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Press Release

Senate Proposal Violated Citizens' Constitutional Rights.

57 Senators Voted to Terminate Social Security Benefits of Naturalized Citizens.

July 31, 2007

Contact:
Javier Dominguez 202-833-6130 ext.17
 

Washington, D.C. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization, expresses its deep concern regarding an erroneous education amendment which would have removed Social Security benefits from naturalized citizens of the United States. The intentions of the amendment, introduced by Senator John Ensign (R-NV), targeted individuals not born in the United States by requiring them to provide documentation verifying their work status on a quarterly basis.

While the amendment to the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 2669) did not pass, it is utterly deplorable that 57 Senators (listed below) would vote in favor of this unreasonable proposal, merely missing its target of the mandatory 60 votes.

Not only was this proposed amendment unjust and unconstitutional, but also impractical as it required millions of naturalized citizens to accumulate evidence confirming legal employment for every quarter of every year that they worked. While undermining the principles of our constitution by discriminating against U.S. citizens, this proposal threatened to terminate Social Security benefits for all naturalized citizens, including citizen widows and orphans whose benefits would have depended on proving their deceased parent’s or spouse’s paper work.

“The fact that this amendment is almost included in the College Reduction Act, a bill aimed to improving the educational opportunities for millions of Latinos is a complete slap to our face,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “Since no exceptions were introduced, this amendment would have left elderly, disabled, and widowed families with the burden of proving the mandatory components of this amendment. Not only do these individuals require the most support in terms of Social Security benefits, but they also would have had the most difficult time satisfying these requirements.”

LULAC urges that you contact your respective senators who voted in favor of this amendment to voice your disapproval of their decision. It is crucial to make them aware of the implications of such a proposal to prevent the incident from reoccurring.

You can find your senators' phone numbers here.

YEAs ---57

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.

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