March 23, 2007
important -- overview of proposed legislation
The push for comprehensive immigration reform took a significant stride yesterday with the introduction of legislation to the House. You can read an overview of the proposal here. Bear in mind that immigrant advocates have yet to weigh in on their interpretation of the actual wording of the bill. Word is that the proposed legislation that we see this year will be the toughest enforcement yet will include more realistic opportunities to our immigrant communities than any of the bills last year. The momentum has shifted and immigration advocates are quite optimistic that a decent bill will pass this year. For more in depth analysis of the issues, visit www.immigrationforum.org
As for the boycott and march in Denver, I am rather disappointed in the organizers (at the time of this posting, CFIR's website still does not contain details of this weekend's events). While I think their intentions are great, I feel they dropped the ball in communicating the event to the community (a few weeks ago there had been reports of this group producing and distributing massive amounts of flyers). I am finding that very few people have heard of the boycott and was unable to learn any details about the march until today.
The economic boycott starts on Sunday and goes until April 1st. We are encouraged to buy nothing more than the absolute essentials during those dates. I recommend purchasing a gift card to grocery stores and other businesses you will need to make purchases from during the boycott. That way your purchase will show on their reports this week and not next.
The Denver march will be held in conjunction with the César Chávez annual memorial march tomorrow -- Saturday March 23rd. The march will begin at Auraria campus at 1:15 and end at West High School. Organizers are hoping to have between 1,200 and 5,000 participants.
Posted by almamia at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2007
marcos witt calls for comprehensive immigration reform
Marcos Witt is a prominent songwriter and musician in the Latino Evangelical community. The following video is in Spanish (I couldn't find a version of it in English) and can be posted on your own blogs or web sites. In it he is promoting a petition drive for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The signed petitions will be taken to Washington in the coming weeks. The forms themselves are in English and I have included the mailing address where they can be sent.
Here is what he asks us to do:
1. Pray
2. Call our Legislators
Leave messages stating "I support Immigration Reform".
Nancy Pelosi – Tel. 202-225-4965
Mel Martínez – Tel. 202-224-3041
3. Sign the Petition
Download the Christian Immigration Statement and Letter to Congress. Complete with your information and mail to:
Dr. Juan Hernández
4750 Bryant Irvin Rd, Ste. 808 - PMB# 312
Fort Worth, TX 76132
These petitions need to be mailed prior to March 29th.
4. Spread the word
Tell your family, friends and community members about these petitions and mail their forms to Dr. Juan Hernández as well.
Posted by almamia at 6:43 PM | Comments (0)
March 8, 2007
attention colorado: immigration boycott!!
I am so happy to post this... A coalition of immigrants' rights activists has announced an upcoming immigration boycott. This will be different from last year in that it will span 12 days!!! Mark your calendars now and start planning ahead. The boycott will be from March 24th - April 1st. Here is a link to the article in today's Rocky Mountain News.
A few weeks ago, I'd contacted Rights for All People to ask if anything was in the works and she mentioned this boycott (although she didn't have specific dates at that time). In that conversation, she mentioned that the coalition would like to plan a rally or march during this time as well. I assume a rally would take place on one of the boycott weekends, so keep the dates open.
Posted by almamia at 2:42 PM | Comments (0)