This Week in Immigration Reform — Week Ending September 11
Week Ending September 11
This week in immigration reform: NCLR President calls for Latino community to match hope with action; and Representative Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL) delivers speech to House of Representatives about upcoming visit by the Pope.
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In Lead Up to Pope’s Visit, NCLR President Joins Immigration Reform Advocates, Religious Leaders to Renew Commitment to Immigration Reform: On Thursday, NCLR President Janet Murguía, standing beside numerous organizations advocating for immigration reform, participated in a press conference to welcome Pope Francis to Washington DC and to call on the immigrants’ rights community to renew their commitment for immigration reform. The event comes at a time when media headlines have been dominated by anti-immigrant rhetoric that stands in direct contrast to the Pope’s message of inclusion and welcoming of immigrants. Janet was joined on stage by Moderator Eliseo Medina, Former International Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, as well as Jim Wallis, President and Founder of Sojourners, Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Cristian Avila, DREAMer and state coordinator for Mi Familia Vota, Jaime Contreras, Vice President at 32BJ Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington DC.
Janet also posted on NCLR’s blog about the opportunities for action created by the Pope’s visit, and called on the public to join the National Day of Prayer for Immigrant Families, Congress & our Nation on September 24th, 2015.
In case you have missed previous blog posts related to Donald Trump’s candidacy, you can click on them here:
Media coverage of Trump and Jorge Ramos
Remarks of Janet Murguía at the NCLR Annual Conference
With Congress Back in Session, Rep. Gutierrez Speaks to House of Representatives About the Pope’s Visit: As Congress returned from their August recess, Representative Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) delivered a speech on the House floor about the contrast of Pope Francis’s September visit amidst the current discourse on immigration. Rep. Gutiérrez cited the upcoming visit as “a counter weight to what has become the ugliest, most xenophobic, most anti-immigration campaign in anyone’s memory.” During the Pope’s scheduled address to Congress, Gutiérrez said, “we will see two paths in very sharp relief. Build a wall or build a bridge? Help our brother or turn our backs? Belittle our sister or share her heavy load? Incite distrust and division or foster unity to face our challenges because we are stronger together?” Video of the full speech is available here.
