http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/285889904565496

Published on Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Catholic diocese offers forum on immigration
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

Promoting communication between officials and the public is one of the objectives of two forums on immigration set for later this week.

The Immigration and Naturalization Community Concerns Committee for the Catholic Diocese of Yakima will host the forums on Friday and Sunday.

The committee's goal is to provide information on immigration laws and policies, identification cards, immigration consumer protection and human trafficking.

Friday's meeting runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Holy Family Gathering Hall, 5315 Tieton Drive, Yakima. Sunday's forum will meet from 3-5:30 p.m. at St. Aloysius Parish Hall, 213 N. Beech St., Toppenish.

Friday's forum will be conducted in English, while the one on Sunday will be presented in Spanish.

Presenters during the Friday forum include Matthew Adams, attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle; Norma Chavez of the U.S. Attorney General's Office; and Gillian Apfel, attorney with the International Rescue Committee, which is headquartered in New York.

A fee of $20 will cover Friday's lunch and materials, while donations will be accepted for Sunday's presentation.

Preregistration is available. For a full schedule and list of presenters, call 965-7110 or e-mail vsantillanes@yakimadiocese.org.

Registration fees also can be sent to the Diocese of Yakima Immigration Workshops, 5301-B Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA 98908.