This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending July 25

Immigration_reform_Updates_blue

Week Ending July 26

This week in immigration reform: Latino leaders call for immigration reform as a political, moral, and economic necessity at NCLR’s 2013 Annual Conference in New Orleans; House committees hold hearings on DREAMers and on border security; and NCLR Affiliates continue contacting their members of Congress, urging members to step up and lead on comprehensive reform that includes a road to citizenship.  NCLR staff kept the community informed in a slew of news pieces this week, with staff quoted in stories in The New York Times, CBS News, the Associated Press, Telemundo 51-Miami, VOXXI, El Diario, MSN Latino, the Bayou Buzz, Terra.com, Ahora Sí, The Huffington Post, and 1200 News Radio WOAI.

  • Latino leaders at NCLR’s 2013 Annual Conference: immigration reform necessary on political, moral, and economic grounds.  NCLR assembled Latino leaders and prominent experts, strategists, and advocates for immigration reform on Monday July 22, at its 2013 Annual Conference in New Orleans, for a town hall on the political, moral, and economic reasons for passing reform: “Immigration: The Moral, Economic, and Political Imperatives for Winning Reform.”Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-4) headlined the event and was joined by Julie Kitka, President of the Alaska Federation of Natives; Jenny Yang, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief; Joe Trauger, Vice President of Human Resources Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers; Ana Navarro, Republican Political Strategist; and Clarissa Martinez-de-Castro, Director, Immigration & Civic Engagement at NCLR.Each panelist argued for comprehensive immigration reform through their particular lens and discussed how business, faith, labor and civil rights advocates are pushing Congress to deliver real reform in 2013.
  • Poll finds overwhelming support for comprehensive immigration reform among Latinos: A straw poll of more than 1,000 attendees at NCLR’s 2013 Annual Conference in New Orleans finds near-unanimous support for passing comprehensive immigration reform, regardless of party affiliation.  About 95 percent of respondents said it is important to them that immigration reform is passed in 2013, with 91 percent of Democrat, 90 percent of independent and 82 percent of Republican attendees describing passage of legislation this year as very important.  The poll, conducted in partnership with Lake Research Partners and Revolution Messaging via text message, also re-affirmed that Latinos are watching the immigration debate very closely, with over 60 percent following how their members of Congress vote on the issue.
  • Hearings in House committees consider DREAMers, border security. On Tuesday, June 23 the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security held its hearing “Addressing the Immigration Status of Illegal Immigrants Brought to the United States as Children,” in which House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte proposed addressing the status of DREAMers – undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children – although no legislation has been introduced yet.  NCLR is part of a broad coalition that is urging the House to move forward with a vote on comprehensive immigration reform legislation that will address the many broken facets of our immigration system, and includes a road to citizenship.

On that same day the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security held a hearing on border security: “A Study in Contrasts: House and Senate Approaches to Border Security.”

  • NCLR and Affiliates in action.

Colorado:  NCLR Affiliate El Comité De Longmont and the Colorado Latino Forum (the c4 wing of NCLR Affiliate Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy & Research Organization (CLLARO)) joined with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) to host Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-4) on Sunday July 21.  The Congressman held an immigration reform strategy session for assembled members of the community.

cir update 72513Olivia Mendoza of the Colorado Latino Forum introduces Rep. Luis Gutierrez at a July 21 community strategy session.

Ohio:  Former Emerging Latino Communities (ELC) partner Hispanas Organizadas de Lake and Ashtabula (HOLA) registered voters across Ohio this week, holding a voter registration drive in the 8th Congressional District, represented by Speaker of the House John Boehner, and in Ohio’s 14th C.D., represented by Republican Jim Joyce.

HOLA also met with the office of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-4) to talk immigration reform on Tuesday, July 23.

WisconsinNCLR Affiliate Centro Hispano of Milwaukee attended a town hall held by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) Friday July 26.

Washington, DCNCLR staff met this week with staff of Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), John Yarmuth (D-KY-3), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-4), Xavier Becerra (D-CA-34), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25), Raul Labrador (R-ID-1),  and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-3), as well as with Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Michael Bennet (D-CO).

NCLR Affiliates:  To share your recent meetings on immigration with your members of Congress, please fill out the report-back form on our website.

You might also be interested in:

Immigration news

Here’s some of what we’re following this week: News reports this week showed that the global consulting firm McKinsey was originally brought on by the Obama administration to consult on […]