March, 2010
By lgilot
Washington (CNN) — Tens of thousands of people turned out on Washington’s National Mall on Sunday to support the Obama administration in its next big battle, a renewed effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws.
Speaking by video to the crowd, President Obama said he would do “everything in my power” to get a bipartisan deal within the year.
“You know as well as I do that this won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight,” Obama said. “But if we work together across ethnic, state and party lines, we can build a future worthy of our history as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.”
Obama’s appearance was followed by comments from Gustavo Torres, executive director of the Baltimore-based immigrant advocacy group CASA de Maryland. Torres told the crowd, “Mr. President, we are going to hold you accountable.”
Though overshadowed by the historic debate on health care taking place in the nearby halls of Congress, Sunday’s rally set the stage for a revival of efforts to reshape U.S. immigration law. The issue has been largely sidelined since a similar push by the Bush administration failed in 2007.
“You are a spectacular sight,” Ali Noorani, chairman of the coalition that organized the demonstration, told the crowd. Noorani said the rally had drawn more than 150,000 people “from across the country, and we are demanding comprehensive immigration reform now.”
Noorani’s figure could not be verified immediately. The crowd packed more than two blocks of the Mall between the Capitol and the Washington Monument.
Then-President George W. Bush supported a bipartisan effort to overhaul U.S. immigration laws four years ago, proposing to set up a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million people in the United States without authorization. But those measures were criticized as establishing amnesty for illegal immigrants, and legislation Bush supported died with a Senate filibuster — one led by members of his own party but joined by more than a dozen Democrats.
Sunday’s event followed last week’s publication of a new plan backed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina. The plan would create a “tough but fair” path to legalization, as well as a temporary worker program and tighter border controls, the sponsors wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece Friday.
Obama called the senators’ plans promising and said it should be the basis for moving forward. He called on Congress to act on that plan at the earliest possible opportunity.
Obama’s push on immigration also helped secure a key vote for his health care bill. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, announced his support for the bill after receiving a commitment to move forward on immigration “as soon as possible.”
“The wait is over. The time is now,” Gutierrez told Sunday’s rally. “We’re ready to turn our hope into victory.”
CNN’s Sandra Endo contributed to this report.
Filed in: Uncategorized
By lgilot
By ANNA M. TINSLEY
FORT WORTH — Douglas Interiano spent seven years waiting.
Waiting to become a U.S. citizen, waiting for immigration papers and waiting to leave El Salvador to join his parents, who lived in Fort Worth.
“I know it’s hard,” the Arlington man said of the immigration process. “And I was blessed, having parents who could [help] me. But there are thousands of people who don’t have any help, and they have been waiting years, maybe 20 to 25 years, for the same thing.”
Interiano, who became a U.S. citizen in 2003, is among hundreds of Texans — including dozens from North Texans — boarding buses today for Washington, D.C. On Sunday, they plan to join as many as 50,000 others from around the nation in the March For America: Change Takes Courage and Faith. It aims to draw attention to the need for immigration reform and ask Congress to address the contentious issue.
“It seems [Congress] is not doing the right thing,” said Interiano, president of the Coalition for Immigration Reform of DFW & North Texas. “They are not taking on immigration reform. We need to stop our family separations, deportations.”
Reform plans
President Barack Obama, who made a campaign promise to tackle immigration reform during his first year in office as he sought Hispanic support at the polls, said this month that he remains committed to fixing a system he believes is broken, even though nothing has moved forward yet.
Some say the heart of reform would be a way for 12 million undocumented people in the United States to live here legally, but citizenship wouldn’t be easy. Immigrants would have to register with the government, pay taxes, potentially pay a penalty for violating the law and wait for their turn to become legal.
The Rev. Owen Ross of Christ’s Foundry in Dallas is also going to the march.
“As a religious leader, I’m seeking to change the hearts of those who stand against immigrants and against a just immigration reform,” Ross said. “We are just seeking for those politicians … to fulfill promises.”
Potential problems
Some Hispanics say that they’ve been patient in waiting for immigration reform but that if they don’t see movement, they could stay at home in the 2010 and 2012 elections. That could be a blow for Democrats.
Critics have said letting illegal immigrants become citizens could be a lengthy process that could overwhelm existing services — from healthcare to roads — and could end up taking jobs away from current citizens.
They also remind elected officials pushing for reform bills that this is a volatile issue that could blow up, as past efforts have, leaving supporters in Congress with failed legislation and big political trouble.
“If they support these bills and they’re on the ballot in November, they’re goners,” William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, has declared.
Political will?
The Rev. Stephen Jasso, pastor of All Saints Catholic Church on Fort Worth’s north side, will also be at Sunday’s march.
He said he wants to be a voice for those seeking citizenship who are too scared of deportation to ask for themselves.
“I feel that it’s the right thing to do at this time in the history of immigrants in our country,” Jasso said. “We need a very good immigration reform for the country. It is needed. We cannot carry this on longer.”
Jasso, whose congregation is largely made up of Mexican immigrants, said many people waiting to become U.S. citizens are good people who already are living here. Most already have jobs here, he said, and would not be taking jobs away from U.S. citizens.
But the fear of deportation has some children who were born here — and therefore are U.S. citizens — “living under stress, wondering when their mom or dad is going to be taken away from them.”
Jasso, who will be fasting Sunday for the cause, believes that faith and prayer will be key in bringing about immigration reform.
“I think we have the political will in Washington to do this,” he said. “They just have to come to their senses.”
Filed in: Legislation
By lgilot
Douglas Interiano’s speech at the RITA press conference Friday, March 19, in Dallas, before the Texas Caravan for America departed for DC.
Good evening, my name is Douglas Interiano and I am the executive director of Proyecto Inmigrante in Fort Worth. I am also a member of Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, which goes by RITA. RITA is a statewide, multi-sector alliance formed in 2009 to build support for immigration reform.
Today, more than 300 Texans from El Paso, Austin, Dallas, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley, all members of the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), will travel to Washington, DC, by bus as the Texas Caravan for America.
The Texans will participate in the March for America rally on Sunday, March 21, 2010, which is expected to draw 100,000 participants from the four corners of the United States to the National Mall.
We are making this long, probably uncomfortable trip of 28 hours, spending our own money and sacrificing work time and family time because reforming the broken immigration system is urgent.
As immigrants and friends of immigrants, we want to send a clear message to President Obama, his administration and our elected officials to show leadership on comprehensive immigration reform.
We are frustrated that promises are not being fulfilled on this subject. Politicians have used immigration reform as a political punching bag for too long. We need to remind them that real people, families, children are at stake here.
We cannot afford to wait any longer to resolve the situation of millions who are living in the shadows of society instead of contributing fully to their adopted country. We must help employers connect legally with workers who want to work. And we owe it to children who came through no fault of their own to this country to give them the education and the future that any child deserves. Immigrants have made Texas a great state throughout its history. We cannot turn our backs on immigrants now.
But the fight for immigration reform is about much more than immigration. It’s about leveling the playing field and securing good paying jobs for all workers. It’s about helping us out of this economic crisis by increasing the tax base, allowing immigrants to contribute fully. It’s about security –national security, border enforcement and community safety. And, it’s about living up to our best values, not stooping down to our worst instincts. Immigration reform is good for the economy, for security, and for families.
Thank you, Y Buen Viaje!
Filed in: Uncategorized
By lgilot
Contacts:
Lori Stafford, Welcoming Immigrants Network, Dallas, Texas, (214) 649.2233, lori.stafford@gulfstream.com
Louie Gilot, Border Network for Human Rights, El Paso, Texas, (915) 217-3621, lgilot@bnhr.org
**Press Advisory**
“TEXAS CARAVAN FOR AMERICA” TO GO TO DC IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRATION REFORM
More than 300 people, including 40 El Pasoans, to travel 28 hours by bus to join thousands in national rally on the Nation Mall March 21
More than 300 Texans from El Paso, Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley will congregate in Dallas on Friday to board 5 buses and three passenger vans for a long trip to the nation’s capital. The participants will join tens of thousands of others from all around the nation for a massive rally Sunday, March 21, in Washington, D.C. The rally, called March for America, aims to remind the government and Congress of the dire need for comprehensive immigration reform and to ask that our elected officials show leadership on this important issue.
The organizer of the Texas Caravan for America is the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), a statewide, multi-sector effort to build support for immigration reform and give Texas a voice in the ongoing debate. (El Paso’s Border Network for Human Rights is a founding member of RITA.) RITA members, including DREAM Act students, will march on Washington, D.C., to demand immigration reform and economic justice for all Americans. RITA’s vision of reform includes immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens working shoulder to shoulder to achieve better wages, working conditions, and labor protections, and of an American that’s back to work, with a fair balance between Main Street and Wall Street.
“We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America – for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security,” said Adriana Cadena, RITA Coordinator.
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Filed in: Uncategorized
By lgilot
Contacts: Lori Stafford, Welcoming Immigrants Network, Dallas, Texas, (214) 649.2233, lori.stafford@gulfstream.com; and Louie Gilot, Border Network for Human Rights, El Paso, Texas, (915) 217-3621, lgilot@bnhr.org
**Press conference: 6 p.m., Friday March 19, 2010**
“TEXAS CARAVAN FOR AMERICA” TO GO TO DC IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRATION REFORM
More than 300 people from all parts of Texas to travel 28 hours by bus to join thousands in national rally on the Nation Mall March 21
More than 300 Texans from El Paso, Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley will congregate in Dallas on Friday to board 5 buses and three passenger vans for a long trip to the nation’s capital. The participants will join tens of thousands of others from all around the nation for a massive rally Sunday, March 21, in Washington, D.C. The rally, called March for America, aims to remind the government and Congress of the dire need for comprehensive immigration reform and to ask that our elected officials show leadership on this important issue.
The organizer of the Texas Caravan for America is the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), a statewide, multi-sector effort to build support for immigration reform and give Texas a voice in the ongoing debate. RITA members will march on Washington, D.C., to demand immigration reform and economic justice for all Americans. RITA’s vision of reform includes immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens working shoulder to shoulder to achieve better wages, working conditions, and labor protections, and of an American that’s back to work, with a fair balance between Main Street and Wall Street.
“We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America – for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security,” said Adriana Cadena, RITA Coordinator.
**TEXAS CARAVAN FOR AMERICA PRESS CONFERENCE**
Where: Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, 9200 Inwood Road (corner NW Hwy and Inwood Rd),
Dallas, TX 75220
When: 6 p.m., Friday March 19, 2010
Who: Organizers from El Paso, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley; Travelers with personal stories of hardship due to the broken immigration system; Representative from the office of United Methodist Bishop Earl Bledsoe; Religious leaders; Elected officials (TBA); DREAM Act students from several states.
Visuals: Dozens of participants arriving in buses from El Paso, Ft Worth and elsewhere.
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Filed in: Uncategorized
By lgilot
The Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) will travel to Washington, DC, as the
Texas Caravan for America
with 4 buses, over 200 people, to participate in the March for America on Sunday, March 21, 2010.
We will march on Washington, DC to demand immigration reform and economic justice for all Americans. Our vision of reform includes immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens working shoulder to shoulder to achieve better wages, working conditions, and labor protections, and of an American that’s back to work, with a fair balance between Main Street and Wall Street.
We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America – for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.
Join the Texas Caravan for America and thousands from across the country in the
March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress act NOW to pass immigration reform!
To join the Texas Caravan, please contact:
Austin/Houston: Caroline Keating-Guerra « Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition«
caroline@austinirc.org « 512-476-2472
El Paso: Martina Morales «Border Network for Human Rights « mmorales@bnhr.org «915-577-0724
Dallas: Rev. Owen Ross « La Fundación de Cristo « pastor@christsfoundry.org « 214-497-9552
Lori Stafford « Welcoming Immigrants Network « lstaf@sbcglobal.net « 214-649-2233
Ft. Worth: Douglas Interiano « Coalition for Immigration Reform of DFW & North Texas « douglas.interiano@proyectoinmigrante.org «817-922-0280
Statewide: Adriana Cadena « RITA « acadena@bnhr.org « 915-253-2262
Texas Caravan for America Itinerary
Friday March 19
El Paso Bus Departs to travel over 650 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan
Austin/Houston Bus Departs to travel over 200 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan
Ft. Worth Bus Departs to travel 50 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan
9:00 PM Texas Caravan for America Press Conference
Lovers Lane United Methodist Church
9200 Inwood Road (corner NW Hwy and Inwood Rd)
Dallas, TX 75220
10:00 PM Texas Caravan for America Departs to Washington, DC!
Saturday, March 20
PM Texas Caravan arrives in Washington, DC
Sunday, March 21
AM Texas Caravan Members Tour the Nation’s Capitol
1:00 PM Texas Caravan Members join the March for American Events
Evening Texas Caravan Returns to Texas
Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) Participating Organizations
« Austin Immigration Reform Coalition (AIRC), Austin
« University Leadership Initiative, Austin
« Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), El Paso
« Jóvenes Fronterizos por un Mismo Sueno, El Paso
« Catholic Charities of Dallas Justice for Immigrants, DFW
« Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Church, DFW
« Coalition for Immigration Reform of Dallas / Ft. Worth & North Texas (CIR DFW), DFW
« Dallas Peace Center, DFW
« Justice for Our Neighbors – United Methodist Church (JFON), DFW
« Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, DFW
« North Texas Conference United Methodist Church, DFW
« Proyecto Inmigrante, Inc., DFW
« Welcoming Immigrants Network (WIN), DFW
« American Dream Community Agency, Houston
« La Unión del Pueblo Entero, Rio Grande Valley
« Movimiento del Valle por los Derechos Humanos, Rio Grande Valley
« Texas Dream Act Alliance (TDAA)
Sponsors:
« Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC)
« Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR)
« Church World Service (CWS)
« General Board of Church & Society UMC (GBC&S)
« Global Board of Church & Society UMC (GBC&S)
« Jóvenes Fronterizos por un Mismo Sueno, El Paso
« North Texas Conference United Methodist Church (NTC UMC)
« Reform Immigration for America (RIFA)
« Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA)
« Caravan participants and individuals.
Filed in: Legislation
