, Shalom'. When we went back to NYC to sing it on Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now!, we heard an interview with members of Tepeyac (www.tepeyac.org/wtc.html) talking about the families of undocumented workers missing in the still-smouldering WTC. Their stories haunted us. This song won Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest."

[babylonsister]

2. I'd never heard of that before; it's so sad. Thanks for the

early morning Friday blues, friend. ;)

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Hey what can I say? It's been a week from hell.

But I did appreciate hearing this news. It's about the only thing Congress has done right lately.