Town Hall Attempts to Revive Immigration Reform Movement
By Gloria Angelina Castillo, EGP Staff Writer
Hundreds of immigration reform supporters gathered at Placita Olvera’s Our Lady of Angels Church on Monday night for an Immigration Town Hall and gave U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois), author of an Immigration Reform Bill presented in Congress last year, a rock star welcome.
The event took place just a week after President Barack Obama’s disappointingly brief mention of “fixing our broken immigration systems” in his first State of the Union Address. Immigrant rights groups instead had hoped to hear Obama say a comprehensive immigration reform would take place this year, as he had while campaigning.
In line with his Familiy Unity Tour, which includes over 16 stops nation-wide, Congressman Gutierrez on Monday touched upon family separations as a result of deportations and raids.
“No man, not even the President of the United States, can break what God has created,” Gutierrez told the audience about the importance of family ties.
Besides asking immigrants who are now citizens to flex their voting power and support Republicans or Democrats who support comprehensive immigration reform, Gutierrez asked for participation in a national march in Washington D.C. on March 21.
Executive Director of CHIRLA, Angelica Salas, said that even if you cannot attend personally, you can make a donation to help pay for others who are able to go, but cannot afford the cross-country trip.
The Town Hall drew a cross section of city leaders and celebrities, including LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO head, Maria Elena Durazo, U.S. Reps, Lucille Roybal-Allard and Judy Chu and others.
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February 4, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Eastern Group Publications, Inc.
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6 Responses to “Town Hall Attempts to Revive Immigration Reform Movement”
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We Are the Largest Chain of Hispanic Owned Bilingual Newspapers in the U.S.
Eastside Sun / Northeast Sun / Mexican American Sun / Bell Gardens Sun / City Terrace Comet / Commerce Comet / Montebello Comet / Monterey Park Comet / ELA Brookyln Belvedere Comet / Wyvernwood Chronicle / Vernon Sun
Undocumented Workers 11,200,000
2009 population from 1 to 10
New York, N.Y. ………………8,363,710
Los Angeles, Calif………….. 3,833,995
Chicago, Ill…………………… 2,853,114
Houston, Tex………………… 2,242,193
Philadelphia, Pa. ……………1,567,924
Phoenix, Ariz……………….. 1,447,395
San Antonio, Tex…………… 1,351,305
Dallas, Tex…………………….1,279,910
San Diego, Calif………………1,279,329
San Jose, Calif. ………………948,279
That means that is the same quantity of people that New York and Chicago has.
Just imagine our country with out people in New York and Chicago…
How expensive is going to be that?
Let’s use our heads We are the # 1 country in the world! Let’s fix this problem as We are.
The problem is based on the way that our broken immigration system is, if the visa gap could be larger for family members and if we could have a real temporary workers program like in Europe, We can solve the problem. Let’s rebuild our database to use the E-Verify
We don’t need more fences, we don’t need more expenses on that. We just have to fix what is broken and unfortunately in this case is our law that was designed for the situation that we had 30 years ago, don’t patch it, fix it!. and fix it for ever, do it right.
Fixing our immigration system is not just the right thing to do for immigrant workers; it’s the right thing to do for all workers and for our economy.
You guys have my full support. GO IMMIGRATION REFORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Immigrants Add Vastly to America’s Ecopnomy Argument:
January 2008 = Start of Deportaion/Starvation of these good Hard Working “Human’s”
January 2008 = Start of the “Worst Recession in U.S. History!
This is No Co-incidence!
Any one get it yet?
All Stimulus Packages, Bail-outs, Cash for Clunkers, Ect., and now a Jobs Bill, have all ocurred since the Deportaions began, and are only “Treating the Symtoms!”
“Magic Repair ” for the Economy = Fix what Broke it!
Yes Immigration Reform!
All States that Deported their Hard Working Tax Base, are now in Total Economic Disaster!
The U.S. Census Bureau counted them all as Citizens for nearly 25 years to base the size of Government Services on!
These Devestated States are now having to Gut Government to match their now much smaller Base!
Hey we can pretend it isn’t so, and that the Economy will simply “Bounce Back”.
Please Wake Up!
To: Liberty/Rocket Science.
We have Created Millions of new Jobs:
In fields planting, picking, packaging, driving tractors, mopping floors, cleaning Hotels/Homes, Ect. Ect.
These hard Labor jobs are Vital to our “Strong Economy”, we can’t all be Yuppies!
But now with the proper College Degree, many Americans may now qualify for these laborous Jobs!
I hear a lot of Narrow minded people claiming Americans want these jobs, however the fact is they Don’t!
Unfortunately the Hardest, most Laborous Jobs support All other American Jobs!
In a Statement by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano, when addressing the Senate Judiciary Committee in December 2009– CORRECT? The guarantee was that Obama government had already made successful steps in securing our borders, thus moving us one stride nearer to “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” Her main objective was to influence these politicians, that by stating, ” Our efforts are achieving their desired results at the border. . . . In short, the security of our southwest border has been transformed.” As proof of this incredulous optimistic pledge, DHS Secretary advised to a decline in the number of illegal aliens apprehended along the border, adding, Apprehensions of illegal aliens at the border have dropped to their lowest levels in decades, signaling reduced traffic flows and fewer attempts to illegally enter the United States.” ROSEMARY JENKS is the Director, Government Relations for NumbersUSA, who visited with Border Patrol Agents in the Tucson Sector in mid-October of 2009 and asked if they believe the official DHS statement that three illegal aliens successfully enter the United States for every one who is apprehended, they laughed.
The reality, they said, is that 10 or more get through for every one who is caught. That was two months before Napolitano shared her revelation with the Senate Judiciary Committee. So if Rosemary Jenks research is correct, then what she says is astounding, ” Meaning that illegal aliens successfully penetrated our borders more than 5.5 million times in FY 2009. That doesn’t sound much like a “transformation” to me.” she admonished. In DHS Secretary world, however, this transformation explains why she has asked Congress for $11.6 million less in funding for “border security between ports of entry” and for $225.8 million less in funding for “border fencing, infrastructure, and technology” for FY 2011. In other words Janet Napolitano–NOT A FRIEND–of the American Worker, but has become a puppet of the open border extremists. Only the relentless pressure by the voting public on–ALL–spineless politicians by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Call your state legislators as well, as all states are heavily overburdened with the illegal immigration invasion, that cost taxpayers billions annually.
From all lawmakers we must demand a permanent E-Verify for every business nationwide, to restrict illegal labor. To federally deputize every police officer, empowering them to arrest and detain illegal immigrants wherever they may be. Institute a larger force of ICE agents to audit any business that is under suspicion for using foreign nationals in their labor force. E-Verify as a very successful immigration enforcement tool, could also be used to reveal unethical mortgagees, people using fraudulent documents in applying for drivers licenses, car registrations and even health care benefits? Don’t let Sen Harry Reid, Speaker Pelosi, Sen.Chuck Schumer underfund the fence, the US Border Patrol or any immigration enforcement. THIS MIGHT JUST BE A FOREBODING OF AN OUTRAGEOUS EFFORT TO FORCE THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM. Get the facts not propaganda at NUMBERSUSA & JUDICIAL WATCH.
How many times do we have to tell you…………NO AMNESTY! We MUST get rid of these illegal aliens! They are destroying this Country! Are you BLIND?
Illegal aliens have made America the dumping ground for all their illegal alien children, then we have to school them and give them free medical care.
I for one, am sick and tired of these illegal aliens snubbing their nose at our immigration laws and the many other laws of this Country. If our Federal Government can not ENFORCE our immigration laws, and get these illegal aliens out of this Country, then let the States do it! One way or another, an end has to come to this illegal immigration, and not with AMNESTY! Amnesty will only encourage more illegal aliens to invade our Country and reward those who broke our laws and raped the American taxpayer in many ways…depressing our wages, taking our jobs, overwhelming our schools with their illegal alien children, driving without a license or car insurance, all the crime from stolen identities to rape, drugs and everything else.
It’s time for ZERO TOLERENCE with these illegal aliens. It’s time for them get out of this Country and back in their own Country where they belong. When we get rid of the illegal aliens, we will get rid of all the problems that go with them. THAT IS A FACT!
Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois), He is what you call a real IDIOT!