They are demanding to keep families together, and fair access to permanent residency and citizenship
Chicago IL –As part of the ongoing campaign “Lifting Latino Voices, Sharing our Stories,” member organizations and allies of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Community across the nation will be visiting in-district congressional offices on March 25-29 to give their perspective on immigration policy and share the alarming realities caused by our broken immigration system. The goals of this campaign are to educate the public about the potential implications of an immigration reform and to assure legislators incorporate the demands of the Latino immigrant community in the current debate. NALACC members will urge policymakers to consider the following demands:
Halt Deportations Now: The immediate halt of deportations of immigrants whose sole infraction is residing in the U.S. without authorization, and the release of detained immigrants without any violent criminal background.
Keep our Families Together: Reunification of families, including elimination of waiting times greater than one year in the family visa petition system.
Fair Access to Citizenship: Immigration reform should include swift, fair and humane access to legal permanent residency, which puts people on a direct path to citizenship.
“If President Obama wants us to believe he truly cares about the wellbeing of immigrants, he must change the course of the current detention and deportation practices and set a more positive tone for reform,” said Claudia Lucero, President of Durango Unido and NALACC’s board member. “Our families are living in fear as more than 1,000 people continue to be deported every single day. It is unacceptable to suggest that tearing families apart is an unavoidable collateral damage of bringing about immigration reform,” added Mrs. Lucero.
“Given the scope of the immigration reform proposals that are under discussion, we hope that we may be able to resolve some of our problems,” said, Patricia Montes, Centro Presente’s Executive Director and NALACC’s board member. “However, we are committed to working with policymakers for as long as it takes in the coming years to bring about a sensible set of immigration policies that will make our country stronger,” added Mrs. Montes.
As part of its SOMOS/WE ARE initiative, NALACC member organizations are joining this national campaign in the following cities: Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Greenville, NC; Omaha, NE; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Las Vegas, NV. For more information, see www.NALACC,org
