MAS Freedom Leads Call For Solidarity in Press Conference on Immigrants' Rights
Date Posted: Thursday, April 27, 2006



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MAS Freedom Calls for Solidarity in Meeting With Immigrant Rights Groups at National Press Club.



At a press conference today sponsored by the International May 1 coalition, MAS Freedom Foundation and representatives of Latino Immigrants Rights Groups found common ground in terms of problems the Latino community is having with immigration issues and the Muslim community with unfair profiling and unwarranted delays in receiving citizenship and permanent residency status. The event was recorded by C-Span television and a host of national and international media outlets. MAS Freedom is one of the organizations bringing attention to this issue through the BFAIR Act.



Recently, hundreds of families in Central Texas, Florida and Michigan have been torn apart by immigrant raids, in which certain family members and often the entire family unit have been arrested and face deportation proceedings. The May 1 national boycott should bring attention to these disturbing actions by the government.



Speakers at the press conference included:

- Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation

- Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director of Latino Movement USA, Raul Murillo, President of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional

- Maria Verheyden-Hilliard, an attorney from the National Lawyers Guild, working for Partnership for Civil Justice

- Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior Minister for Plymouth Congressional United Church of Christ in Washington DC and a member of Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice

- Brian Becker, National Coordinator, of the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.) Coalition

- Caneisha Mills, Howard University student and member of Student A.N.S.W.E.R.



The country wide boycott on May 1 is being billed as the “national day without an immigrant.”” Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to leave their jobs and refrain from consumer spending throughout the day.



The press conference moderator, Juan Gutierrez, emphasized that there would be no break in solidarity, despite the fact that some groups have expressed reservations about the action. Gutierrez reiterated that all groups are on board concerning the goal of not splintering the unity of the movement. Said Bray, “People are not going to allow disagreement over tactics to destroy the unity of the movement.”



MAS Freedom’s Project BFAIR (Better Fair American Immigration Rules) is a comprehensive immigration reform package that addresses discrimination against Muslims in the areas of unjustified delays for approving citizenship and permanent residency applications and aims to prevent unwarranted airport detentions and border profiling of Muslims. BFAIR will employ the following strategy:



-Collect a nationwide database of American Muslims affected by unreasonable delays in receiving their green cards and citizenship.



-Legally challenge all unwarranted detentions on Muslims at airports and challenge unjustified border profiling incidents.



-Convene a legal team to sue the government for unfair immigration practices directed at Muslims; addressing the issue of the extensive delays Muslims endure to receive their permanent residency status or citizenship after approval.



Rev. Graylan Hagler, a longtime community activist, stressed that there was no division between Muslim and Hispanic immigrants or between African Americans and Latinos. Rev. Hagler referred to the movement as a unified force whose basic concern is the fair and equal treatment of all residents of the United States.



MAS Freedom stresses solidarity with the Hispanic community concerning the issues impacting all immigrants, whether it is raids and the demonization of undocumented workers or the unjustified delays in receiving green cards many Muslims experience after being approved.



Said Bray, “BFAIR upholds justice for all immigrants in this country.” Bray added, “MAS Freedom is determined to see that all immigrants are treated with dignity and respect. We will not surrender to the demagoguery of those politicians, vigilantes or bigots who want to marginalize, demonize and criminalize immigrants.”



The press conference will be shown in its entirety tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 pm Eastern time on the main C-Span television network. Please go to www.c-span.org for more information.



The Freedom Foundation is the public affairs arm of the Muslim American Society (MAS), a national grassroots religious, social, and educational organization. MAS is America's largest grassroots Muslim organization with over 50 chapters nationwide. Learn more at www.masnet.org. Support our work at MAS Freedom Foundation. Make A Donation (http://www.masnet.org/donate.asp).
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MAS Freedom Foundation
1050 17th Street NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 496-1288, Fax: (202) 463-0686
URL: http://www.masnet.org/index_publicaffairs.asp
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