Press Conference to Kick-off Oregon Leg of Immigration Reform Caravan Today

MEDIA ADVISORY
October 14, 2009

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


Press Conference to Kick-off Oregon Leg of Immigration Reform Caravan Today

Caravan to call on President Obama and Democratic Congress: Keep your PROMISE and pass immigration reform now

Salem, Ore.—Today, members of CAUSA, Oregon’s Immigrant Rights Coalition, will join with immigration reform advocates from California, Idaho and Washington State in a caravan that will go to California.

The caravan will join with more than one thousand other advocates from around the nation on Thursday at Santa Clara University where Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is expected to speak. Those in attendance will call on the Obama Administration and the Democratic Congress to stop deporting families and keep their promise and pass immigration reform.

Prior to the departure from Salem today, CAUSA will hold a joint press conference at 4:00 p.m. with a dinner to follow at 5:00 p.m. Pastor Gail McDougal of the First Congregational Church in Salem will be present to give a blessing to all those departing on the journey. All immigrant rights supporters and the media are invited to attend.

STOP DEPORTING OUR FAMILIES: IMMIGRATION REFORM CAN'T WAIT!
Caravan Send-off, Press Conference & Dinner
October 14, 2009 at 4:00pm
CAUSA Headquarters
700 Marion Street NE
Salem, Oregon

The action is being organized by members of Silicon Valley Alliance for Immigration Reform, CHIRLA, OneAmerica, NWFCO, ICAN, WCAN, CAUSA and the Reform Immigration for America Campaign.


# # #

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

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Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition to join multi-state caravan to California

MEDIA ADVISORY
October 9, 2009

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

Oregon Immigrant Rights Coalition to join multi-state caravan to California

Caravan to call on President Obama and Democratic Congress: Keep your PROMISE and pass immigration reform now
Salem, Ore.--Next Wednesday, members of CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, will join with immigration reform advocates from California, Idaho and Washington State in a caravan that will go to California.

The caravan will join with more than one thousand other advocates from around the nation on October 15th at Santa Clara University where Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is expected to speak. Those in attendance will call on the Obama Administration and the Democratic Congress to stop deporting families and keep their promise and pass immigration reform.

Prior to the departure from Salem, CAUSA will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. with a dinner to follow at 5:00 p.m. Pastor Gail McDougal of the First Congregational Church in Salem will be present to give a blessing to all those departing on the journey. All immigrant rights supporters and the media are invited to attend.

STOP DEPORTING OUR FAMILIES: IMMIGRATION REFORM CAN'T WAIT!
Caravan Send-off, Press Conference & Dinner
October 14, 2009 at 4:00pm
CAUSA Headquarters
700 Marion Street NE
Salem, Oregon

The action is being organized by members of Silicon Valley Alliance for Immigration Reform, CHIRLA, OneAmerica, NWFCO, ICAN, WCAN, CAUSA and the Reform Immigration for America Campaign.

# # #

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

Read more »

Enough is Enough: Time for real immigration reform

Imagine waking up to pounding on your front door, you and your kids forced to the floor in your pajamas, heavily armed agents rifling their way through your home as the kids scream out in terror.

Now, imagine armed federal agents barging into your home without legal consent.

Last week, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law called the government's pre-dawn immigration raids on family homes "unconstitutional" and said that a "cowboy mentality" over at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been doing serious harm.

So far, DHS has refused to investigate or acknowledge these and other serious charges.


Watch this latest video from America's Voice and sign the petition to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano saying, "Enough is enough!"

It's time for real immigration reform, not more "cowboy" enforcement tactics.

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Napolitano to Investigate Bellingham ICE Raid

According to the Associated Press, the raid that took place in Bellingham Washington on Tuesday came as a surprise to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Napolitano told lawmakers that she was unaware of the raid and was only briefed about it on Wednesday morning.

By Wednesday afternoon, Napolitano was calling for an investigation into the raid and how it was conducted.

"I want to get to the bottom of this as well," she said. She said work-site enforcement needs to be focused on the employers.

The backlash from around the country over the raid was very large and came from civil rights, faith and immigrant advocacy organizations. The collective message was that inhumane raids must be stopped, and comprehensive immigration reform passed.

The AP spoke with Marissa Graciosa of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.

She said “it is disappointing that ICE has executed a raid since Obama took office saying the raids were destructive and ineffective.”

"We urge President Obama to deliver on his promise of change by stopping the raids, and signing just and humane immigration reform into law," Graciosa said.

The response from the Whitehouse with Napalitano calling for an investigation is a great victory for pro-immigrant organizations and advocates and the first step first step to passing just and humane Immigration Reform.

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Widow not married long enough to stay in U.S.

The Associated Press is reporting that a widowed Jamaican Woman who lost her husband in a Staten Island ferry crash in 2003 cannot stay in the United States. The reason the appeals court gave is that she and her husband weren’t married long enough.

Osserritta Robinson, 31, of Mahwah, N.J., is reported by the Associated Press as,

“one of about 170 immigrants who have been denied residency status because of what some call the "widow penalty" a U.S. law that requires an immigrant to be married for two years to remain in the country if the American spouse dies.”

Before her husband's death, Louis Robinson had filed citizenship papers on behalf of his wife. However, because of a government bureaucratic backlog, they were never processed.

Robinson's attorney, Jeffrey Feinbloom, had this to say about the court's decision:

"These people are victims. They've already been through the ultimate tragedy. They're just being re-victimized."

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has asked her staff to review the issue and others involving non-citizen spouses.

To read more on this story and get a copy of the court ruling, link here

Resources:
US appeals court nixes widow's immigration bid

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