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Family Unity Campaign Leading Pressure for Immigration Reform in the first 100 days

December 1st, 2008

“The new energy is a tribute to the commitment of families fighting to preserve their unity, families which courageously moved from being victims of a broken law to witnesses to the struggle for Justice,” according to Emma Lozano, President of Familia Latina Unida/Sin Fronteras, which is Co-chaired by Elvira Arellano and Flor Crisostomo. (Flor has taken Elvira’s place in sanctuary in Chicago, defying an order of deportation.)

“We are of course looking forward to an economic stimulus bill from the new administration. We are just as adamant that economic recovery not be built on the separation of families,” Lozano continued. “ If the U.S. is to recover from its current economic, moral and spiritual crisis, it must put FAMILIES FIRST. We will ask the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to withhold support from any economic stimulus package which does not also stop the separation of families.”

Congressional Hispanic Caucus members seem enthusiastic about holding mass public hearings for U.S. citizens with undocumented family members in their own district in order to increase the momentum. Familia Latina Unida/Sin Fronteras has urged community leaders across the country to work with their congressman to duplicate the mass hearings.

According to Lozano, “The partnership we formed between the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Latino leaders in 22 states after Elvira Arellano’s courageous decision to leave sanctuary is bearing fruit. Combined with the powerful demonstration of the Latino vote and the unity of the Latino community in opposition to the separation of families, we may well have found the route to the moratorium we seek and the streamlined immigration reform we have called for in the first 100 days.”

Congressman Gutierrez will hold two more hearings in Chicago on December 6th and 7th. The hearing on December 6th will join with the leadership of Latino Evangelical Pastors and churches and the December 7th hearing will be held in a large Catholic Church in the growing Latino Suburb of Melrose Park.
 

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