Interfaith Meeting in Support of Immigration Rights TODAY!
Hampton Roads faith leaders will gather today in Virginia Beach to show Congress that we must reform immigration for Virginia’s future. The event (12 noon at Great Neck Recreation Center, 2521 Shorehaven Dr. in VB) is part of a major nationwide mobilization campaign.
Speakers include: Jimmy Culpepper: Tidewater Sowers of Justice; Rabbi Israel Zoberman: Chaverim; Neil Walsh: Veteran, Social Ministry Director: Sacred Heart Church; Reverend John Manwell: The Unitarian Church of Norfolk; Rose Marie Veila: Hispanice Coordinator, St. Luke’s Catholic Church; and Bob Bozidar: Immigration Counselor, Catholic Charities.
From the event invitation:
“On January 14th, faith leaders tell Congress that they want action on comprehensive immigration reform. Virginians want comprehensive reform that will protect workers and help with economic recovery, create millions of new taxpayers, keep families together, and protect the due process rights of all.
At an interfaith conference in Virginia Beach, reform advocates and faith leaders meet in Representative Glenn Nye’s district to call for comprehensive immigration reform. This event occurs in tandem with a press conference in Richmond, where veterans, leaders of faith based groups, unions, business associations, and other coalitions will speak on the importance of fixing our immigration system. These events together underscore the urgency Virginians feel about the issue of comprehensive immigration reform.
This week’s mobilization occurs on the heels of major national developments for the immigration reform movement. On Wednesday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged the Obama administration to make immigration reform a priority to enhance national security and improve the struggling economy. A major economic report from the Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center released Thursday demonstrated that even during a recession, a path to legalization for immigrants would add $1.5 trillion to the U.S. economy, raise the wage floor of all U.S. workers, and generate up to $5.4 billion in new tax revenues. Comprehensive immigration reform would put the economy on a more stable footing, provide a vital boost for recovery, and increase wages for all.
“We’re part of a huge nationwide coalition that is demanding action. People of faith have all gathered here because we have something in common: we all recognize that America needs comprehensive immigration reform,” said Jimmy Culpepper of the Tidewater Sowers of Justice.
“It’s not a question of whether Congress should pass comprehensive immigration reform, but when. We can’t afford more delay – it’s time to fix our broken immigration system.” remarked Teresa Stanley of the Virginia Organizing Project. “We want action from our elected leaders. Too many Virginian families are feeling the effects of a severe recession, and comprehensive immigration reform will put us on the road to economic recovery. We need reform now.”
While the Second District launch focuses on the faith-based moral mandate to reform a broken system, events across the country reflect the broader support that comprehensive reform garners in the business and labor community, among elected leaders and among civil rights leaders. And in a year when most eyes are turned toward the economy, a spate of recent research reports illustrate that immigration reform by raising wages for all Americans and increasing the tax base for local, state, and federal governments, is a critical element of economic recovery.
That economic message is particularly felt in Virginia where immigrants compose more than 13% of the workforce and Latino and Asian-owned businesses have sales of more than 10 billion dollars annually. According to research by the Richmond-based Commonwealth Institute, in just one year unauthorized immigrants paid between $119 and $142 million dollars in employment taxes and national research has shown that when those immigrants are required to regularize their status their tax contributions only increase. Latinos and Asians wield nearly $22.2 billion in consumer purchasing power, and the businesses they own had annual sales and receipts of $9.5 billion, and employed nearly 70,000 people at last count, according to research from the Immigration Policy Institute.
Thursday’s interfaith conference in Virginia Beach ends a regional sweep that includes a faith-led event in Central Maryland on Tuesday, a youth-led effort in Washington DC on Wednesday, and a press conference in Richmond Thursday morning. These events complete a regional effort amidst a huge national launch in states from Florida to Alaska.”
Join us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Back when the economy was booming I decided that I would support a guest worker program. Now that the economy has withered, my support for ONLY such a program increases.
When the unemployment rate increases, the number of guest workers goes down. When the unemployment rate decreases, the number of guest workers goes up.
While I think an argument can be made that legal immigration quotas do not allow for enough legal immigration, I also think there is strength in the argument for not allowing everyone in who finds a way to flaunt the law. If they do not have to obey that law, just which laws will apply to them?
January 15th, 2010 at 8:46 am
The basic argument against immigration reform:
1. Illegal immigration is illegal.
2. Therefore, illegal immigrants are criminals.
3. We don’t want criminals in our country.
4. Therefore, we need laws to keep them out.
5. Circle back to #1 and repeat loop.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:12 am
We already are supposed to have number 4.
Ronald Reagan tried allowing illegals already in the nation a path to citizenship along with a promise to crack down on future illegals. You see how well that worked. I am not convinced by arguments that somehow this time will be different.
I think something along the lines of what I am in favor of is a reasonable compromise. While I understand the need for additional workers during times of low unemployment, right now I think some of the 1 in 10 Americans currently jobless (perhaps as highs as 2 in 10 if those underemployed or who have given up looking for jobs are included) might desire some of the jobs illegals currently hold.
February 3rd, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Hello blogger. I like your post.
July 23rd, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Just one impartial tone of voice for BBC inside the Tv show. He still includes a truly difficult immigration law quote. They managed to graduate around the Harvard Collage. Right now he has her one Stereo Show. He don’t such as the particular U . s citizens us president.