This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending October 4
Week Ending October 4
This week in immigration reform: House Democrats unveil immigration reform legislation; Oct. 5th, the National Day of Dignity and Respect for Immigration Reform, draws near; the Affordable Care Act exchanges open and NCLR updates the community on the status of healthcare; and NCLR and its Affiliates meet with their members of Congress and hold roundtables on reform with business leaders as part of the NCLR Affiliate Network’s continuing push for reform. NCLR staff kept the community informed in a number of news items this week, with staff quoted in stories in CSPAN, Univision, El Latino – San Diego, EFE El Nuevo Herald, Latinos Post, La Opinión, CNN México, and the San Antonio Express-News.
- House Democrats introduce immigration reform legislation. On Wednesday October 2nd House Democrats Joe Garcia (D–FL-26), Judy Chu (D–CA-27), Jared Polis (D–CO-2), Steven Horsford (D–NV-4) and Suzan DelBene (D–WA-1) introduced the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act.” The bill features many of the bipartisan-backed provisions from the Senate’s immigration bill S.744, as well as the border security bill passed unanimously by the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, chaired by Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX-10). This step is a welcome one, as we hope its introduction will result in action on the part of House Republicans.
- October 5th events lined up across the country to keep the pressure on Congress. NCLR is proud to be a national organization endorsing the October 5th National Day of Dignity and Respect for immigration reform. Many of our Affiliates are planning to participate in the more than 120 local activities calling for reform. If you are participating in one of the events, please share your photos with us! Email photos to [email protected] and we will include them in our social media platforms. Following the efforts of Oct. 5th, a rally and concert will be held on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Tuesday, October 8th from 12:30-6:00pm.
You can find information on both the Oct. 5th and 8th events at www.octoberimmigration.org.
- ACA exchanges open Oct. 1st, NCLR keeps the community informed on healthcare: On October 2nd, NCLR joined with Farmworker Justice and the National Hispanic Medical Association to host a policy forum, “Immigration Reform: Challenges and Opportunities,” at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health in Washington, DC. Jennifer Ng’andu, Director of Health and Civil Rights at NCLR, presented on the current status of immigrant health coverage in the U.S.
- NCLR and Affiliates in action.
California: On Friday September 27 NCLR partnered with the ACLU to host a business roundtable on immigration reform in San Diego, CA. Local business leaders and state Assemblyman Rocky Chavez (R-CA-76) agreed that immigration reform is a no-brainer, since it will increase consumer spending, drive up wages, and otherwise strengthen our economy.
Scenes from the 9/27 business roundtable on immigration reform.
Florida: NCLR partnered with NALEO to hold a citizenship workshop on Saturday Sept. 28 in Kissimmee, FL, helping over 80 Legal Permanent Residents take the first steps toward citizenship.
Ohio: Former Emerging Latino Communities (ELC) grantee HOLA (Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula) met with staff of Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH-16) on Monday Sept. 30th and Tuesday Oct. 1st. HOLA called on Rep. Renacci to work on immigration reform in the House.
If your organization is planning an event for Hispanic Heritage Month, consider having participants sign a petition to your congressional delegation in support of immigration reform. Please contact John Herrick at 202.776.1735 or at [email protected] for more information.
NCLR Affiliates: To share your recent meetings on immigration with your members of Congress, please fill out the report-back form on our website.
