Urgent! Oppose HR 4970, which endangers immigrant workers and victims of crime

Dear friends,

As many of you know, Congress is now in the process of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which includes several provisions that protect immigrant victims of crime, including U visas. Very recently, Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL) has introduced HR 4970, which severely undermines protections available to vulnerable immigrant victims of crime and places victims at further risk of harm. This harmful bill is scheduled for mark up in the House Judiciary Committee this coming Tuesday, May 8.

We encourage you to contact your representative to express your opposition to the bill. NELP has prepared a set of talking points, including profiles of U visa cases of immigrants who have suffered workplace based crime who would otherwise have not had the protection of a U visa if HR 4970 were to pass. The talking points are available at: http://www.nelp.org/page/-/Justice/2012/FactSheet_VAWA_HR4970.pdf?nocdn=1.

For more information on U visas for victims of workplace-based crime, please see: http://www.nelp.org/page/-/Justice/2011/UVisa.pdf?nocdn=1.

There are several other harmful provisions in the bill, and a set of broader talking points on the bill prepared by our allies is available at: http://www.ncdsv.org/images/NTFESDV_OpposeAmendmentsInProposedVAWAReauthorizationHR4970_2012.pdf. Thank you,

Eunice Hyunhye Cho

Skadden Fellow National Employment Law Project echo@nelp.org | 510-663-5707