November 18, 2009 8:41 PM
The national campaign for immigration reform kicked off tonight with a telephonic town hall. 16,000 telephone lines were open to a presentation by Congresspeople and advocates discussing fixing our broken immigration system. In addition to individuals calling in, there were more than 800 house parties for reform scattered from West Hempstead to West L.A. tuned into the telephonic town hall. A second town hall is scheduled for later tonight.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who is spearheading the immigration reform campaign in the House along with New York's own Nydia Velasquez, is set to introduce reform legislation within weeks. The plan will contain a legalization program that includes a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented. He told the telephonic town hall that "We need to enforce our laws, but our immigration problems will not go away just because we make our borders stronger."
The Gutierrez plan will also address the splitering of families due to the recent immigration crackdown. In many cases, American-born children have been separated from their parents because of minor immigration infractions. Prior to 1996, immigration courts could redress such problems, but that power was taken away by Congress. Gutierrez pledged to correct that inequity.
The Illinois Congressman also said he would beef-up the provisions of the DREAM Act, to provide a speedier path to permanent residence for students brought into the United States as children by their parents.
Congresswoman Velasquez, who was a past CARECEN honoree, said that this is the best time to push for immigration reform. She said that it gives her great confidence that a person as powerful as Senator Schumer has agreed to shepherd the reform agenda through the Senate.
The strategy over the next few weeks outside the beltway is simple. Everyone who supports immigration reform needs to call, e-mail, and write Congress as often as possible.
This site will provide different letters every week to send to your Congressional Representatives, your Senators and the President. Don't just send one letter and rest on your laurels. Send one every week. And let your friends know how to join the campaign by e-mailing them a link to Long Island Wins.
Have your community organization send a letter on letterhead to your Representatives and Senators. Make one call to Congress every week. Ask you friends and your congregation to send letters.
Let us know what you are doing by leaving comments on this site. Whether it is speaking to your community group or calling your Congressperson, let us know about it.
The anti-immigrant crowd had their big rallies over the weekend, and they were miserably attended. We need to show Congress that we are stronger and better organized than those noisy tea baggers.