Progress Now Action

To update Alan's post about President Bush signing the bill today to finally bring the Northern Marian Islands under the federal immigration system, a group called "Catholics United" issued a press release today blasting Bob Schaffer over his role in convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff's scheme to cover up human rights abuses in the Mariana Island sweatshops:

Catholics Raise Questions on Bob Schaffer's Judgment
Applaud Enactment of Protections for Mariana Workers

Washington, D.C. - Catholics United today welcomed President Bush's signing into law of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008. This legislation includes a provision that will bring the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) under the protection of federal immigration laws, effectively putting an end to years of rampant human rights abuses within the territory. The Department of the Interior and Catholic advocates in the CMNI have documented extensive worker exploitation associated with an infusion of low-paid immigrant workers, including allegations of forced abortions.

Today's victory comes despite the work of former U.S. Congressman Bob Schaffer of Colorado, who has recently come under scrutiny for participating in a 1999 junket paid for by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Following this trip, Schaffer - who served on the House Resources Committee - led an effort to discredit the testimony of abused workers in the Northern Mariana Islands. His roadblocking ultimately delayed the passage of today's legislation for almost a decade.

In 2007, representatives from Guma Esperanza-House of Hope shelter of battered women in the Mariana Islands, including representatives of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd testified before a Senate committee on the rampant abuse of women on the island. One Catholic nun told explained that the then-existing labor and immigration regulation "effectively created a permanent underclass of disenfranchised persons."

"As Catholics, we believe that all workers have inherent human dignity, including a right to fair wages, humane working conditions, and respect on the job," said Sister Peg Maloney, RSM, a Catholics United member from Denver. "We are thankful today that the efforts of Bob Schaffer and Jack Abramoff to deny workers in the Northern Mariana Islands basic human dignity in the workplace did not prevail."

We've already seen Schaffer get hammered by an anti-abortion group over this issue. Now he's getting hammered by a Catholic Group.

This issue is a huge, huge problem for Schaffer. And the new ad by Campaign Money Watch (check it out on SchafferFacts.org) is probably a sign of a lot more to come.