This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending August 23
Week Ending August 23
With two weeks to go, news reports indicate that pro-immigration reform forces have dominated the August recess; Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) reaffirms his support for reform that includes a roadmap to earned citizenship at a public event organized by NCLR Affiliates and PICO California; and the conservative American Action Network notes that reform would create an average of 14,000 new jobs per congressional district.
With a growing number of actions, events, and activities in the field, NCLR Affiliates and staff continue to meet with members of Congress, hold rallies, and demand action on reform. The NCLR Action Fund ran Spanish-language radio ads in a few key congressional districts. And NCLR staff kept the community informed of developments with appearances in Univision, NBC Latino, Yahoo! News, and the Associated Press / El Nuevo Herald this week.
—Rep. Jeff Denham: you can’t fix immigration without a road to earned legal status and citizenship. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) confirmed his support for comprehensive immigration reform with a roadmap to earned citizenship at a public appearance last week in Patterson, CA last Friday August 16th, saying: “you can’t just fix the border without having internal security and without making sure that the 11 million that are here today are able to earn legal status and citizenship.” With these unequivocal remarks Rep. Denham solidifies his position as one of the growing number of House Republicans backing immigration reform.
NCLR Affiliates El Concilio, Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE), and Visionary Home Builders (VHB) joined with PICO California to plan, organize, and execute the event.
—Numerous news outlets issue the verdict: pro-reform forces have dominated action and narrative in the August Recess. As The Atlantic reports: “Immigration Reformers are Winning August.” Both supporters and opponents of immigration reform promised an August filled to the brim with grassroots action, but so far only one side has delivered, The Atlantic’s Molly Ball reported this week. Both supporters and opponents of immigration reform promised an August filled to the brim with grassroots action, but so far only one side has delivered (see stories in Associated Press, MSNBC, New Republic, Politico, The Week, US News & World Report, Washington Post).
Immigration reform advocates have organized hundreds of public events at this point in the August Recess (579 events and counting by Alliance for Citizenship members alone), including a march to Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA-23) Bakersfield office, rallies and visits to districts in in North Carolina, Ohio, California, and Virginia, to name a few. In contrast, anti-immigrant groups have cancelled events and at a heavily-promoted anti-reform rally in Richmond, VA featuring anti-immigrant Representative Steve King (R-IA-4), only a few dozen people showed up.
—Immigration reform will create an average of 14,000 new jobs per Congressional District, conservative group notes. The American Action Network, a conservative group run by Douglas Holz-Eakin (economist and director of the CBO under George W. Bush) and founded by prominent Republicans Fred Malek (former aide to Presidents Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush) and Norm Coleman (former Senator from Minnesota), distributed a web-based tool this week that shows how the comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate would create an average of 14,000 new jobs per congressional district, with a minimum of 7,000 new jobs being created in every district. The tool is based on a study of the economic impact of immigration reform by the non-partisan group Regional Economic Models, Inc.
Find out how many new jobs comprehensive immigration reform with a roadmap to earned citizenship will create in your congressional district, and let your Representative know that passing immigration reform means new jobs in their district!
NCLR and Affiliates in action.
- California: NCLR Affiliate TODEC Legal Center met with Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA-31) this week, urging him to come out publicly in favor of immigration reform legislation that includes a roadmap to citizenship, and delivered over a thousand letters from Miller’s constituents calling on him to give immigration reform a vote on the House floor (see photo below).TODEC also conducted a phonebank into Rep. Darrell Issa’s (R-CA-49) office this week, with volunteers driving grassroots calls in support of immigration reform into the Congressman’s office.Also in California, the NCLR Action Fund ran Spanish-language radio ads in San Bernardino this week, playing on KHJ 990 AM “La Ranchera” and KRQB 96.1 FM “La Que Buena.” Ads asked listeners to call Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA-31) and urge him to give immigration reform legislation a vote in the House of Representatives.
Clarissa Gallegos, daughter of TODEC Legal Center Executive Director Luz Gallegos, presents 1,023 letters calling for immigration reform to Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA-31) on Thursday, Aug. 22nd (photo: TODEC Legal Center).
Clarissa Gallegos, daughter of TODEC Legal Center Executive Director Luz Gallegos, presents 1,023 letters calling for immigration reform to Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA-31) on Thursday, Aug. 22nd (photo: TODEC Legal Center).
- Florida: The NCLR Action Fund ran Spanish-language radio advertisements in Tampa, FL this week, with ads on stations WAMA 1550 AM “Lay Ley” and WYUU 92.5 FM “La Maxima” asking listeners to call Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and let him know that immigration reform deserves a vote in the House of Representatives.
- North Carolina: NCLR Affiliate Latin American Coalition rallied in front of Rep. Robert Pittenger’s (R-N.C.) Charlotte office on Thursday, August 22nd, calling on him to help keep families together by working for comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the House of Representatives. LAC also spoke with staff of Rep. Pittenger’s office.
A scene from Latin American Coalition’s 8.22.13 rally for immigration reform at Rep. Robert Pittenger’s Charlotte office (photo: Latin American Coalition).
- Texas: The NCLR Action Fund ran Spanish-language radio ads in Houston this week. Two sets of ads, playing on stations KLOL 101.1 FM “Mega 101,” KLTN 102.9 FM, and KQBU 03.3 FM, asked listeners to call Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) and urge them to give immigration reform legislation a vote on the House floor.
–NCLR released “Who Supports Immigration Reform?” this week, a new video featuring the diverse range of leaders who called for immigration reform at NCLR’s 2013 Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. Click on the image below to view the video on YouTube.
–NCLR released a new “Truth in Immigration” infographic this week (see below), noting that immigration reform will create 3 million new jobs for U.S. citizens over the next 10 years. Share this infographic on Facebook, and check the “Truth in Immigration” web page frequently for new infographics.
