Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance

Published: 8:55 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, 2010

At a time when Congress generates headlines for partisan gridlock and a perceived inability to get things done, and with immigration reform long the third rail of politics, the cards would seem to be stacked against passing laws to create avenues for millions of unauthorized immigrants to gain legal U.S. status.

But as organizers gather in Austin today for a statewide convention urging passage of federal immigration legislation this year, they say they are hopeful and more united than ever. A sign of that unity, they say, is the creation of the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, the sponsor of today’s Texas Convention for Immigrant Integration: A Call for Reform. Organizers expect 1,000 people, including religious, business, labor, political and community leaders, to attend the conference at the Travis County Exposition Center.

“We do believe this is a bipartisan issue, and we think we can get support from Republicans and Democrats,” said Caroline Keating-Guerra (Photo), coordinator of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, which joined organizations from across Texas to form the alliance last August.

In 2006, the Austin coalition helped mobilize thousands to march for new laws to legalize millions of unauthorized immigrants who are already in the country. Millions of people took to the streets in similar demonstrations across the country.

Another Austin coalition member, Antolin Aguirre, said supporters plan to hold President Barack Obama to his promise to achieve immigration reform. “We are the voters who helped get him elected,” Aguirre said.

The president campaigned on a pledge to make immigration reform a priority during his first year in office, but the health care debate dominated Congress’ attention. Inaction has rankled reform advocates, who were disappointed further when Obama devoted just one sentence to immigration in his State of the Union address. Meanwhile, the increased immigration enforcement begun by the Bush administration continues.

Keating-Guerra said advocates are hopeful that a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. — the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act — can gain traction. The bill would legalize unauthorized immigrants who register with the government, pass a criminal background check, pay a fine, provide proof they have paid taxes and learn English and U.S. civics.

Reform advocates have reason to be hopeful because Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are negotiating a bipartisan bill in the Senate, said Frank Sharry, director of America’s Voice, a Washington-based group that also supports reforms.

A recent poll conducted for the American-Statesman and other major newspapers found most Texas voters favor legal channels that would allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country, either through a path to citizenship or work visas. Thirty-eight percent of respondents said illegal immigrants should be deported.

Organizers of today’s convention say they support reforms that, along with legalizing millions of workers, would protect immigrant families and integrate them into society, implement humane border and interior enforcement, and provide for long-term solutions for immigrant flows. Attendees are encouraged to bring pictures of their family members affected by current immigration laws to place on a wall.

jcastillo@statesman.com; 445-3635