This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending September 13
Week Ending September 13
This week in immigration reform: Latino Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle make the case for reform; a new report shows how immigrants help revitalize communities across the country; over 100 women calling for the House to act on reform are arrested for blocking traffic in front of the Capitol; and NCLR and its Affiliates continue meeting with members of Congress, holding vigils and rallies, and partnering with elected officials and area organizations to push for immigration reform legislation in the House. NCLR staff kept the community informed as always this week, with staff quoted in stories in Vida en la Valle, La Opinión, and in a Notimex story that was reprinted in numerous outlets.
—Bipartisan calls for reform from Latino leaders in Congress. A bipartisan call for reform sounded from Latino leaders in Congress this week. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) circulated a number of “Dear Colleague” letters to members of Congress, focusing on the economic benefits that immigration reform will bring the country. Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) highlighted how reform will spur job creation and overall economic growth, Rep. Joe Garcia (R-Fla.) observed that reform would benefit America’s travel and tourism industries, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard discussed how reform would strengthen the cause of women’s rights, and Reps. Rubén Hinojosa and Luis Gutiérrez wrote in opposition to the SAFE Act (HR 2278) that, were it to pass into law, would make Arizona’s beleaguered racial-profiling law SB 1070 the law of the land.
Meanwhile the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), a group that includes Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.), and David Valadao (R-Calif.) among others, announced its support of immigration reform at a press conference held on Thursday Sept. 12th and “urged Congress to act without further delay.”
—New study shows immigrants revitalize communities across the country. A new report by the Partnership for the New American Economy (PNAE) finds that immigrants are contributing to community revitalization across the country, with immigration helping to create or preserve manufacturing jobs, improving local housing values and the national housing market, and bringing new native-born residents to the areas they move to.
—Over 100 women arrested in DC for immigration reform protest: More than 100 women were arrested in front of the Capitol on the morning of September 12th after they sat down and blocked traffic in protest of the House’s inaction on immigration reform.
Among the more than 100 advocates were representatives from former Emerging Latino Communities (ELC) grantees Lideres Campesinas and ACTION Institute NC as well as women from NCLR Affiliates CASA de Maryland, Latin American Coalition, Make the Road NY, and TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition). Follow NCLR on Twitter and check out the NCLR blog to see more photos of this powerful event!
Some of the more than 100 women who were arrested on Sept. 12 for protesting the House’s inaction on immigration reform.
NCLR and Affiliates in action.
- Colorado: NCLR and its Affiliate CLLARO (Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy and Research Organization) met with the office of Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) on Thursday Sept. 12th to discuss immigration reform and the federal budget. NCLR and CLLARO reminded Rep. Coffman’s staff that passing comprehensive immigration reform legislation would reduce federal deficits and strengthen the overall economy.
- North Carolina: NCLR Affiliate El Pueblo registered people to vote and gathered 630 signatures for a petition calling on North Carolina’s members of Congress to give immigration reform a vote at its annual “La Fiesta del Pueblo” festival in Raleigh, NC on Sept. 8th.
El Pueblo registers new voters at La Fiesta del Pueblo on Sunday, Sept. 8th (photo: El Pueblo).
- Ohio: Former ELC grantee Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula (HOLA) organized a vigil for immigration reform outside of Rep. Jim Joyce’s (R-Ohio) Painesville office on Wednesday Sept. 4th. Over 26 families were present and called for Rep. Joyce to step up and work for immigration reform legislation in the House of Representatives.
- Texas: The NCLR Action Fund will be registering people to vote, collecting signatures on a petition, and marching for a vote on immigration reform this Saturday, Sept. 14th in San Antonio, Texas. To volunteer, get involved, or for more information contact Elissa Nava at 210.212.4454 ext. 210 or at [email protected].
