This week IPC released a new report that squarely refutes misleading claims by anti-immigrant (and anti-labor) groups who believe that spending over $200 billion to deport unauthorized immigrants will solve our nation's serious economic challenges. Confirming earlier data, the Economic Blame Game: U.S. Unemployment is Not Caused by Immigration shows that swapping out the 8.3 million unauthorized immigrants working in the U.S. today WILL NOT improve job prospects for the 15.7 million Americans currently unemployed.

When you get down to the specifics, replacing employed undocumented workers with unemployed native workers just doesn't work out. They live in different parts of the country, work in different industries, and have divergent skill sets. Some key facts from the report:

• Overall regions with the highest unemployment rates--particularly manufacturing centers and rural areas--tend to have the lowest population of recent immigrants. A few examples....
• The largest share of (26.9%) of all employed recent immigrants without a high school diploma lived in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington in 2008. But the largest share (18.9%) of unemployed natives without a high school diploma live in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
• Recent immigrants are 17% of the labor force in Miami, but only 3% of the labor force in Cleveland. Yet the unemployment rate for native-born blacks in Cleveland is double that of native-born blacks in Miami.

In contrast, the report shows that mass deportation strategy doesn't come close to addressing the real needs of workers suffering in today's economy. According to a new study by the Perryman Group, deporting 12 million unauthorized immigrants would cost $1.8 trillion in lost spending annually, $651.5 billion in annual lost output, and $8.1 million in lost jobs.

Yet, as IPC, NILC, and the conservative leaning CATO Institute have reported previously, a comprehensive immigration reform package like the one debated by the Senate in 2007 could generate hundreds of billions of dollars for the U.S. economy. By getting unauthorized workers into the system, we'll increase the tax base, increase consumer spending, and raise wages and standards for all workers.

Click here to check out the full IPC report. And to learn more about the economic benefits of legalizing undocumented immigrants, check out the NILC report written by Jon Blazer and SEIU's own Joshua Bernstein--"Legalizing Undocumented Immigrants: An Essential Too in the Fight Against Poverty."

It's easy to get caught up in the political tug-of-war that plays out in Congress around the immigration issue. Too often, the immigration debate forgets people like Micheline--and the millions of other faces of the men and women whose aspirations and achievements have been clouded by their immigration status.

At SEIU, we're making a renewed effort to put a human face on immigration--and put a face on the SEIU members who are fighting to overhaul our broken immigration system. One of those members is Micheline Charles, a nursing assistant and member of SEIU Healthcare Florida. In this video, Micheline shares her story of migrating to southern Florida from Haiti. In the years since her arrival in this country, Michelle has not just became a U.S. citizen and raised a beautiful family--she's also become a champion labor organizer for her fellow home care colleagues in the Miami area.

Watch her tell her story:

This week anti-immigrant extremists from FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform)--a known hate group--were silenced by vigils and pro-immigrant rallies demanding an end to the hate.

To counter FAIR's "Hold Your Feet to the Fire" week of lobby activities in Washington, hundreds of activists held vigils at the Capitol to condemn the hateful rhetoric. In the beginning of the week, SEIU joined America's Voice, Center for New Community, and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) to launch a Roll Call print ad denouncing FAIR for poisoning the immigration debate with bigoted, xenophobic hate speech.

Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Steve King (R-IA), as well as Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), are pictured in the ad along with FAIR founder John Tanton and CNN's Lou Dobbs. The ad features a quote from Tanton that reads: "As Whites see their power and control over their lives declining, will they simply go quietly into the night? Or will there be an explosion?"

Bilbray, King, and Sessions have a long history of collaboration with FAIR and like-minded organizations. Dobbs is a favorite media personality of FAIR (Dobbs' CNN program has cited FAIR as a reliable source on the immigration issue no fewer than six times in the last year) and spoke at the organization's "We the People" Immigration Reform Awards Reception on September 15. More on FAIR, its racist founder, its ties to eugenicists, and the racially charged comments of some of its staff can be found at Media Matters here.

Americans know that hate speech can't raise wages and living standards for workers, solve the healthcare crisis, end the mortgage crisis, or bring about immigration reform. And President Obama has consistently promised to make comprehensive immigration reform a priority during his first year in office. But it's become clear after Joe Wilson's "lie," Republican politicians continuing to employ the illegal immigration wedge strategy, and FAIR with its anti-immigrant lobbying "blitz" on Capitol Hill this week with support from the media's Lou Dobbs that we need to do more. SEIU has launched a new campaign calling on its members to set the record straight on immigrant access to health care. If you haven't yet, please join us: http://action.seiu.org/immigrante.

The politics of immigration are too often tainted by ignorance and hate. "It's time that everyone learns who FAIR's founders, leaders and followers truly are. They are not reformers, but a group of extremists whose leaders are fostering a bigoted, anti-immigrant, anti-American agenda that we must stop," said SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina in a statement. "America doesn't need zealots; we need smart, pragmatic immigration reform."

We must continue with even greater resolve to overcome the fanaticism, stand up for immigrant rights, and push for the kind of smart, fair and just immigration reform our nation needs to flourish. Tell Congress: "It's time to fix the broken immigration system..

In honor of National Citizenship Day and as part of the ya es hora !CIUDADANIA! (Citizenship: It's Time) campaign, SEIU Local 615 in Boston will join groups across the country this weekend to hold an all-day workshop to help eligible immigrants apply for U.S. citizenship. "As America faces a political crossroads, working to fix our economy, reform healthcare and pass smart immigration reform, new Americans will play a bigger role than ever in shaping our shared future," said SEIU Local 615 President and International Vice President Rocio Saenz.

Learn about upcoming naturalization workshops and read coverage of SEIU's naturalization push in the Washington Post and La Opinion.

And, can you pass the new USCIS naturalization test?

Last night, during President Obama's speech, one Republican Congressman tried to turn a Joint Session of Congress into an August town hall meeting by calling the President a liar.

President Obama: There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false - the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.

Rep. Joe Wilson: You Lie!

The lies and misinformation have to stop.

Can you write a letter to the editor setting the record straight on immigrant access to health care? Click here to start writing your letter:

http://action.seiu.org/immigranlte

It's important that Congress not be divided by distractions. People in the country legally, who work hard and play by the rules, deserve affordable coverage and access to public programs, as they do with children's health insurance program (SCHIP), and subsidies.

Health reform must be inclusive and must end the unfair treatment of immigrants.

And if we're going to pass comprehensive immigration reform, we need to pass health care reform first.

Write a letter to the editor setting the record straight on immigrant access to health care and why we need comprehensive immigration reform.

http://action.seiu.org/immigranlte

Here's a compilation of a few (of the many!) events and rallies SEIU members attended on Labor Day to show their support for health reform and honor American workers.

OHIO: Local 1199WKO members joined the AFL-CIO in celebrating Labor Day with a picnic that featured President Barack Obama. The President gave a fiery speech to a capacity crowd in the PNC Arena at Coney Island Park. The speech highlighted the impact of labor unions over the past century and urged attendees to join a final, strong push for health care reform. One of our favorite quotes from his speech:

[...] Few have fought harder or longer for health care and America's workers than you--our brothers and sisters of organized labor. And just as we know that we must adapt to all the changes and challenges of a global economy, we also know this: in good economic times and bad, labor is not part of the problem. Labor is part of the solution.

Watch President Obama's entire speech here:

MICHIGAN: Members of several locals, including 517M, Local 1 and Workers United joined over 700 SEIU Healthcare MI members in calling for health care reform during the Detroit Labor Day parade. Local members marched in the parade, carrying "Reform Now" signs and showing a united front by donning their purple SEIU t-shirts.

After the parade, members and their families moved on to the Union Hall for food, fun, musical entertainment and even free school supplies for the kids.

MASSACHUSETTS: SEIU Locals 1199 and 615 members joined more than 1,000 people at a healthcare rally on the Boston Common.

In a refrain that echoed across the grassy lawn, the crowd chanted: "What do we want? Health Care Reform! When do you want it? Now!" The event, which was organized by OFA and sponsored by HCAN, SEIU Local 615, Jobs with Justice and others, featured speeches by several politicians including Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Congressmen Edward Markey, John Tierney and Michael Capuano as well as Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.

ILLINOIS: While many groups around the country used Labor Day to rally around health care, SEIU Local 73 and Workers United members used the holiday to draw attention to the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Members marched with nearly 2,000 other concerned citizens to Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, where they called on Congress and the President to end the deportations of illegal immigrants that separate families. Speakers at the rally, which was covered by the Sun Times, called for the election of candidates with pro-immigrant stances.

MONTANA: Change That Works Montana activists 'kicked back' on labor day by attending a rally for health insurance reform. With a crowd of 300 people in attendance, the 27th annual Labor Day rally sponsored by the Central Montana Labor Council proved that when it comes to reforming our health care system, the hard working people of Montana don't take a day off.

At the rally, Montana Superintendent of Schools Denise Juneau spoke to the Great Falls Tribune, saying that history shows that strong public pressure and support can produce results when it comes to health care policy. "Look at CHIPS (A health care program for low income children)," she said. "Because there was strong public support, that program was expanded for our youngest and most vulnerable. Now we need to expand it for all members of the family." Full coverage and photos of the rally here.

CALIFORNIA: SEIU ULTCW members, healthcare activists and community leaders attended the Healthy Works Fair + Film + Action event at the Independent Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The event featured free screenings throughout the day of Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" (with Spanish and Chinese subtitles) and was followed by free health screenings, panel discussions with attendees and health care professionals, as well as a filming session that allowed people to record their own health care stories. SEIU ULTCW Co-Trustee Laphonza Butler led a group of healthcare debate leaders, including Congresswoman Judy Chu, Dr. Paul Song, Assemblyperson Michael Eng and Dr. Rishi Manchanda, in a call to action during the early morning hours of Labor Day to kick off the event (see photo below and click here for more photos and video.

At ULTCW's event, TV journalist Lisa Ling shot her own personal video on healthcare. In it, Ling talks about being grateful for her union for her healthcare coverage--and why we need reform for the millions of people who don't have coverage. Watch now:

For a run-down on the progress the 111th Congress and the Obama administration have made so far to undo many policies that have harmed our nation's workers, click here.

Quick hits from around the union:

• Unions remember the late Senator Ted Kennedy: Here's what organized labor and labor experts had to say about the late Sen. Kennedy and the legacy he leaves behind (hat tip to Change to Win). Also, read how Senator Kennedy stood shoulder-to-shoulder with SEIU members in Massachusetts and watch a video of SEIU nurses sharing personal memories of the senator.

• Massachusetts Needs Two Senators: With the support of coalition groups including SEIU Massachusetts, MassVOTE has launched WeNeedTwo.org, a new website and petition focused on honoring Senator Ted Kennedy's request that the Massachusetts State Legislature change state law to allow temporary replacement for his seat to ensure the state has full representation in Congress. Read more about Senator Kennedy's request and sign the petition.

• 40-Day Strike Ends for Bemis Workers Previously Treated Like Lab Rats: Workers on strike since July 21st at Bemis company in Terre Haute, Indiana agreed to a new contract with their employer. The contract will get rid of Bemis' plans to utilize temporary workers, allow seasonal employees working for more than 5 months to become a part of the bargaining unit, and give the union the right to bargain an alternative health plan that does not mandate Health Risk Assessment testing.

• Demanding Action on Immigration Reform: A long list of organizations and unions have signed an open letter to President Obama criticizing his inaction on comprehensive immigration reform and are planning vigils, marches, and other events across the country to protest the administration's local immigration enforcement program. SEIU along with NCLR, the ACLU, NAACP, People for the American Way and Jobs with Justice (a total of 521 groups) signed the letter to Obama.

• Preventing Private Equity's Feeding Frenzy on Banks: Remember Andy Stern's Wall Street Journal op-ed sounding the alarm on private equity's planned feeding frenzy on failed banks? Last week, even the Wall Street Journal editorial board agreed that to protect taxpayers, any deal to buyout failed banks needs transparency and scrutiny. While the FDIC continues to allow private equity firms to purchase failed banks, it approved new rules on Wednesday that take needed steps toward protecting taxpayers from another economic calamity.

• "The Nation's Most Politically Powerful Union": "S.E.I.U. is the money and the muscle behind any momentum there is left for a public plan," says Republican Whip Eric Cantor in Steven Greenhouse's New York Times' article.

• Beck's Falsehoods & Fantasies: Glenn Beck spent last week smearing Van Jones (White House adviser on Green Jobs) with misinformation and straight-up lies as the campaign to call on advertisers to drop sponsorship of his show keeps growing. Here's to setting the record straight.

• Buy Union-Made: Did you know SEIU members (and members of other unions too) can save over $1,000 annually using UnionPlus benefits? Celebrate Labor Day with discounts on union-made products and services. Also, congrats to SEIU Local 1000 for having the greatest number of submissions in the Union Plus Pet Contest. Vote for your favorite pet photo from a union member now.

• Feeding Breakfast & Lunch to 31 Million Schoolchildren: An editorial by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel this weekend discusses the importance of the Child Nutrition Act.

SEIU's latest Dream Act campaign on behalf of Herta Llushlo has generated over 3,700 letter to the Dept. of Homeland Security.

Herta sent the following email to her supporters earlier today:

Dear Friend,

I'm Herta Llushlo, and thank you - for all of the calls made and all the letters written to DHS and ICE on my behalf, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I also want to give you an update on next steps.

First, the good news: I've been issued an order of supervision which means I'm not being deported-- for now.  The reality of the situation is that an order of supervision is not a great position to be in. I have to report back to ICE on November 9, 2009 and learn my fate.

You've helped me buy some time but I'm not out of the woods. We still have work to do to keep the pressure on DHS to not deport me back to the country I left when I was 11 years old.

Can you help me reach my goal of sending 5,000 letters to DHS and ICE? 

I've recorded a special message for you and after you watch it, please sign on to my letter.

I have to tell you that on Wednesday, the day I was scheduled to be deported to Albania, my bags were packed and I had them with me when I reported to the Detroit ICE office.  I truly didn't know what to expect--and I especially didn't expect to see a stack of letters written on my behalf, over 9 inches tall, sitting on the officer's desk.

That's over 3,000 letters!  It's an amazing response and I couldn't have done it without you.

Now, we just need to convince Secretary Napolitano to grant an order of deferred action for me.

Help me reach my goal of sending 5,000 letters to DHS and ICE by clicking here:

http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/dhsrequest4herta

Thank you for all of your support!

Herta Llushlo  

Here's Herta's special message:

Today, in a meeting to convene a diverse group of labor, advocacy, faith and business leaders, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina met with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to discuss immigration reform.

As an added bonus, President Barack Obama made an unscheduled visit to the meeting and reiterated his support of pushing through a comprehensive immigration package this Congress.

The Hill reports that:

"Obama urged leaders to work together in order to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Advocates took the presidential visit as a sign of the administration's commitment to the issue."

In the first of its kind meeting -- to convene a diverse group of advocates to begin sketching a framework for reform-- Vice President Medina issued the following statement:

"Today's White House meeting with Secretary Napolitano and a diverse group of labor, faith, and business leaders is an important step towards shaping smart, comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the comings months. As the leader of the Department that has for far too long been tasked with the impossible job of enforcing broken, outdated laws, Secretary Napolitano knows first-hand how critical it is that we pass sweeping immigration reforms that are smart, enforceable and strengthen our economy for the long term.

"In coming months as the immigration debate heats up, Secretary Napolitano will play a central role in promoting real progress on the issue. In order to achieve the smart policy solution that the American public wants, we urge Secretary Napolitano to stand up publicly, light the fire and become an outspoken champion of comprehensive reform.

"Enforcement without reform has been tried for decades with dismal results. Instead of solving problems, it wastes taxpayer dollars, marginalizes immigrant communities and degrades the quality of life for all workers. In particular, expansion of employment verification programs like E-Verify is like painting the roof when the house is on fire; it's the wrong solution at the wrong time.

"For every day we delay on passing a solution to our broken immigration system, we impede our nation's economic recovery, create unnecessary divisions in our workforce, and cost taxpayers billions of wasted dollars.

"It is unacceptable to live in a country where millions of workers are living in shadows. The only way to ensure that every job in this country is filled by a legal permanent resident is to get undocumented immigrants out of the underground economy, into the system and under the rule of law. Diverse groups are aligned on the need for a comprehensive solution. Now we need the Administration and Congress to take bold steps, roll up their sleeves and pass smart reforms once and for all.

Shortly after the meeting, Secretary Napolitano issued a statement on the meeting saying:

"Today's meeting on comprehensive immigration reform was an important opportunity to hear from stakeholders and build on the significant time I've spent on the Hill meeting with members of Congress on this critical subject. I look forward to working with President Obama, my colleagues in Congress and representatives from law enforcement, business, labor organizations, the interfaith community, advocacy groups and others as we work on this important issue."

SEIU is working in conjunction with Dreamactivist.org again to stop the deportation of Herta Llushlo.

Check out her story and then use our click to call tool to call DHS and ask them to defer Herta's deportation.

In the fight for comprehensive immigration reform, the inclusion and passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (also known as the DREAM Act) is paramount to why we need comprehensive immigration reform. The DREAM Act would provide certain immigrant students of good morale character the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency. Immigrant students who came to live in the U.S. as children, have been in the country continuously for at least five years (prior to the bill's enactment) and graduated from a U.S. high school fall into this category.

Herta is one of these students - here is her story:

My name is Herta Llusho, I am 19 years old, and I'm writing this because I'm about to be deported. I was born in Albania and was brought to the United States when I was 11 years old. With the help and support of my family, I have struggled through more than seven years of legal proceedings to find a way to stay in this country legally. Despite our best efforts, on August 19, I will be removed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from the only place I know as my home. I will be sent back to a country that has become a foreign place to me. I don't even speak Albanian well anymore. My only hope of staying here is for as many people as possible to ask DHS to delay my deportation until the DREAM Act is passed.

You saw what we were able to do for immigrant students Walter Lara and Taha Mowla.

Now, Herta needs our help - please use the click-to-call tool now to call DHS and ask them to defer Herta's deportation.

We did it!

Thanks to 24 hours of your calls and faxes, the Department of Homeland Security has done the right thing and deferred action on Taha's deportation.

But we can't stop here--not while 2 million young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children remain at risk for having their lives in this country cut short and dreams deferred.

Not while we are still in the business of stopping one deportation at a time.

As a result of your actions that resulted in DHS's decision to let Taha stay in the U.S., he will be allowed to finish college and continue his dream to become a pediatrician. Please take a few minutes and send Taha a congratulatory message.

SEIU is teaming up with Dreamactivist.org to help stop the deportation of another Dream Act student, Taha.

Like Walter Lara, Taha Mowla was brought to the USA when he was a toddler.

He has lived in Jersey City for more than 16 years.

On July 29, 2009, he will be deported to Bangladesh - a country that he has no memory of or connection to.

If Taha returns to Bangladesh, he will never have the chance to complete the education he has worked so hard all of his life to acquire.

Taha doesn't read or write Bengali. He doesn't even know its alphabet. Moving back there will mean moving to a foreign country where he'll have to start his life again from scratch.

Taha has been educated in America, K - 12. He achieved many awards in high school such as Academic Author Award, Principal's Award, Honor Roll and Merit Wall.

His teachers opened his eyes to so many great opportunities in this country. His dream career is to be a pediatrician, working in a clinic or hospital environment, and giving back to our great country that has given him so much.

Taha has been accepted to St. Peter's College in Jersey City, NJ to study Marketing and Pre-Med.

Picture yourself in Taha's shoes. All that he needs help with is getting permission to continue living in the country he loves and calls home so that he can complete his education--and spend the rest of his life giving back to this country, the only home he can ever remember living in.

Here are 5 ways you can help:

1. Spread the word about Taha's case: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/meettaha

2. Co-sign Sen. Menendez's letter on behalf of Taha: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/menendezltr

3. Call DHS and tell Sec. Napolitano to defer action on Taha's deportation: http://call.seiu.org/9/calldhs

4. Call New Jersey Sens. Menendez, Lautenberg and Congressman Sires and ask them to file a private bill on Taha's behalf. : http://call.seiu.org/9/callcongress4taha

5. Join Taha's Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=233343415360

Improved Employment Verification Program Not Effective Without Broader Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON, DC--Today, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, held a hearing to review the strengths and limitations of the current employment verification system. A smart, effective and fair employment verification system that goes after abusive employers and protects workers from harassment is a critical component of SEIU's principles for comprehensive immigration reform. In response to the Senate hearing, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina issued the following statement:

"SEIU commends Senator Schumer and members of the Judiciary Subcommittee for rolling up their sleeves and starting to lay the groundwork for a thoughtful, solution-driven debate on comprehensive immigration reform this fall.

"Designing an employment verification system that strengthens workers' rights and goes after bad-apple employers who repeatedly violate labor and immigration law is an important part of an effective immigration solution. Yet, the current E-Verify program needs significant improvements before it can serve as an effective component of comprehensive reform.

"The Social Security Administration's own internal reports suggest that through E-Verify as many as 3.6 million workers a year will be misidentified as not authorized for employment--which could lead to mass layoffs and confusion for U.S. workers at a time when they are already struggling to stay afloat. SEIU encourages Congressional leaders to fixed today's flawed worksite enforcement models by scrubbing the database, offering real protections for workers who face discrimination, and prioritizing crack downs on employers who break labor laws.

"Of course, no matter how perfect the database or robust its labor crackdowns, worksite verification is useless and will actually make the problem worse without broader reforms that address our broken laws and the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working here.

"Worksite verification without comprehensive reform will push undocumented immigrants out of the legitimate taxed economy and into the underground cash economy. It will harm those employers that play by the rules and benefit abusive employers who continue to push down wages and working conditions for all workers. Instead, done alongside comprehensive reforms, an effective employment verification system will ensure that every worker is in the system, paying taxes, and protected by equal labor rights. It will help lift the wages and standards for all workers and ensure we build an immigration system that works over the long term."

"Few issues have languished longer, wasted more resources, hurt more lives, and left a stain on our nation's image like our fundamentally broken immigration system. As U.S. workers struggle in today's economy, it is clear that we cannot reclaim the American Dream for workers until we eliminate our two tiered labor force and pass comprehensive reforms that build the strength and unity of all working people. It's time to fix the problem once and for all. Let today's hearing be a sign of the more thoughtful, comprehensive debate to come."

Momentum is growing in Washington for comprehensive immigration reform. Just as the bipartisan Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) issued a sweeping report on the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform, Senator Schumer announced yesterday that an immigration bill will be ready by Labor Day. "I think we'll have a good bill by Labor Day," said Schumer. "I think the fundamental building blocks are in place to do comprehensive immigration reform."

Read the full report by CFR's Immigration Policy Task Force--which includes SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina and former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush. "While it may not be a sprint to the finish, after years of delay, broken promises and political logjams, the urgency is greater than ever to make real progress," said Medina. Check out coverage of this encouraging news in the AP, Washington Post and Daily Kos.

We did it!

Today, Walter Lara was supposed to be sent back to Argentina -- a country that he left when he was 3 years old and has no memory of. But thanks to everyone who rallied around Walter's cause and took action, he's not being deported today.

Here's what grassroots and immigration rights activists did together on Walter's behalf:

• Over 3,000 people co-signed Sen. Nelson's letter
  
• Over 1,000 calls were made to the Department of Homeland Security--so many that their message system was overwhelmed.

Thanks to DREAMer activism, Walter did not have to spend Independence Day saying goodbye to his family. But we can't stop here--not while 2 million young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children remain at risk for having their lives in this country cut short and dreams deferred. Not while we are still in the business of stopping one deportation at a time.

Here's a message from Walter on how we can clear a path for other undocumented students and support higher education for all students:

To Secretary Janet Napolitano, Senator Bill Nelson, Representatives Corrine Brown, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, words cannot express my gratitude. Their action is an acknowledgment that our immigration laws are broken.

But personal interventions won't help the tens of thousands of others in the immigrant community who stand to benefit from passage of the DREAM Act.

This is why we need Congress to pass the DREAM Act.

Call your Senator right now and ask them to support the DREAM Act.

I was lucky, but the reality is that someone else is being deported today.

Please call them.

Thank you,
Walter Lara

Walter Lara is an honor student who has lived in the U.S. since his parents brought him here from Argentina when he was just 3 years old. Almost 20 years later, Walter is set to be deported this July 4th weekend.

On February 17, 2009, Walter was with his boss (a DirectTV contractor) about to get on a ferry that would take him to Fisher Island so they could work on some installations. In ten minutes, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities surrounded the vehicle and bombarded Walter with questions which he innocently responded to.

This is Walter's story --

UPDATE, 7/1/09 5:00 p.m.: Voice mail boxes at DHS are full, thanks to more than 500 calls that poured in to Sec. Napolitano today. The campaign will resume tomorrow DHS reopens at 9:00 a.m.

1. Join the Facebook page as an act of solidarity and to find out specifics of Walter's case.

2. Co-Sign senator Bill Nelson's letter to DHS: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/nelsonletterblog. The letter will be delivered to Homeland Security tomorrow -- so please sign it now.

3. Follow Walter on Twitter

Note: Athena Jones is an home care worker and Grassroots Lobbyist through SEIU's Change That Works campaign.

Students file in wearing colors mixed like an unsolved Rubik's cube--some wearing chords representing achievement and honors. Friends straighten each other's caps. The rainbow of the march is accompanied by a violin and the pomp and circumstances of cameras flashing. As smiles of achievement shine, each student's hard work and the pride of a family is represented with a cap and gown.

You would not notice or look twice at the needs of these high achievers. Each representing the overtaking of a struggle, brandished with the hopes of the Dream.

Onlookers could never have imagined Tuesday's commencement speech to be anything more than a student talking about bridging gaps to adulthood or hoping for the 10 year reunion. As she began to speak - I'll call her Anna - Anna spoke of her graduating from high school with honors and successfully completing college with a double major in biology and psychology. Her parents spoke to her of the hope, of education and the Dream of what America could be. She was the product of undocumented parents. They brought her here under the cover of a better future when she was eight, and she too was undocumented. Anna began to tell of the hurt she felt towards the only country she knew and the many opportunities lost because she does not have a 9 digit number assigned to her name.

Anna is a high achieving, college-educated student with honors. The U.S. government saw her as an illegal immigrant worthy of nothing better than being deported. Her undocumented status shadowed her amazing credentials. I imagine she never knew, regardless of her academic success, her ultimate diploma would be a letter of deportation.

Washington, DC --Today, with the U.S. Capitol's Statue of Freedom reaching to the sky behind them, more than 500 students from across the country took part in a symbolic graduation ceremony to urge Congress to support our nation's future leaders by passing the DREAM Act. The National DREAM Graduation ceremony was hosted by labor organizations like SEIU, education, faith, business, immigrant and civil rights groups through the United We Dream Coalition.

"SEIU congratulates these brave valedictorians, honor students, class presidents and future leaders who have come to Washington seeking reason and compassion so they can achieve their dreams," said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina. "These high-achieving students want nothing more than the opportunity to serve their country and build a stronger America. It's time to open the doors of opportunity and pass the DREAM Act."

"The event highlighted the countless future nurses, leaders, teachers, military heroes and inventors of the next great technological or medical breakthrough who are denied the chance to contribute to building a stronger America because Congress has not passed the DREAM Act. After the ceremony, the students joined other immigration, faith and community leaders to talk one-on-one with members of Congress about the need to pass the DREAM Act this year.

"America became a great country because we gave opportunities to hard working newcomers and those willing to sacrifice for a dream. All these DREAMers ask is to be allowed to make their story part of the American story. SEIU's 2 million members strongly support the DREAM Act because if you work hard you should have the chance to make a difference and make the world a better place," concluded Medina.

The DREAM Act, introduced into the House and Senate on March 26, would correct a flaw in our immigration laws that provide no path to legal status for young people who were brought to the U.S. years ago as undocumented immigrant children through no fault of their own. For high school graduates who continue on to college or military service, the DREAM Act would provide a pathway to legal residency.

Remember what it was like when you had a dream? For many immigrant students their dreams of pursuing higher education can't be realized because of their immigration status -- even though they may have lived here most of their lives. Unlike their U.S. born classmates, they can't work legally or qualify for a driver's license or federal financial aid for college, and they are forced to live in constant fear of deportation to a land they barely remember.

On Tuesday, over 500 immigrant students from all over the country are coming to Washington, DC in pursuit of making their dreams come true.

While they are here, they'll be lobbying their Senators and Congressmen to pass the Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who've grown up here to hope for a better future and a chance at higher education. And to dramatize the contribution they could make -- if only given the chance -- they will hold a graduation ceremony outside of the U.S. Capitol .

Help make their dreams come true by signing their diploma in support of the Dream Act and at the graduation - with your help - I'll unfurl the diploma at the ceremony for the graduates to see our support.

http://action.seiu.org/page/s/dreamactseiu

A disproportionate number of these DREAMers are valedictorians, honor students, class presidents or student leaders, and they include SEIU members and the children of our members.

Their DREAM - passage of the Dream Act -- is a part of the battle for comprehensive reform that our union strongly supports. It will be included in any comprehensive immigration reform that makes it through congress. It also could be enacted on its own, and if that happens, it would be a hopeful signal that comprehensive immigration reform is on its way.

Help make their dreams come true by signing their diploma in support of the Dream Act.

Sign the diploma now!

http://action.seiu.org/page/s/dreamactseiu

This week, SEIU Executive VP Eliseo Medina is in Mexico City meeting with key legislators and labor leaders on the importance of working together to improve labor rights and economic opportunities for workers on both sides of the border. "In order to build an immigration system that puts an end to the senseless suffering of so many families on both sides of the border, labor, social and political organizations in both countries must work together to build comprehensive reforms that are just and humane," Medina remarked to El Universal during a press conference with key reporters in Mexico City.

In other immigration reform news....

A temporary victory on E-Verify: On Friday two harmful E-Verify amendments were defeated in the House Appropriations committee for the Department of Homeland Security. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) and Rep. Ken Calvart (R-CA) had proposed two separate E-Verify amendments to the House Appropriations bill for FY2010, but both amendments failed. The Kingston amendment would have required government contractors to run all employees and new hires through E-Verify. Rep. Calvart's amendment would have made E-Verify permanent in the House Appropriations bill, but it received resistance from, most notably, Rep. David Price who argued that the E-Verify will be addressed during a larger immigration reform debate.

Bush Rule Bolstering Deportations Is Withdrawn: Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. reversed a Bush administration ruling that had weakened the ability of immigrants facing deportation to argue that their lawyers did a bad job. The original order, issued just days before the inauguration of President Obama, held that immigrants did not have a constitutional right to effective lawyers in their deportation hearings. That 11th-hour decision abruptly closed off one of the most common avenues for appealing deportation decisions.

U.S. Temporarily Suspends Policy of Deporting Widows of Citizens: The Department of Homeland Security said last Tuesday it is temporarily freezing a policy of deporting widows and widowers of U.S. citizens, a sign of the Obama administration's interest in new approaches to immigration. Only a few hundred people were at risk of deportation under the policy, but critics viewed it as one of the most painful consequences of President George W. Bush's immigration crackdown.