Finally, a national push for immigration reform
Thursday, June 4th 2009, 3:44 PM
Things are moving pretty rapidly on the immigration front - and President Obama's leadership has much to do with it.
The President has called for a bipartisan meeting on Monday with members of both houses of Congress to explore effective ways to speed immigration reform forward this year.
Meanwhile, this week, hundreds of reenergized advocates across the country are organizing a series of events to launch the Reform Immigration for America campaign, a broad-based national effort to fix the nation's broken immigration system through a comprehensive legislative approach.
"The reality is that the President wants immigration reform, the American people want immigration reform, and we are launching the Reform Immigration for America campaign to make it happen," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a nonpartisan group in Washington.
Two hundred organizations have signed on to the campaign that was announced Monday in more than 30 cities.
Locally, Make the Road New York - a grass-roots community group with offices in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island - and the New York Immigration Coalition announced their participation to an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan.
"The room was completely full," said Javier Valdés, of Make the Road by Walking. "There were more than 250 people, from labor leaders to business owners, from religious leaders to community organizers, pretty much the kind of coalition that will be needed to be effective."
The local announcements were followed by a press conference held at the National Press Cub in Washington yesterday attended by a diverse coalition.
Groups such as the AFL-CIO, the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, the SEIU, the National Council of La Raza, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Immigration Forum said they are optimistic Congress will pass an immigration reform law in the coming months.
The group's leaders described "a new political reality" made up of "a united labor movement and a President committed to comprehensive reform," as well as unprecedented voter mobilization and turnout in immigrant communities last November.
The also point to polls showing support for reform from at least 60% of American people, and the practical impossibility of deporting 12,000,000 people.
Also in Washington, a national summit bringing together 700 grass-roots advocates representing more than 35 states convened yesterday and will run through Friday.
A NATIONAL TOWN HALL meeting on Capitol Hill Thursday, focusing on the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to the immigration crisis, will include key members of Congress such as Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), and immigration subcommittee chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). They are likely to be among those meeting with President Obama in a few days.
"The purpose of the summit is to prepare for the June 8 meeting," Valdés said. "From that day on, we will have a lot of work ahead of us."
Also, organizers said, the campaign is an effort to help support Obama and ensure that his promises of comprehensive immigration reform becomes legislative reality.
"The time to act is now, and we are committed to do all we can to help the President and Congress to make immigration reform a reality," Valdés [email protected]
