GoWest.org - A pro-immigrant advocacy organization...

GoWest.org is a pro-immigrant advocacy organization. We seek to guide the immigration debate by countering the anti-immigrant hysteria with pragmatic solutions that honor our country's tradition as a nation of religious and political freedom, and a land of great economic opportunity.

The United States is, and always has been, a nation of immigrants. We have accepted more immigrants that any nation in history (our population today includes nearly 40 million foreign-born individuals – about 13% of the total population). Since the founding of our country immigrants have come to the United States seeking a better life than they had before. They have brought their skills and talents to our country, pushing us ahead to become the largest economy in the world. The steady influx of immigrants, lured by the principles on which our country was founded, has created a prosperous, multicultural nation. There is strength in diversity as has been shown through the over two centuries since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The United States has been called a melting pot of different cultures and peoples. It is a metaphor to explain how the blending of the many different races, ethnicities, religions and creeds found in the U.S. have come together to become stronger than any single group alone. The constant blending of new cultures and ideas has created a strong economy that can adapt to nearly any circumstance it encounters. Throughout our history, immigrants have benefited our economy as workers, entrepreneurs, taxpayers, and consumers.

Despite the many benefits of immigration, there are always those who feel unduly threatened by the newcomers and seek to impose restrictions on those seeking to come to our country. They feel that immigrants take jobs away from American citizens, do not assimilate quickly enough, and use up resources and act as a drain on the public safety net without providing anything back. The anti-immigrant campaign is at the strongest it has been in decades due to the recent economic downturn, with many calling for more stringent immigration laws that would make it even more difficult to immigrant legally while at the same time doing nothing to truly fix the problems that plague the current immigration system. The anti-immigrant fervor is illustrated by the fact that several States (i.e. Arizona, Georgia) have taken it upon themselves to pass their own immigration laws which have a distinct anti-immigrant character. There is great fear among the immigrant community that such laws will lead to racial profiling and harassment, even among those legally present in the country.

GoWest.org seeks to counter the anti-immigrant hysteria sweeping through our nation, by offering well thought out solutions that:

improve our immigration system, by amending dysfunctional laws, to provide for a fair and balanced system that takes into account the needs and realities of America in the 21st Century
promote the integrity of our borders, by advocating improved infrastructure and technology at our ports-of-entry
remove incentives to enter illegally, while at the same time supporting a system that provides a route to permanent residence and citizenship for undocumented immigrants who can establish their ability to make a positive contribution to our nation
work with Mexico to promote economic development on both sides of the border to decrease illegal immigration at our southern border

Join our quest by becoming a member of our organization. Membership is free. As a member, you will be receive, via email:

action alerts
weekly legislative updates
monthly e-newsletter

Moreover, we will provide you with details concerning how to best share your views with members of Congress concerning hot immigration related topics and legislation.

Please contact me, as well, with your comments or suggestions.

Yours truly,

Theodore S. Sherman