Lori Stafford, Welcoming Immigrants Network, Dallas, Texas, (214) 649.2233, lori.stafford@gulfstream.com

Louie Gilot, Border Network for Human Rights, El Paso, Texas, (915) 217-3621, lgilot@bnhr.org

**Press Advisory**

“TEXAS CARAVAN FOR AMERICA” TO GO TO DC IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRATION REFORM

More than 300 people, including 40 El Pasoans, to travel 28 hours by bus to join thousands in national rally on the Nation Mall March 21

More than 300 Texans from El Paso, Dallas, Ft Worth, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley will congregate in Dallas on Friday to board 5 buses and three passenger vans for a long trip to the nation’s capital. The participants will join tens of thousands of others from all around the nation for a massive rally Sunday, March 21, in Washington, D.C. The rally, called March for America, aims to remind the government and Congress of the dire need for comprehensive immigration reform and to ask that our elected officials show leadership on this important issue.

The organizer of the Texas Caravan for America is the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA), a statewide, multi-sector effort to build support for immigration reform and give Texas a voice in the ongoing debate. (El Paso’s Border Network for Human Rights is a founding member of RITA.) RITA members, including DREAM Act students, will march on Washington, D.C., to demand immigration reform and economic justice for all Americans. RITA’s vision of reform includes immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens working shoulder to shoulder to achieve better wages, working conditions, and labor protections, and of an American that’s back to work, with a fair balance between Main Street and Wall Street.

“We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America – for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security,” said Adriana Cadena, RITA Coordinator and Director of Alliances at the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso.

###

Vamos a Washington, D.C.! La Reforma No Puede Esperar!

Please join us to support the Texas Caravan going to Washington, DC, to demand a just immigration reform.

Presenting: Frontera Bugalu (Cumbia/Mambo); Stanton Street Collective (Poetry/Jazz); La Familia (Dance); Crissy Gurrola (Acoustics)

Enjoy: Antojitos; Aguas Frescas; Justice

When: Noon, Sunday March 14

Where: BNHR office, 2115 N. Piedras, El Paso, Texas 79930

We will march on Washington, DC to demand immigration reform and economic justice for all Americans. Our vision of reform includes immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens working shoulder to shoulder to achieve better wages, working conditions, and labor protections, and of an American that’s back to work, with a fair balance between Main Street and Wall Street.

We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America – for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.

Join the Texas Caravan for America and thousands from across the country in the March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress act NOW to pass immigration reform!

To join the Texas Caravan, please contact:

Austin/Houston: Caroline Keating-Guerra « Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition«

caroline@austinirc.org « 512-476-2472

El Paso: Martina Morales «Border Network for Human Rights « mmorales@bnhr.org «915-577-0724

Dallas: Rev. Owen Ross « La Fundación de Cristo « pastor@christsfoundry.org « 214-497-9552

Lori Stafford « Welcoming Immigrants Network « lstaf@sbcglobal.net « 214-649-2233

Ft. Worth: Douglas Interiano « Coalition for Immigration Reform of DFW & North Texas « douglas.interiano@proyectoinmigrante.org «817-922-0280

Statewide: Adriana Cadena « RITA « acadena@bnhr.org « 915-253-2262

Texas Caravan for America Itinerary

Friday March 19

El Paso Bus Departs to travel over 650 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan

Austin/Houston Bus Departs to travel over 200 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan

Ft. Worth Bus Departs to travel 50 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan

9:00 PM          Texas Caravan for America Press Conference

Lovers Lane United Methodist Church

9200 Inwood Road (corner NW Hwy and Inwood Rd)

Dallas, TX  75220

10:00 PM        Texas Caravan for America Departs to Washington, DC!

Saturday, March 20

PM                  Texas Caravan arrives in Washington, DC

Sunday, March 21

AM                  Texas Caravan Members Tour the Nation’s Capitol

1:00 PM          Texas Caravan Members join the March for American Events

Evening           Texas Caravan Returns to Texas

Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) Participating Organizations

«  Austin Immigration Reform Coalition (AIRC), Austin

«  University Leadership Initiative, Austin

«  Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), El Paso

«  Jóvenes Fronterizos por un Mismo Sueno, El Paso

«  Catholic Charities of Dallas Justice for Immigrants, DFW

«  Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Church, DFW

«  Coalition for Immigration Reform of Dallas / Ft. Worth & North Texas (CIR DFW), DFW

«  Dallas Peace Center, DFW

«  Justice for Our Neighbors – United Methodist Church (JFON), DFW

«  Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, DFW

«  North Texas Conference United Methodist Church, DFW

«  Proyecto Inmigrante, Inc., DFW

«  Welcoming Immigrants Network (WIN), DFW

«  American Dream Community Agency, Houston

«  La Unión del Pueblo Entero, Rio Grande Valley

«  Movimiento del Valle por los Derechos Humanos, Rio Grande Valley

«  Texas Dream Act Alliance (TDAA)

Sponsors:

«  Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC)

«  Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR)

«  Church World Service (CWS)

«  General Board of Church & Society UMC (GBC&S)

«  Global Board of Church & Society UMC (GBC&S)

«  Jóvenes Fronterizos por un Mismo Sueno, El Paso

«  North Texas Conference United Methodist Church (NTC UMC)

«  Reform Immigration for America (RIFA)

«  Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA)

«  Caravan participants and individuals.

Representantes del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, el Departamento de Estado, el Departamento de Justicia, el Departamento de Salud, y varios líderes de los Derechos Humanos en Estados Unidos, se reunieron ayer en la ciudad de El Paso, para discutir alternativas encaminadas a salvaguardar los derechos de quienes residen a lo largo y ancho de la frontera con México.

La reunión celebrada en el hotel Camino Real y la que se llevó a cabo a puerta cerrada, forma parte del informe sobre los derechos humanos que el gobierno de Obama  tendrá que presentar a la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU), en el próximo mes de noviembre.

“Es la primera vez que el gobierno nacional realiza esta clase de paneles, e intenta buscar soluciones a las frecuentes violaciones que se cometen contra aquellos que carecen de documentación legal en este país”, indicó Ruthie Epstein, de la Organización ‘Derechos Humanos Primero’, y quien llegó de la ciudad de Nueva York especialmente para este evento.

Epstein explicó que Estados Unidos está obligado a presentar en un informe de 20 páginas, indicando cuáles son las violaciones más frecuentes contra los inmigrantes del país, y a la vez, alternativas de seguridad social, que no menoscaben los derechos de las personas, sin importar su estatus legal.

“Lógicamente ese informe va a estar agendado a conveniencia de las políticas migratorias de este país, pero a la vez, es importante la presión que nosotros realicemos durante este proceso”, dijo ella.

Por su parte, miembros de la Red Nacional de Jornaleros, procedentes de la ciudad de Phoenix (Arizona), asistieron igualmente para denunciar las constantes agresiones que tienen que soportar los hispanos en esa ciudad.

“Phoenix es la capital del racismo mundial”, manifestó Salvador Reza, Vocero del Movimiento Puente, encaminado a defender los derechos de los inmigrantes, y quien comentó que en su condado (Maricopa), se cometen  constantes violaciones a los derechos civiles de los residentes hispanos.

“El alguacil Joe Arpaio, y los agentes que están bajo su mando, ejercen injustamente abusos de poder contra nuestra comunidad, y a pesar de que hemos presentado pruebas suficientes de estas arbitrariedades, nadie ha hecho nada para evitarlas”, señaló Reza.

El activista indicó además que estará participando de la movilización que se llevará a cabo el 21 de marzo en Washington DC, con el fin de pedir al gobierno una reforma migratoria justa, que garantice el estatus legal a los más de doce millones de indocumentados que actualmente viven en el país.

Por otra parte, Louie Guilliot, Vocera de la Red Fronteriza en El Paso, resaltó la participación en esta reunión de Phyllis Coven, quien está a cargo de la reforma en los Centros de Detención Migratoria, propuesta por el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional.

Y aunque Coven no quiso hablar directamente con los medios de comunicación, Guilliot indicó que durante la reunión se discutieron temas referentes a la búsqueda de alternativas diferentes al arresto, para aquellos que soliciten asilo político en este país.

Coven estará hoy visitando el Centro Carcelario Migratorio ubicado en el Condado de Otero, con la intención de observar el estado en que se encuentran los detenidos.

LISTENING SESSION ABOUT THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AT THE BORDER

Officials from the Obama Administration hear from border advocates and elected officials

El Paso, TX – Officials from the State Department, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Service are conducting six listening sessions around the country to gauge the state of human rights in various places in the United States. The officials, including Thomas Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Lisa Garcia, Senior Advisor to the Administrator on Environmental Justice, and local officials like Manuel  Oyola-Torres, ICE Special Agent in Charge in El Paso, are seeking community input to draft a report to the United Nations. One of the six meetings takes place in El Paso on March 8, and is the only one to focus on the state of human rights on the border.

The Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso was asked by the agencies to help organize the session and has invited representatives of organizations dedicated to community organizing, environmental protection and economic justice from San Diego to Brownsville to address the officials. (In addition, several El Paso elected officials will speak, including Sheriff Richard Wiles, State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, and City Reps. Susie Byrd and Beto O’Rourke.) The all-day session was organized around five themes: Border enforcement and its impact on immigrants; Detention and removal; Border enforcement and its impact on communities; Human rights in the colonias; Environmental protection along the border; and Economic justice.

“We applaud the effort by the administration to consult with the communities before drafting their very important report. We hope that the officials will leave with a better understanding of the situation on the ground and that we will set the ground work for continued consultation on these important issues,” said Fernando Garcia, Executive Director of the Border Network for Human Rights. (More)

The meeting itself is not open to the public or to the press, but the organizations will have a press conference right after the event. Please join us at the press conference.

**Press conference**

When: 5:00 p.m., Monday, March 8, 2010

Where: Camino Real Hotel Ballroom Lobby

Who: Border Network for Human Rights (El Paso), Human Rights First (New York), Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (DC), ACLU (New Mexico and San Diego), American Friends Service Committee (San Diego), Humane Borders (Ariz.), Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid (Rio Grande Valley), Colonias Development Council (Las Cruces), Sierra Club (Texas and Arizona), Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project (El Paso), La Mujer Obrera (El Paso), and more.

Read about the New York listening session here and here. Read about the New Orleans listening session here.

Contact: Louie Gilot, Communications Director,Border Network for Human Rights, (915) 274-0541, lgilot@bnhr.org, www.bnhr.org

View Photo Album

The Border Network for Human Rights and Human Rights First organize a listening session for the Department of Justice, the State Department and other federal agencies about the status of human rights at the border. The event is not open to the public.

The Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) will travel to Washington, DC, as the Texas Caravan for America with 4 buses, over 200 people, to participate in the March for America on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

We will march on Washington, DC to demand immigration reform and economic justice for all Americans. Our vision of reform includes immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens working shoulder to shoulder to achieve better wages, working conditions, and labor protections, and of an American that’s back to work, with a fair balance between Main Street and Wall Street.

We will come together as one voice on the National Mall for a strong America – for families, for workers, for businesses, and for security.

Join the Texas Caravan for America and thousands from across the country in the March For America in DC on March 21st, and demand Congress act NOW to pass immigration reform!

To join the Texas Caravan, please contact:

Austin/Houston: Caroline Keating-Guerra, Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, caroline@austinirc.org, 512-476-2472

El Paso: Martina Morales, Border Network for Human Rights, mmorales@bnhr.org, 915-577-0724

Dallas: Rev. Owen Ross, La Fundación de Cristo, pastor@christsfoundry.org, 214-497-9552; Lori Stafford, Welcoming Immigrants Network, lstaf@sbcglobal.net , 214-649-2233

Ft. Worth: Douglas Interiano, Coalition for Immigration Reform of DFW & North Texas,  douglas.interiano@proyectoinmigrante.org, 817-922-0280

Statewide: Adriana Cadena « RITA, acadena@bnhr.org, 915-253-2262

Texas Caravan for America Itinerary

Friday March 19

El Paso Bus Departs to travel over 650 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan

Austin/Houston Bus Departs to travel over 200 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan

Ft. Worth Bus Departs to travel 50 miles to Dallas to join Texas Caravan

9:00 PM          Texas Caravan for America Press Conference

Lovers Lane United Methodist Church

9200 Inwood Road (corner NW Hwy and Inwood Rd)

Dallas, TX  75220

10:00 PM        Texas Caravan for America Departs to Washington, DC!

Saturday, March 20

PM                  Texas Caravan arrives in Washington, DC

Sunday, March 21

AM                  Texas Caravan Members Tour the Nation’s Capitol

1:00 PM          Texas Caravan Members join the March for American Events

Evening           Texas Caravan Returns to Texas

Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA) Participating Organizations

«  Austin Immigration Reform Coalition (AIRC), Austin

«  University Leadership Initiative, Austin

«  Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), El Paso

«  Jóvenes Fronterizos por un Mismo Sueno, El Paso

«  Catholic Charities of Dallas Justice for Immigrants, DFW

«  Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Church, DFW

«  Coalition for Immigration Reform of Dallas / Ft. Worth & North Texas (CIR DFW), DFW

«  Dallas Peace Center, DFW

«  Justice for Our Neighbors – United Methodist Church (JFON), DFW

«  Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, DFW

«  North Texas Conference United Methodist Church, DFW

«  Proyecto Inmigrante, Inc., DFW

«  Welcoming Immigrants Network (WIN), DFW

«  American Dream Community Agency, Houston

«  La Unión del Pueblo Entero, Rio Grande Valley

«  Movimiento del Valle por los Derechos Humanos, Rio Grande Valley

«  Texas Dream Act Alliance (TDAA)

Sponsors:

«  Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition (AIRC)

«  Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR)

«  Church World Service (CWS)

«  General Board of Church & Society UMC (GBC&S)

«  Global Board of Church & Society UMC (GBC&S)

«  Jóvenes Fronterizos por un Mismo Sueno, El Paso

«  North Texas Conference United Methodist Church (NTC UMC)

«  Reform Immigration for America (RIFA)

«  Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA)

«  Caravan participants and individuals.

Diverse sectors of Texas represented in state-wide convention in Austin

Austin, TX – More than 700 community members, advocates, business leaders, people of faith, and elected officials gathered today (February 20, 1-5 p.m.) at the Texas Convention for Immigrant Integration at the Travis County Expo Center in Austin to support comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. Participants sought to send a clear message to President Obama and to Texas Senators and Representatives that families, businesses, and communities across Texas cannot wait any longer for the federal government to fix the broken immigration system. Delaying action is bad for the nation and it’s bad for Texas.

Participants agreed to continue their efforts past the convention with a campaign to gather 50,000 signatures on a letter to President Obama urging him to take up immigration reform this year. Today, in a convention center decorated with photographs of loved ones that audience members had pinned on walls, speakers from all backgrounds shared their views that immigration reform is good for the economy, for security, and for families.

Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice-President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU,) said, “We need an immigration system that works for America’s workers. For too long, our nation’s immigration system has fueled discrimination and exploitation of workers. It has driven down wages and working conditions. And it has failed to live up to our nation’s values. We now have an opportunity to change course. That is why Change to Win and the AFL-CIO have come together to create a unified labor framework for immigration reform that addresses the needs of our nation’s workers, families and communities. This framework is about moving America forward. We are a nation that respects hard work, family and the pursuit of the American Dream. Our immigration system must hold true to these principles.”

El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles said he is one of many law enforcement officials who are opposed to the practice of deputizing local police officers to serve as immigration agents and hope immigration reform puts an end to it. “Having local law enforcement enforcing immigration law tears down the trust and respect we need to keep the community safe. As for immigration reform, I’d like to see it come to a resolution,” he said.

Pastor Lynn Godsey, President of the Hispanic Evangelical Alliance of Dallas-Fort Worth, said, “Not only does the Constitution of the United States uphold the protection of an individual’s civil liberties and human rights, but God has much to say about the treatment of the sojourner in the Bible.  As people of faith, we are called to ground our conduct and treatment of others in what God has revealed through scripture, in and through his Son, Jesus Christ.  In the Old Testament, we are instructed to ‘not mistreat the foreigner, for at one time we too were such.’  In the New Testament, Jesus took it to another level in stating that we love our neighbor and provide for his or her needs, for He said: “I was a stranger (foreigner) and you invited me in”.  As such, our views on immigration are to be grounded and reared in Biblical Revelation.  It is a call from Christ to all of us that are His followers to treat the alien, the stranger the immigrant with fairness, justice and hospitality.”

Attendees also heard the personal stories of regular people who were personally affected by bad immigration policies. Amelia Hernandez said she was taking care of her three nephews because their parents were deported.  “They don’t know the damage they cause to children, separating them from their parents. My nephews can’t fall asleep; they cry all the time; they don’t want to eat. They want to be with their parents and they feel abandoned. Because of this, I think legalization should be a priority for the president and his administration.”

College students who support the DREAM Act, a bill that would allow undocumented youth to adjust their status so they can attend college, also had their say. Among them was Zelene Pineda who came to the U.S. with her parents when she was 8 years old. Undocumented children do not qualify for many of the scholarships that other students take for granted and often struggle to pay tuition. “The situation for undocumented students on the border is even more limiting,” Pineda, who lives in El Paso, said. “You’d have to pass Border Patrol checkpoints to go to school in San Antonio, for instance, so you don’t go there. You see Mexico (from El Paso), but you can’t go there. The foreign students from Mexico have benefits like in-state-tuition. But even though you are in the country, you have to pay more. On the border, you are constantly reminded of your immigration status.”

Other notable speakers included Ali Noorani, Director, National Immigration Forum, Reform Immigration for America Campaign; Pastor Mark Gonzalez, Vice President, Governmental Affairs, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC); Sam Guzman, President/CEO, Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC); and Sate Rep. Carol Alvarado.

Contacts:

Adriana Cadena

RITA Coordinator

RITA (Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance)

(915) 253-2262, acadena@bnhr.org

Louie Gilot

Communications Director

Border Network for Human Rights

(915) 217-3621, lgilot@bnhr.org

###

More information about the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA): This alliance is a multi-sector, statewide network dedicated to building support for a sensible immigration policy. Visit us at www.reformimmigrationfortexas.org.