More Than 60,000 Americans in 45 States Organize for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

For Immediate Release
November 19, 2009

Contact:
Martine Apodaca (202) 383-5989

More Than 60,000 Americans in 45 States Organize for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Demonstration of Organizational Might Shows Americans Committed to Passing Immigration Reform this Year
Washington, DC - Tonight, more than 60,000 activists, families, friends, and neighbors gathered for a nationwide tele-town hall event that created even greater momentum for comprehensive immigration reform legislation in 2010. The national teleconference was put together by an enormous coalition of faith, law enforcement, labor, civil rights, and immigrant advocacy groups working together to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. The breadth and size of the coalition was reflected in the massive numbers of people who joined the call. The Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign organized 1,009 house parties in 45 states and Puerto Rico. More than 60,000 called in, joined house parties, or listened to live radio broadcasts.

Last week, anti-immigrant "tea party" activists held rallies to protest the mere presence of immigrants in the United States. However, their numbers paled in comparison to those who assembled tonight. NumbersUSA, a vehemently anti-immigrant organization, hailed a meager 50 events in only 26 states that they acknowledged were "not drawing huge crowds." In contrast, 400 activists showed up to a single pro-reform house party in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The teleconference, hosted by the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign and featuring Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Congressman Raul Grijalva, and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez comes just days after White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano indicated the White House is ready to push for comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. Tonight in schools, churches, and community centers all over the country Americans are organizing to push Congress to solve this problem once and for all.

Congressman Gutierrez outlined a progressive vision for immigration reform and told participants to continue organizing to hold their elected leaders accountable. "We need everyone on this call to take action with your churches, your families and your organizations so that we can deliver a strong message to President Obama and Congress that, hey, it has been a year…We want you to keep your promise to our families. We'll be watching on the State of the Union to make sure you keep your promise," said Gutierrez.

"In 2006 we marched, in 2008 we voted, and in 2009 and 2010 we're getting organized." said Congressman Grijalva.

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez said that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and its allies were committed to making immigration reform happen. "The CHC and its allies are working to ensure that comprehensive immigration reform finally become a reality. We have a President who, I think, understands that. We have Democratic majorities in the Congress, and we have a few Republicans who want to work with us to get this done," said Velazquez

Tonight's demonstration of organizational might shows that Americans from every part of the country are committed to achieving immigration reform and ready to get to work.

Audio will be available later on the campaign website http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/


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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration FOR America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit http://www.causaoregon.org/

Partying Across the Nation for Immigration Reform

Today, thousands of people across the nation will be hosting house parties and joining in a national telephonic town hall to ask questions and voice concerns about Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Thus far, nearly 900 parties have been scheduled.

The teleconference, to be hosted by Reform Immigration FOR America, will feature Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Congressman Raul Grijalva, and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.

The Campaign titled "Families, Freedom and Faith: A Call to Action for Immigration Reform" is using a new way to connect people directly with each other, with leaders in Washington, and with local Representatives and elected officials. Tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern/5:00 PM Pacific people from coast to coast will be able to listen directly to the Representatives about their outlines for a fair and humane immigration reform.

The fact is, immigration reform can't wait and enforcement-only policies are inhumane, impractical and costly. It doesn't make sense to spend billions of dollars rounding people up, breaking up families, shutting down businesses, and deporting people who are working, learning English, and putting down roots here. We need common sense reform that keeps families together, brings people out of the shadows, protect rights of workers and secures a stable, documented workforce crucial for our country's economic recovery.

The energy, excitement, and commitment of people united to win immigration reform is now stronger than ever and a majority of Americans want their leaders to tackle and solve the tough problems in a humane and practical way. President Obama and Members of Congress in both parties understand that fixing the broken immigration system is a priority that we want Congress to address this year.

Will you join us tonight to party for immigration reform and add your voice to the growing chorus of people calling for Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

Here’s three ways to plug in:

1. Attend a party in your area. Click here to search for a party near you.
2. Join the call. Sign up here.
3. Tell your friends – Tweet it, Post to Facebook, Email your contacts

Recently, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano talked about why the fight for immigration reform is different and stronger this time around. Let's show her tonight just how much stronger we are!

Reform Immigration FOR America To Partner with Faith Community on "Home for the Holidays" Campaign to Keep Families Together

For Immediate Release
November 16, 2009

Contact:
Shuya Ohno
sohno@immigrationforum.org
(202) 309-5645 cell

Reform Immigration FOR America To Partner with Faith Community on "Home for the Holidays" Campaign to Keep Families Together

Campaign to Collect Thousands of Postcards Targeting Members of Congress

Washington, DC - The Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign is proud to partner with the "Home of the Holidays" campaign in an effort to push Congress to action on comprehensive immigration reform. Today, faith leaders across America gathered to launch a major escalation of the faith community's efforts to press Congress into addressing this issue. Besides major events in four states, "Home for the Holidays" will collect 250,000 postcards targeting Members of Congress. Reform Immigration FOR America will be contributing 12,000 postcards to this effort.

"People of faith will be crucial to our efforts to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform and we are thrilled to be working so closely with them. People of faith recognize the moral obligation posed by our broken immigration system and their leadership is welcome. Their effort brings together many diverse faiths, the scale is unprecedented, and the effort is timely. Our failed immigration system is keeping thousands of immigrant families apart - and not just for the holidays. America needs comprehensive immigration reform that is fair and humane, and finally resolves this issue for the American people once and for all," said Rich Stolz, campaign manager for the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign.

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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration FOR America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

CAUSA: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Needed To Keep Country Secure, Administration Committed to Reform says Napolitano

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2009

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, 503.269.5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, 503.488.0263

Secretary Napolitano: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Needed To Keep Country Secure, Administration Committed to Reform

Salem, Ore--In a speech before the Center for American Progress, Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano reiterated the Obama Administration's commitment to passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Napolitano, a former border state governor who has a deep understanding of the complexity of immigration issues, has been designated by the President as the administration's point person on immigration reform.

During today's speech, Secretary Napolitano said that she expects to see legislation in early 2010 and that, "The President is committed to this issue because the need for immigration reform is so clear. This administration does not shy away from taking on the big challenges of the 21st century, challenges that have been ignored too long and hurt our families and businesses. When Congress is ready to act, we'll be ready to support them."

In discussing the failed attempt to pass Immigration Reform in 2007, Napolitano said, "I've been dealing hands on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around." She went on to say that faith and law enforcement leaders are speaking out about the vital need for reform, as well as business and labor leaders.

Napolitano said that the Department of Homeland Security is ready to implement reform saying that, "We've ended a year-long backlog for background checks on applicants for green cards and naturalization. We've expanded the opportunity for a widow to gain legal status here, despite the untimely death of her U.S. citizen spouse. We've launched a new interactive website that allows people to receive information about the status of their immigration cases by email or text message, and we have reduced the time it takes to process those cases."

CAUSA, a partner in the national Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, joins with community organizations and advocates from around the nation in being ready to partner with Secretary Napolitano and the Obama Administration as they push for a humane and just comprehensive immigration reform.

"We are committed to achieving immigration reform that deals with our broken system in a humane and fair way," said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA. "And although Secretary Napolitano continues to express support for enforcement policies that have proven to do more harm than good, she did acknowledge today that it is time to move beyond the failed enforcement-only strategy of the past 10 years and begin the process of fixing the system. CAUSA, our members and allies around the nation and in Oregon continue to be ready to get to work with the President and Congressional leaders to make reform a reality. We look to Congress and the President to get this process underway sooner rather than later."

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CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration FOR America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

Lou Dobbs Departure Brings us Closer to Rational Debate on Immigration Reform

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2009

Contact:
Shuya Ohno
(202) 309-5645 cell sohno@immigrationforum.org

Lou Dobbs Departure Brings us Closer to Rational Debate on Immigration Reform

Washington, DC - CNN announced yesterday that Lou Dobbs, CNN's inflammatory anti-immigrant anchor, would be departing the network. The following is a statement by Rich Stolz, Campaign Manager of the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign, a national effort to unite faith, business, labor, progressive, civil rights, and immigrant organizations to pass comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.

"Lou Dobbs's departure from CNN is welcome news, and a step toward the common sense debate on comprehensive immigration reform that this country desperately needs. For too long, he has been a voice of ill-informed, irresponsible propaganda and scare-mongering against immigrants and their families. Dobbs's brand of inflammatory rhetoric only exacerbates an already difficult problem by playing to people's fears instead of their heads. Reform Immigration FOR America is focused on achieving comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrants fairly, requires the undocumented to register to be put on a path toward legal status, ends illegal hiring practices, encourages lawful immigration, and secures our border. Dobbs's exit from CNN clears an obstacle from a rational debate on immigration, hopefully leading to common-sense immigration reform."

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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration For America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

Lou Dobbs Resigns from CNN

It is now being widely reported that Lou Dobbs is resigning from CNN effective today. During "Lou Dobbs Tonight", Dobbs announced that his Wednesday show would be his last on the network. The announcement comes amidst much controversy surrounding the CNN commentator and his regular negative and untruthful statements directed at immigrants.

In September, a coalition of community organizations united together to call on CNN to fire Lou Dobbs for spreading misinformation and fear about immigrants and Latinos. The BastaDobbs coalition formed to raise awareness about the dangerous nexus between anti-immigrant extremism and the media. Earlier this month, the campaign announced that 100,000 people had joined them in demanding that Dobbs be dismissed from the network.

In a statement responding to the announcement of Dobbs' departure from CNN, the BastaDobbs campaign had this to say:

"Our contention all along was that Lou Dobbs – who has a long record of spreading lies and conspiracy theories about immigrants and Latinos – does not belong on the ‘Most Trusted Name in News,’” said Roberto Lovato, co-founder of Presente.org, a national online advocacy organization coordinating the BastaDobbs.com campaign in conjunction with more than 40 local and regional Latino organizations from across the country. “We are thrilled that Dobbs no longer has this legitimate platform from which to incite fear and hate.” Read full statement

Last month, America's Voice, an organization supporting a workable and humane approach to comprehensive immigration reform, began airing an ad "Drop the Hate, Drop Dobbs" echoing the call for CNN to drop Dobbs from it's network. The ad ran on MSNBC and several other networks during the CNN's "Latino in America" mini series. Despite raising the necessary funds, CNN refused to air the ad.

There is no word yet on what sort of impact these campaigns had on Lou Dobbs' departure from CNN. However, according to the New York Times, Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/U.S. said that “Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere.”

Today, We Honor Our Immigrant Service Members

By Wendy Sefsaf. Originally posted at Immigration Impact.

America will celebrate its veterans around the nation today, honoring those who have served our nation with selflessness and bravery. Included in the millions who have served are immigrants. From the Revolutionary war to current conflicts, immigrants have joined the ranks of our military to fight for and defend America since its inception.

Just as U.S. citizens, immigrants—both legal and undocumented—residing in the United States have answered the call to defend the United States and have gone on to earn the highest honors and ranks the military offers.

Margaret Stock writes:

Immigrants who have served in the U.S. military and by so doing earned their citizenship include Alfred Rascon, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who won the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War and later became a U.S. citizen and eventually the Director of the Selective Service System.

Immigrants also have been promoted to the highest ranks of the U.S. military. The most prominent contemporary example is General John Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who came to the United States from Poland shortly after World War II.

Yet many immigrants who are serving today are facing the stress of sorely outdated immigration-system that is putting their families at risk of deportation.

The Center for American Progress writes:

In 2007, the federal government issued removal orders for the undocumented immigrant wife of Army Spc. Alex Jimenes while he was missing in action. The proceedings were halted at the request of then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who was spurred into action by Senator John Kerry (D-MA).

More recently, 26-year-old U.S. Army Spc. Jack Barrios returned from Iraq in 2007 suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was immediately confronted with deportation orders for his 23-year-old wife Frances, a Guatemalan immigrant, who was six years old when her mother illegally brought her to the United States.

Jack and Frances Barrios have a one-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son, and Frances is helping Jack deal with the hardships related to his mental disorder. Had it not been for DHS’s decision last week to grant a humanitarian parole, Frances’s only option would have been to return to a country she does not know—she grew up in Van Nuys, CA—and wait 10 years before being qualified to return as punishment for being brought here illegally as a child.

While these individual congressional and agency actions are just and have fixed a few cases, wide spread reform of our systems is needed.

Thankfully, Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY), and Russ Feingold (D-WI) have introduced the Military Families Act (S. 2757). This bill would allow immediate family members of active military service members to become lawful permanent residents even when the sponsoring solider has lost his or her life in service.

How many more soldiers’ wives will receive deportation orders while we await a comprehensive solution to fix our broken immigration system? Our immigrant soldiers serve with honor and duty, we in turn have a duty to them to keep their families safe and intact while they are serving and defending us all.