Zuckerberg to give address on immigration reform at film premiere

By Jennifer Martinez - 07/26/13 10:57 AM ET
The Hill

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will speak publicly for the first time on the divisive issue of immigration reform at a premiere for a film on immigrants living in the United States illegally next month in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Zuckerberg dove headfirst into the immigration debate this year by donating some of his personal wealth to help launch FWD.us, a lobbying group that's advocating for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. He also enlisted the support of several top Silicon Valley executives to contribute to the group, including Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and investor John Doerr.

The Facebook CEO's upcoming address at the Aug. 5 film premiere will signal Silicon Valley's push into the larger immigration debate, according to the Chronicle. The premiere is for the film "Documented," which is written and directed by immigration activist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who made waves when he revealed in a 2011 New York Times Magazine piece that he is immigrated to the U.S. illegally.

The film tells the stories of young immigrants who moved to the United States illegally as children with their parents. This group is often referred to as "Dreamers" because of past legislation, called the Dream Act, that would have allowed them to get permanent residency in the United States if they went to college or served in the military.

The tech industry has generally stayed out of the more divisive issues in the immigration debate in Washington, such as the proposed path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, and focused on its long-time policy goal of securing more visas and green cards for highly skilled foreign workers. So far, the industry has been successful in securing these measures in legislation in both the House and Senate.

The invitation-only premiere for "Documented" is being sponsored by FWD.us and Vargas's immigration rights campaign Define American. The event will be attended by a diverse group of top Silicon Valley tech executives, Mexican day laborers and "Dreamers," according to the Chronicle.

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-va...-film-premiere