December, 2009
By lgilot
On Friday, December 18, 2009 International Migrants Day
Call your Member of Congress and tell them: “Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform NOW!”
1- Dial 866-587-3023
2.You will hear a recording then be transferred to the Capitol Switchboard.
3. Tell the operator the name of your member of Congress or provide your zip code so they can connect you.
4. Once connected to your member, you may be asked for your name and/or address. Tell them “Support comprehensive immigration reform now.”
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Ortiz, Hinojosa, co-sponsor Gutierrez’s immigration reform bill 
By Steve Taylor
Rio Grande Guardian
 |
| La Unión del Pueblo Entero community organizer Maria Gomez said good immigration reform will ‘create safe communities at the border.’ |
EDINBURG, Dec. 15 – Border lawmakers have enthusiastically embraced the new comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois.
U.S. Reps. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, and U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, announced they have co-sponsored the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR-ASAP).
“I come from immigrant grandparents who came to Texas 100 years ago. I know first hand the contributions immigrants make to our great nation,” Hinojosa said. “Immigration reform has taken the slow road until now. We stand united and ready to make the changes that will make this country stronger.”
The bill includes 89 co-sponsors some of whom belong to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), the Black Caucus (CBC), the Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and the Progressive Caucus.
Hinojosa said the bill will protect workers, keep families together, and promote national security. The bill also:
• Provides a fair pathway to earned legalization that honors the hard work of immigrants and our tradition as a nation of laws;
• Promotes and respects family unity to keep spouses together and children with their parents;
• Protects opportunities for education and service through an expanded DREAM Act;
• Protects the due process of all; and
• Enhances our national security by focusing our enforcement and security measures on serious criminals, drug runners and terrorists.
• Creates an employment-based visa system that is fair to workers and employers.
• Allows for undocumented farm workers who have been part of the agricultural guest worker program to earn legalization.
“This bill is the product of months of collaboration with immigrant advocates, labor organizations, and members of Congress. I am looking forward to seeing my colleagues from the other side of the aisle support us in getting this bill ready for President Obama’s signature early next year,” Hinojosa added.
Rio Grande Valley immigrants’ rights group La Unión del Pueblo Entero has embraced Gutierrez’s legislation also. The group held a news conference in San Juan on Tuesday morning to discuss the legislation. LUPE members also visited Hinojosa’s office in Edinburg. They said the bill is a “sign of progress and momentum for action on real, common sense immigration reform” by Congress.
“CIR-ASAP outlines a vision for immigration reform that is desperately needed. The people of the Rio Grande Valley, of Texas, and of America know our immigration system is broken, and that it tears families apart,” said Martha Sanchez, LUPE’s organizing coordinator.
“It’s time to do the right thing and pass common sense reform that restores fairness to our labor markets, recognizes the contributions of immigrant workers and families and helps get the economy back on track. We want our leaders to solve tough problems and today we saw leadership from the diverse coalition behind Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
Juanita Valdez-Cox, LUPE’s executive director, said the country cannot afford more delays. “It’s time to fix out broken immigration system. Today was a big step in the right direction, and we hope Congress follows Rep. Gutierrez’ example,” Valdez-Cox said.
LUPE Organizer Maria Gomez agreed. “We need immigration reform that is just and humane. A good bill would put us on the road to economic recovery and create safe communities at the border,” Gomez said.
Gomez pointed out that Americans all over the country are organizing to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Last month, at least 60,000 Americans participated in more than 1,000 house parties in 45 states. They have been mobilizing, taking action, and making their voices heard by texting “justice” or “justicia” to 69866 and getting connected to the Reform Immigration for America campaign. They are also calling 1-866-974-8813 to tell the White House to keep its promise, and act to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year.
Ortiz said Gutierrez has set in motion “comprehensive and sensible immigration reform” in the House of Representatives.
“I thank Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois for pushing this initiative. Luis has traveled throughout the country visiting communities and listening to immigrant’s stories; which highlight the country’s desperate need for immigration reform so we can secure our borders and learn firsthand who is in this country,” Ortiz said.
“Through the diligent efforts of Members of Congress – both in the House and in the Senate – as well as immigration advocate groups, and labor organizations, today, we have a plan that has the potential of truly helping to better this country and its people.”
Ortiz said for too long families have been separated and young children have had to grow up in the U.S. without their parents. “For too long our current system has not allowed for the complete potential of our nation to emerge; for too long productive workers have lived in fear and in the dark,” he said.
Ortiz said the U.S. needs to ensure that children who have grown up in the U.S. not knowing any other country are fully integrated into the American system by allowing them to pursue education. “We cannot punish them for wanting to be better people of this community, and this plan would help that cause,” he said.
“This is about ending illegal immigration, and to do so we need to set up a thorough employment verification system that will prevent employers from abusing the system. We must not limit American workers the right to employment because of bureaucracy in the government’s databases,” Ortiz added.
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, said his PORTS (Putting Our Resources Toward Security) Act will serve as the cornerstone of the security and enforcement provisions in Gutierrez’s legislation. The PORTS bill has been endorsed by the Texas Border Coalition.
“For years, we have fought to change America’s broken immigration system, and we are delivering on our promise to move forward with real, meaningful reform,” Reyes said. “I am pleased that my legislation, to provide additional funding and CBP inspectors at our ports of entry, was included in this historic reform measure. This is critical to the needs of the El Paso community, and I will continue to work closely with the President and the House Leadership to ensure the interests of border communities are met, not just heard.”
Mike Dipp, board president of the El Paso Central Business Association, said Reyes has once again “delivered” for El Paso. Dipp was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. “Improving the flow of cross border trade at our ports of entry is one of the business community’s top priorities. I thank Congressman Reyes for effectively representing our interests in Washington,” Dipp said.
The first “title” in Gutierrez’s bill includes provisions on border security, detention, and enforcement. By incorporating Reyes’ PORTS legislation, Gutierrez’s bill will:
• provide 5,000 additional Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers across the nation, allowing for an increase in total officers by approximately 30 percent over five years;
• provide 350 additional support personnel and 1,200 agriculture specialists at CBP, which will help ensure that officers will not be pulled away from inspection duties to perform specialized or administrative work, and;
• authorize $5 billion over five years for the General Services Administration (GSA) to repair and reconstruct land ports of entry. GSA and CBP will be required to work together to prioritize repair work.
Other aspects of Gutierrez’s bill include:
Tough Electronic Verification System
Bill mandates an electronic employment verification system administered by DHS with the collaboration of the Social Security Administration. The verification system would be phased in over time and includes money to study the benefits of a biometric verification system.
Legalization Requirements
Bill requires all undocumented individuals to register with the U.S. government, pass a background check, pay a $500 fine, pay back taxes, learn English and U.S. civics, and enter a 6-year probationary period with conditional LPR status. Conditional LPR status allows them to work and travel legally. After six years and after pending applications from legal migrants are reduced, those individuals who have been working, studying, have served in the Armed Services or otherwise contributing in their communities, may apply for green card status.
Market Based Immigration Policy
The bill creates a Commission on Labor Markets and Immigration that will work to provide labor and market data-based recommendations for better immigration policies that promote America’s economic growth and competitiveness while minimizing job displacement, wage depression, and unauthorized employment in the United States.
Integration of New Americans
The bill incorporates aspects of the DREAM Act, PROUD Act, and AgJobs bills and expands the provisions of the Citizen Promotion Act of last Congress. It also includes a grant program for community-based organizations to promote and help immigrants prepare for citizenship.
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Contact: Neha Singhal – Communications Director; (956) 782-6655 or neha@lupenet.org
Martha Sanchez – Community Organizer, (956) 584-3636 or martas@lupenet.org
BROAD, DIVERSE COALITION TO INTRODUCE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM LEGISLATION BEFORE HOLIDAYS
San Juan, TX – Today, a broad coalition that reflects the richness and diversity of America, took the first steps toward passing comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. Representatives of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, The Congressional Asian and Pacific Americans Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Progressive Caucus joined Congressman Luis Gutierrez to introduce the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security And Prosperity” (CIR A.S.A.P.) in the US House of Representatives. The legislation will protect workers, keep families together, and promote our national security while ensuring that we stay true to our values as a nation of immigrants.
The Equal Voice for America campaign, made up of several Valley organizations including Proyecto Azteca, La Union del Pueblo Entero, Southwest Workers’ Union, Proyecto Juan Diego, Proyecto Libertad, the START Center, Project ARISE, and SCAN view the introduction of this bill as a sign of progress and momentum for action on real, common sense immigration reform by this Congress. Ann Cass, Executive Director of Proyecto Azteca, responded to the proposed legislation saying, “We are glad that Rep. Gutierrez has filed the bill because now we can move forward with the action to get a just and comprehensive immigration reform.”
Juanita Valdez-Cox, LUPE’s Executive Director added, “We can’t afford more delay, it’s time to fix out broken immigration system. Today was a big step in the right direction, and we hope Congress follows Rep. Gutierrez’ example.” Rogelio Nunez of Proyecto Libertad, in Harlingen, expressed his hope that the bill, at the end of the day, would create an immigration system that is “broad-ranging, inclusive and opens up new possibilities for the next generation of immigrants to our country.”
Americans all over the country are organizing to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Last month, at least 60,000 Americans participated in more than 1,000 house parties in 45 states. They have been mobilizing, taking action, and making their voices heard by texting “justice” or “justicia” to 69866 and getting connected to the Reform Immigration for America campaign. They are also calling 1-866-974-8813 to tell the White House to keep its promise, and act to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. All over the country, Americans are taking action to celebrate International Migrants Day and the introduction of the first immigration reform bill, as it will finally start the discussion on comprehensive reform. Equal Voice for America’s Families staff and members will meet with Rep. Ruben Hinojosa on Tuesday, December 15 and with Rep. Henry Cuellar on Friday, December 18 to discuss immigration reform and reaffirm their support of successful passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2010. Equal Voice for America’s Families is holding a Press Conference on Tuesday to mark the introduction of Rep. Gutierrez’s immigration reform bill:
What: Press Conference to mark the introduction of the CIR-A.S.A.P. bill
When: 9:00 AM, Tuesday December 15, 2009
Where: LUPE office in San Juan, TX at the corner of Cesar Chavez Road and Business 83
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Community Leaders, Political Leaders, Educators and Religious Leaders, express their support to the proposed Immigration Reform presented by Congressman Luis Gutierrez, and they declare International Day of Immigrant as a day of action to achieve Just, Humane, Sensible Immigration Reform.
________________________________
Attention: Media Communications
Editors on assignment, and Reporters
Invitation to Press Release
For Immediate Release
Fort Worth, Texas - On December 14, 2009. Community, Religious, Educators and Political Leaders will energetically announce their support to the proposal submitted by Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez. Said support is announced in hopes of increasing support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform at a Local, State and National level.
What?: Press Conference in support of proposal submitted by Congressman Luis Gutierrez and in support of International Immigrant Day
When?: Tuesday December 15, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m
Location: Dallas Peace Center
The Peace House Conference Room
5910 Cedar Springs Rd
Dallas TX 75235
214 823-7793
Participants: Fr. Esteban Jasso – Prize OHTLI 2009, All Saints Catholic Church – Fort Worth, Texas
Rev. Deen Reed – Stephenville First United Methodist Church, Welcoming Immigrants Network (WIN) – Stephenville, Texas
Margarita Álvarez – Voces Unidas por los Inmigrantes – Dallas Texas
Ernest Macmillan – Board Member of Dallas Peace Center, Veteran of Human Rights Activist - Dallas Texas
Adam Wright – Coalición para la Reforma Migratoria del DFW y el Norte de Texas
Roberto Alonzo – State Representative District 104 – Dallas Texas
Juan A. Rangel Jr.- School Board Trustee -District 8-Fort Worth ISD-Fort Worth, Texas
Douglas D. Interiano – Alianza de Texas por Una Reforma Migratoria – Arlington Texas
For more information please contact the above mentioned people.
CONTACTOS:
Douglas Danilo Interiano – 972-743-0246
Alianza por la Reforma Migratoria de Texas
C.I.R. de DFW y el Norte de Texas
Margarita Álvarez – 214-281-7674
Voces Unidas por los Inmigrante
C.I.R. de DFW y el Norte de Texas
www.reformimmigrationfortexas.org
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Contact:
Louie Gilot
Communications Director
Border Network for Human Rights
(915) 274-0541
lgilot@bnhr.org
**Rally and Press conference Tuesday, December 15, 2009**
EL PASOANS GATHER TO WELCOME Rep. GUTIERREZ’S COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION BILL
150 Community Members and Community Leaders to Show up in Support of Bill Being Introduced in Washington, D.C., Today
El Paso, TX –Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., is introducing a comprehensive immigration reform bill in Congress tomorrow, December 15th, at 12 p.m. eastern time. This is the first immigration reform bill since the failed efforts of 2007 and it formally restarts the immigration debate.
The Gutierrez bill includes a whole section on border enforcement accountability and reflects the needs of border residents. More than 60 Congress members, including Congressman Silvestre Reyes and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, support the bill. Tomorrow, we will be able to release a synopsis of the Gutierrez bill to the media, provided directly by Gutierrez’s office.
The Border Network for Human Rights is organizing a rally and press conference tomorrow and we are expecting about 150 community members to join us, as well as representatives from the non-profit sector, businesses, religious groups, law enforcement, and others.
PRESS CONFERENCE
When: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Where: San Jacinto Plaza/Plaza de los Lagartos, Downtown
Please join us.
###
More information on the Border Network for Human Rights: This organization, founded in 1998, is one of the leading immigration reform and human rights advocacy organization in the United States. Based in El Paso, the BNHR counts about 4,000 members in El Paso and Southern New Mexico.
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Contacts:
Adriana Cadena
RITA Coordinator
RITA (Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance)
(915) 253-2262, acadena@bnhr.org
Louie Gilot
Communications Director
Border Network for Human Rights
(915) 217-3621, lgilot@bnhr.org
**State-wide statement, Re: Comprehensive immigration reform bill being Introduced in Congress December 15, 2009**
TEXANS WELCOME Rep. GUTIERREZ’S COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) would like to release the following statement on behalf of its member organizations and its supporters.
“Today (December 15), U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., is introducing a comprehensive immigration reform bill in Congress, the first immigration reform bill since the valiant but eventually fruitless efforts of 2007. It is a momentous occasion in that it formally restarts the stalled but very much needed conversation over comprehensive immigration reform.
The Gutierrez bill reflects the needs and hopes of immigrant families living in Texas and across the nation. The legislation covers most of the principles outlined by RITA, including legalization, family reunification, sensible border enforcement, protection of civil and human rights, and immigrant integration.
We are firmly behind this initiative and we praise Congressman Gutierrez and the bill’s 60-or-so co-sponsors for their vision and dedication. We also call upon President Obama and other members of the House of Representatives to seriously consider supporting this bill. It’s good for the economy, good for security and good for families.”
More information about the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA): This alliance is a multi-sector, statewide network dedicated to building support for a sensible immigration policy. Visit us at www.reformimmigrationfortexas.org.
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Gutierrez’s immigration reform bill to be introduced next Tuesday
By Steve Taylor
Rio Grande Guardian
 |
| Congressman Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, visited the Rio Grande Valley earlier this year with his Familias Unidas/Family Unity campaign. |
MERCEDES, Dec. 11 – Congressman Luis Gutierrez’s eagerly awaited comprehensive immigration reform bill will be introduced next Tuesday.
The news was immediately welcome by Rio Grande Valley immigrants’ rights group La Unión del Pueblo Entero, which holds a meeting on the issue in Mercedes this evening.
“We are pleased and encouraged to hear that Congressman Gutierrez will be introducing his Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill next week. The people of South Texas know how important immigration reform is and they have been working for comprehensive reform for almost a decade,” said LUPE Director Juanita Valdez-Cox.
Last month, dozens of LUPE members assembled in Alton, Las Milpas, Mercedes and San Juan to participate in a nationwide teleconference with Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois.
Gutierrez is calling his bill the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009.
“We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and our President. The time for waiting is over,” Gutierrez said. “This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year.”
Gutierrez, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, said the bill is the product of months of collaboration with civil rights advocates, labor organizations, and members of Congress.
“It is an answer to too many years of pain – mothers separated from their children, workers exploited and undermined security at the border – all caused at the hands of a broken immigration system,” Gutierrez said. “This bill says ‘enough,’ and presents a solution to our broken system that we as a nation of immigrants can be proud of.”
U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, said he stands with Gutierrez in support of immigration reform.
“I stand with my colleagues who support Rep. Luis Guitierrez’s immigration reform bill. We have been waiting for this legislation for years and we think our new proposal builds on good ideas that have already been discussed. We are also hoping for a bi-partisan agreement but we do expect some changes as the discussion progresses. I do believe this is a great starting point to get the issue of immigration resolved by next year,” said Hinojosa.
Valdez-Cox said LUPE members are eager to start work in support of Gutierrez’s bill.
“Congressman Gutierrez has been our champion in this struggle for years, and we urge all of Congress to follow his courageous example. We know this is just the first step in an incredibly long journey, but the journey cannot begin until that first step is taken,” Valdez-Cox said.
“We have all been very patient for many, many years, and finally the time is come for action.”
Valdez-Cox said LUPE members realize that the impact of immigration reform is not limited to the Latino community. “Hundreds of thousands of European, African, Asian, and South Asian immigrants’ lives will be forever changed when Congress finally addresses the hopelessly broken immigration system,” she said.
Gutierrez’s bill will be introduced in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington at 12.30 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday. Gutierrez is expected to be joined by members of many different faiths and backgrounds when he introduces the bill, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus and Progressive Caucus.
Earlier this year, Gutierrez traveled the country with his Familias Unidas/Family Unity campaign to build support for a comprehensive immigration reform bill. He took the “horror stories” he gathered about families being “torn apart” by ICE workplace raids to President Obama. The tour included a rally at Iglesia del Pueblo in Mission in March. U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Hinojosa participated in the rally.
Valdez-Cox was one of 11 community activists from the Valley who met with Gutierrez in Washington, D.C., in October. They rallied west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, demanding change to the nation’s “broken” immigration system.
“We need smart, sensible, American solutions to the issues facing our communities, and that includes immigrants,” Valdez-Cox said at the time. “We take citizenship very seriously and want to help move our nation toward a future where the contributions of every sector of our society are appreciated.”
At the Capitol rally, Gutierrez identified what he believes are the most essential components of a comprehensive immigration reform bill:
• A path to earned legal status and eventual citizenship for the current undocumented immigrant population.
• Programs that keep American families together.
• Allocation of sufficient visas to close unlawful migration channels.
• Labor rights guarantees for immigrant and native-born workers.
• Enforcement measures that enhance our nation’s security and safety while reflecting American values.
• A commitment to assisting immigrant integration.
• Protection of fundamental rights for all people
“We simply cannot wait any longer for a bill that keeps our families together, protects our workers and allows a pathway to legalization for those who have earned it,” Gutierrez said at the rally. “It is time we had a workable plan making its way through Congress that recognizes the vast contributions of immigrants to this country and that honors the American Dream. I am preparing such a plan, and will introduce it in the near future.”
At its Mercedes office on Friday evening, LUPE members will make a call for businesses, the health and education professions, and churches to join their efforts to secure comprehensive immigration reform across the Rio Grande Valley. The address of the Mercedes office is 1225 N. FM491, Mercedes.
“Immigration issues affect not only the undocumented but the whole community,” said LUPE Director Juanita Valdez-Cox, explaining that her group needs voices from all sectors of society in order to help get comprehensive immigration passed by Congress.
“We expect the Rio Grande Valley economy will improve significantly when comprehensive immigration reform is finally enacted,” Valdez-Cox said.
“Local businesses will benefit from reform, so local business people should be making their voices heard. The same goes for city leaders, county government, and even schools. All of the community will benefit from immigration reform. But making that happen will require a very broad cross section of our community to speak out and demand action.”
Valdez-Cox gave her definition of comprehensive immigration reform. She said it must include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, the ability of immigrants to live without fear of raids and deportations by Immigration Customs and Enforcement, and allow immigrants to be reunited with their families.
LUPE is a member of the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance. Its five objectives are:
* Connect Texas communities to each other to share struggles, hopes, and successes.
* Share strategies and resources to educate Texans on comprehensive immigration reform.
* Build capacity within the immigrant community to engage in the immigration reform debate.
* Impact the national discussion on comprehensive immigration reform.
* Educate the Texas congressional delegation on the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance principles for comprehensive immigration reform.
Martha Sanchez, a LUPE community activist from Mission, said she hope members of the Texas congressional delegation will join Gutierrez and the CHC in making the passage of an immigration bill a top priority.
“It will take leadership and a sense of urgency. Rep. Gutierrez and the CHC had the courage to stand up and tell the stories of our separated families at a time when people weren’t listening. Now they are stepping up to the plate again to get things moving in Congress around an immigration reform bill,” Sanchez said.
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Garcia: Texas can be a major player in immigration reform debate
By Steve Taylor
Rio Grande Guardian
 |
| Fernando Garcia, executive director of Border Networks for Human Rights, speaks at LUPE’s Mercedes office on Friday evening. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor) |
MERCEDES, Dec. 12 – Texas needs to play a major role in the national debate on immigration reform because it has such a large number of undocumented immigrants.
That was one of the messages Fernando Garcia, executive director of El Paso-based Border Networks for Human Rights, gave in a speech to immigrant and civil rights groups on Friday evening.
The meeting, held at La Unión del Pueblo Entero’s Mercedes office, was organized to start building a network of support for comprehensive immigration reform among churches, businesses, schools and the immigrant community in the Rio Grande Valley.
Garcia disputed claims that because Texas is a Republican state it will not be listened to in Washington, D.C., during the upcoming debate on immigration reform.
“Texas is on a tipping point right now. Things are changing in many ways,” Garcia said. “For example, Texas is second in the nation for the number of undocumented immigrants. You are talking about 1.5 to 2 million undocumented people. This makes us a player in the national discussion.”
Garcia said although the economy and national security are good reasons to implement immigration reform, in Texas a key factor will be the issue of families. “You cannot separate the immigration issue from families. In Texas we have a big Hispanic family, a big Mexican family, because of our closeness to Mexico. That makes this issue alive and well.”
Garcia is going round the state encouraging immigrants’ rights groups to partner with other organizations in support of immigration reform. He said it is a strategy that can help Texas become a loud voice for change in Washington, D.C.
“By pulling different communities together we can create a stronger voice,” Garcia said. “I do not think it is going to be a problem bringing together all of the families and groups. We did not have the movement before that we have now. Religious, progressive whites, unions, businesses, we can all work together on this. It is about the economy, security and families. We have the capacity to bring in other sectors to mobilize Texas. Texas is going to be a major player.”
Garcia said the coalition-building is already happening in other parts of Texas and he is convinced it can happen in the Valley. “Law enforcement is working with the immigrant community in other parts of Texas. So are elected officials. The movement is starting,” he said.
Garcia said the Valley will be crucial in building up support for immigration reform, because of its large immigrant community. He praised the work of groups such as LUPE, ARISE, and Proyecto Libertad. These groups are members of the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance.
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, unveils the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009. Garcia told the audience that Gutierrez’s bill would be the “Rolls Royce” of immigration reform bills.
“Congressman Gutierrez’s bill will kickoff the whole discussion. It is the best bill possible and our goal will be to sustain most of the sections of the bill throughout the negotiations,” Garcia said. “We know it is going to be difficult. We know there are members of Congress that are very conservative on immigration reform; they want more enforcement and little else. But, we have to start really high to actually get something decent. That is the calculus.”
Garcia also announced plans for a massive rally in support of immigration reform that will take place in Austin on Feb. 20, 2010. “This rally will tell the nation that Texas supports comprehensive immigration reform and immigrants. It is going to be huge,” he said.
Martha Sanchez, a community organizer for LUPE in Mission, said the push for immigration reform is much stronger today than it was when U.S. Sens. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., carried such legislation in 2005 and 2006.
“I cannot remember people being this aware back then,” Sanchez said. “I sense a lot of energy this time. People are organized, people are aware. All the people in the colonias know exactly about the introduction of Congressman Gutierrez’s bill. I think it speaks very well for the organization we have already done. It gives me hope that we can do it this time. Sí, Se Puede, this time.”
ARISE stands for ‘A Resource in Serving Equality,’ and it seeks to empower Latinas in the Rio Grande Valley. Its co-founder, Ramona Casas, said her group was excited to be part of a statewide coalition to bring about immigration reform.
“We are going to mobilize the community around this issue. This is the moment. This is the time,” Casas said. “We need to motivate the people, the businesses, and the schools. This is a problem for everybody. The economy benefits from immigrants. We are a successful country that was built on the backs of immigrants.”
Juanita Valdez-Cox, director of LUPE, thanked Garcia for his “insightful” presentation. She said that while the potential for immigration reform is great in 2010, it will only happen through hard work.
“Everything depends on the amount of work we put in. We have to reach out to the business community and the religious community because we all benefit from reform. However, we only have until next April or May to get this done. After that and you get into the mid-term elections,” Valdez-Cox said.
Valdez-Cox said she was encouraged to receive calls from five or six different pastors in the past week who want LUPE’s leaders to come and speak to their congregations about immigration reform. She said she will also be targeting the small businesses community. “It is to nobody’s benefit to have so many undocumented people here. They are so productive,” Valdez-Cox said.
Filed in: Legislation, Uncategorized
By lgilot
| * Media Advisory*
December 11, 2009 |
* Media Contact *
Rebecca Dreilinger 202-225-8203
|
“Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity”
to be Introduced December 15
(Washington D.C.) On Tuesday, December 15, Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) will introduce new legislation, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), to the U.S. House of Representatives. Gutierrez will be joined by members of many different faiths and backgrounds, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus and Progressive Caucus.
|
Who: |
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (IL-4), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-12), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-11), Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus
Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15), Chair of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA-6), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA-31)
Rep. Judy Chu (CA-32)
Rep. Joseph Crowley (NY-7)
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Rep. Pedro R. Pierluisi (PR-At large)
Rep. Jared Polis (CO-2)
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9)
Rep. Jose E. Serrano (NY-16)
Other Members of Congress
|
| What: |
Introduction of Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation |
| When: |
12:30 pm, Tuesday, December 15, 2009 |
| Where: |
Room 2220, Rayburn House Office Building |
“We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and our President,” said Rep. Gutierrez. “The time for waiting is over. This bill will be presented before Congress recesses for the holidays so that there is no excuse for inaction in the New Year. It is the product of months of collaboration with civil rights advocates, labor organizations, and members of Congress. It is an answer to too many years of pain —mothers separated from their children, workers exploited and undermined security at the border— all caused at the hands of a broken immigration system. This bill says ‘enough,’ and presents a solution to our broken system that we as a nation of immigrants can be proud of.”
Press should confirm their attendance with Rebecca Dreilinger at 202-225-8203 or via email at Rebecca.Dreilinger@mail.house.gov.
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Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Immigration Detention System Lapses Detailed
By By NINA BERNSTEIN
New York Times
Published: December 2, 2009
Growing numbers of noncitizens, including legal immigrants, are held unnecessarily and transferred heedlessly in an expensive immigration detention system that denies many of them basic fairness, a bipartisan study group and a human rights organization concluded in reports released jointly on Wednesday.
Confirmation of some of their critical conclusions came separately from the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general, in an investigation that found detainee transfers by Immigration and Customs Enforcement were so haphazard that some detainees arrived at a new detention center without having been served a notice of why they were being held, or despite a high probability of being granted bond, or with pending criminal prosecutions or arrest warrants in the previous jurisdiction. Read more
Filed in: Detention
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