Senate Leaders: Immigration Reform Is A Priority The community will keep the pressure on.
Los Angeles – This weekend, thousands marched and rallied in Las Vegas, Chicago, Brooklyn, El Paso, Philadelphia, Providence, and Seattle to press Congress and the President to move immigration reform to the top of the agenda this legislative session. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid was in attendance at the Las Vegas rally and Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin spoke to the crowd in Chicago. Both made unequivocal statements in support of prioritizing immigration reform in 2010. The following are statements by Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), a regional human and immigrant rights not-for-profit community-based organization based in Los Angeles. “We applaud the strong commitments made this past week by Senate leaders Reid and Durbin to prioritize and place immigration reform next in the legislative calendar. Worthy of note is Mr. Reid’s assertion in Las Vegas that he already had 56 votes in the U.S. Senate to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. We now ask the leadership in the Congress and the White House to make do on their word to the American people and delay the process not one unnecessary minute longer. We also call on the Republican leadership in the Senate to follow suit and support the introduction and passage of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The statements by both Senators were made during one of many large immigration reform rallies held this weekend to press our nation’s leaders to no longer ignore the need to fix our broken immigration system. The marches and rallies are a continuation of coordinated, disciplined, and well informed grassroots efforts to highlight the need for leadership and courage on the part of the Senate. Every day that Congress does not act, American workers, families, youth, and our local and nation’s economy suffer irreparable damage because our immigration laws are unjust, inhumane, and unenforceable. Specific to California’s leadership in the Senate, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have signed a joint letter to President Obama committing to ‘stand ready to address this great challenge and are prepared to support bipartisan solutions for the long-term benefits of our nation’. Pleased to see this type of leadership, our community will continue to press our two senators to ensure their statements are backed by action in the Senate and in the communities they represent.” ### The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) was formed in 1986 to advance the human and civil rights of immigrants and refugees in Los Angeles, promote harmonious multi-ethnic and multi-racial human relations and through coalition-building, advocacy, community education and organizing, empower immigrants and their allies to build a more just society. Jorge-Mario Cabrera Director of Communications & Public Affairs Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) (213) 353-1789 direct jmcabrera@chirla.org www.chirla.org
