Seminar for immigrants set for Thursday
By PERRY SWANSON
THE GAZETTE
June 23, 2007 - 2:50PM


An advocacy group for immigrants is putting on a seminar Thursday about new immigration-related laws and the rights of immigrants — legal and illegal.

The presentation will be in Spanish by lawyer Hans Meyers. It’s put on by the Pikes Peak Immigrant and Refugee Collaboration and Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs.

A raft of new immigration laws passed in Colorado last year during a special session of the state General Assembly, mainly targeting people in the country illegally.

The centerpiece was House Bill 1023, which requires anyone seeking government services to show proof of citizenship with a driver’s license or other ID. The measure doesn’t affect public schools, emergency medical care, the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor or food assistance.

Other measures required companies to prove they don’t hire illegal immigrants to qualify for economic development grants, protect illegal immigrants from extortion or slavery and make it a felony for illegal immigrants to vote in an election.

Lawmakers in Washington are considering sweeping moves to increase immigrant enforcement at the border with Mexico and create ways for the nation’s estimated 12 million illegals to gain legal status.

No one knows how many illegal immigrants live in Colorado Springs, but the Pew Hispanic Center think tank estimated there were 225,000 to 275,000 statewide in 2005. Colorado is among several states in the West that experts consider new destination points for illegal immigrants.

The Thursday seminar will cover laws about citizenship, residence, identification, school and work rights, lawyers and other subjects. It’s scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sand Creek library branch, 1821 S. Academy Blvd.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0187 or perry.swanson@gazette.com

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