Thread: Tour for immigration reform makes stop in Dallas

Tour for immigration reform makes stop in Dallas
By ANABELLE GARAY Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press
March 14, 2009, 6:06PM

DALLAS — Marisela Martinez cried softly and her voice wavered as she spoke Saturday of suddenly becoming a single mother when her husband was deported last fall.

The 31-year-old Fort Worth native worries because her 11-year-old son, Juaquin Martinez, lost the father figure he had in Manuel Valencia-Escogido. Her 2-year-old daughter, Viviana Valencia, wakes up at night asking for her daddy, Martinez said.

"My husband, when he was here, we were a team," Martinez told more than 1,000 people who packed into Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio Church. "I cannot fill my husband's shoes."

Martinez was among four U.S. citizens who spoke to bring attention to the issue of legal residents separated from immigrant spouses, parents or children under current immigration policy. The meeting was organized by lawmakers along with religious and community leaders as part of a 17-city tour advocating immigration reform.

There are eight stops left on the tour, which runs through April.

Democratic U.S. Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas and Luis Gutierrez of Chicago listened to the testimonies. Among those speaking was Emma Hevert, an American 18-year-old who faces the prospect of having to raise her 7-year-old brother Jackson alone because her mother is about to be deported.

"People do not understand that our immigration system is so broken," Gutierrez said. "We have soldiers in Iraq whose wives are under orders of deportation."

About 20 protesters stood across the street from the church, some holding signs that said "No Amnesty."

Gutierrez said he and other lawmakers planned to meet with President Barack Obama in the next few days to deliver the testimonies, including some collected before the meeting by Proyecto Inmigrante ICS Inc., an immigration advocacy group based in Fort Worth.

"There are enough Democrats and Republicans in the House and in the Senate to get a majority vote for comprehensive immigration reform," Gutierrez said. "What we need is the leadership of our president. He made a commitment. He should keep his word."

Critics say people in the country illegally should not be allowed to remain just because their children were born in the U.S. Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have said parenthood does not exempt people from complying with immigration laws.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6311469.html

Martinez was among four U.S. citizens who spoke to bring attention to the issue of legal residents separated from immigrant spouses, parents or children under current immigration policy. The meeting was organized by lawmakers along with religious and community leaders as part of a 17-city tour advocating immigration reform.

Legal residents aiding and abetting illegals

Originally Posted by jean

"People do not understand that our immigration system is so broken," Gutierrez said. "We have soldiers in Iraq whose wives are under orders of deportation."

The last time i called this traitors office, the lady i spoke with mentioned this. my answer is why cant she go back home, get her legal papers and come back? the lady said why should she, i said cuz shes illegal

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 9e8fc.html


Illinois lawmaker pushes reform at immigration rally at west Oak Cliff church

08:04 PM CDT on Saturday, March 14, 2009
By JULIAN RESENDIZ Al DÃ*a jresendiz@aldiatx.com

An immigration rally drew about 1,000 people to a church in west Oak Cliff, where a congressman from Illinois vowed to continue pushing for a bill that would help their undocumented relatives gain legal residence in the United States.

Across the street from the church where U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., spoke, more than 20 protesters gathered with signs opposing illegal immigration and reminded passers-by that every job held by an unauthorized foreigner was one fewer job for embattled American workers.

Cross-country push

Gutierrez is on a 17-city cross-country tour called United Families, in which he says he's trying "to put a face" on immigrants who live in fear of being deported. He complains that stepped-up immigration enforcement has divided families with children who were born in the United States.

"We're working very hard, on the one hand, to help people not lose their homes, not lose their jobs nor their pensions; we're trying to help families. But on the other hand, we're using the resources of the government to forcibly take people out of their homes, to separate them from their families," Gutierrez said. "That is a broken immigration system that needs to get fixed right away."

He added that the Congressional Hispanic Caucus plans to meet soon with President Barack Obama to remind him that he pledged during his campaign to support an immigration reform bill that includes legalization for undocumented immigrants. Thousands of signed petitions are being collected at the rallies to show the president there is grass-roots support for immigration reform.

Duty to reach out

The rally inside Iglesia Jesucristo Es Mi Refugio began around 1 p.m. with Christian music and a prayer by the Rev. Roberto Gomez.

"As pastors, we have an obligation to tell people who are in need that they are not alone. We believe God is with all of these hard-working families ... and we pray to him so he will touch the hearts of the president and those in the Congress to do them justice," Gomez said.

The audience included pastors, Latino leaders and dozens of families with one or more members who are undocumented immigrants.

Melba Rosa Esquivel, a Dallas resident, said she attended the rally to show support for an elderly relative who would benefit from immigrant amnesty.

"They tried to get her [the relative] here with documents, but the process was too long and difficult. It's not just her; there are many others with children who don't want to lose their moms or dads," she said.

'We need her'

Emma Hevert, a senior at Nimitz High School in Irving, said her mother is going through deportation procedures and she fears she'll end up taking care of her 7-year-old brother, Jackson.

"We need her very much. My brother has asthma and I'm epileptic. We're always needing to go to the doctor. I can't drive and she's the one taking us here and there," Hevert said.

Q. Coleman, a Plano resident who led the protesters across the street from the church, accused Gutierrez of trying to build political capital by exploiting the plight of illegal immigrants.

"If he was really interested in helping them he should do so in their own country" by helping further their democracies and economies, he said. "I'm sure a lot of the aliens who are here would prefer to be in their own countries."

Coleman said the solution to the illegal immigration problem is for the United States to regain control of its borders.

"Unless we secure our borders, we'll continue having this conversation because we'll continue having people coming in without being stopped," he said.