SOLUTION to the INS ACT OF 1996:

We at the INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANTS FOUNDATION, and all endorsing organizations (see list of endorsing organizations below), strongly submit that the causes of the above-mentioned problems can be totally eradicated through the enactment of legislation that would permanently adopt Section 245(i) and amend INA Section 249 to allow undocumented aliens of good moral character (who entered the US prior to September 30, 1996) to become legal permanent residents.

We also respectfully submit that the INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANTS FOUNDATION's Amnesty 2000 Initiative provides a viable solution that is supported by the following important considerations, namely from:

PUBLIC POLICY PERSPECTIVE: the legalization of undocumented immigrants is also justified by the fact that, without the proposed amendments, the new Act of 1996 SIMPLY cannot be implemented and enforced.

ECONOMIC STANDPOINT: the advocated legalization would replace the current underground society with a healthier and more productive workforce that effectively contributes to increased government revenues, enhanced business prospects, and expanded job opportunities.

As reported in the New York Times of December 5th, 1998, current labor conditions in the US should be significantly improved rather than hindered by the absorption of additional manpower in the labor marker through the legalization of undocumented immigrants. Significant factors that sustain this expectation include:

• A booming economy that has been growing at a 3.7% annual rate;

• An average increase of 300,000 jobs a month (as reported by NYT early 1999)

• An unemployment rate of 4.4%, close to the lowest rate in the last three decades;

• Department of Commerce estimates of immediate needs fir an additional 1.3 million workers in the fields of computers and industrial technology alone;

• Concerns over the fact that "nearly one-third of small businesses surveyed... reported having trouble filling job openings" and "when unemployment is this low, workers to fill new jobs have to come from somewhere else" (NYT, 5/12/98)

• A bright economic prospects of Free-Trade;and

• A global market expansion

It is our collective responsibility , as citizens of a Nation that takes pride in its leading role in human rights issues, to insure that all members of our society to be granted unrestricted access to the proper and necessary medical and educational services and or assistance every human being deserves. The proposed legalization can achieve this goal by eliminating the fear of prosection from deportation and reporting mandated by the new Act.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, the only charter that has been ratified by almost the entire international community, we ought to be more conscious of our responsibilty, particularly as US citizens, to respect and uphold the "principles enshrined" in this important UN document.

Taking into account the United States' acknowledged leadership in an extraordinary range of fields of endeavor, from science to sports, thanks to the undeniable contribution of immigrants and their descendants (cf. National Research Council study), the transformation of undocumented immigrants into hard-working, respectable, and tax-paying citizens will provide a considerable impetus to the cultural richness and diversity of our Nation's contribution to worl peace and progress.

An across-the-board legalization process, as opposed to a segmented legalization program as advocated by certain groups, is not only fairer and more inclusive but also more suitable to the vast range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds that make up our undocumented population.

In proposing September 30, 1996, as the cutoff date for lagalizing undocumented immigrants, the INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRANTS FOUNDATION feels that, since this was the date when the new 1996 Immigration Act came into effect, it provides a fair consensus to different views concerning adoption of the regularization.

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