Oregon Coalition to Kick-off Campaign for Socially Responsible Immigration Bill on Thursday

MEDIA ADVISORY
January 6, 2010

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director, 503.269.5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director, 503.488.0263

CAUSA to Campaign for Socially Responsible Immigration Bill in Oregon

Blumenauer first member of Oregon’s Congressional Delegation to sign on as a c0-sponsor

Salem, Ore—Last Month, Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP) (HR 4321), a socially responsible bill that addresses key issues necessary for a real workable solution to the currently broken immigration reform system. The bill’s 87 original co-sponsors include members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Progressive Caucus.

Starting on January 7th, CAUSA and our supporters will be visiting our Congressional Representatives and Senators around Oregon. We are calling on all immigration reform supporters to be involved in these actions to send a strong message to Oregon's Congressional Delegation that they need to support CIR ASAP.

We will begin the kick-off of our Campaign for CIR ASAP in Oregon at Congressman Blumenauer's Office this Thursday at noon. We will hold a Press Conference thanking Congressman Blumenauer for being the first Representative from Oregon’s Congressional Delegation to join on as a co-sponsor of the bill and call on Oregon’s other Congressmen to join. A member of Congressman Blumenauer’s staff will be present at the press conference.

WHAT: Press Conference and Kick-off of Campaign for CIR-ASAP in Oregon
WHEN: January 7, 2010 at 12 Noon
WHERE: Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3)
729 N.E. Oregon Street
Suite 115
Portland, OR 97232 (Directions)

The Oregon Campaign Kick-off comes the same day the Immigration Policy Center and the Center for American Progress release a groundbreaking report on the economic benefits of Immigration Reform. According to the report, immigration reform will raise GDP in the United States by over $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. In contrast, deportation-only proposals will cost the U.S. economy over $2.5 trillion-above and beyond the cost of deporting 12 million people.

Throughout the rest of this month, CAUSA will visit the remainder of Oregon’s Congressional Delegation encouraging them to sign on as co-sponsors of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP). During our visits to the offices of Senators Wyden and Merkley, we will call on them to urge Senator Schumer to introduce a similar bill in the U.S. Senate.

Here is the schedule for those visits:

1. January 13 at 11:00 a.m. at Congressman Wu’s office (620 SW Main, Suite 606
Portland, OR 97205) and at 12:30 p.m at Senator Merkley's office in Portland (121 Southwest Salmon Street, Portland, OR 97204)
2. January 22 at 12:00 Noon at Senator Wyden's office in Portland.(1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97204)
3. January 28 at 12:00 Noon at Congressman Schrader's office in Salem. (494 State Street, Suite 210 Salem, OR 97302)
4. February 2 at 12:00 Noon at Congressman DeFazio's Office in Eugene. (405 East 8th Ave. Eugene, OR 97401)
5. February 12 (Lincoln's Birthday) at 12:00 Noon at Congressman Walden's office in Bend. (1051 NW Bond St., Suite 400. Bend, OR 97701)

For more information about these visits, please contact Erik at 503-488-0263.

CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration FOR America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

Posted in: Comprehensive Immigration Reform,Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009,Oregon's Congressional Delegation,Press Release,Representative Gutierrez