Albuquerque, NM  - “We would like to congratulate President Barack Obama for his renewed focus on immigration reform,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “The President reassures us that he is committed to its passage. It is imperative that Congress and the Obama administration once and for all deliver comprehensive immigration reform. Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Americans support its passage. We hope to have a bipartisan approach from both houses of Congress.”

LULAC National Legal Advisor Luis Vera and head counsel on LULAC’s lawsuit filed Friday against the Arizona law said at a press conference today, “SB1070 has brought national attention to the immigration crisis. It shamefully preys on a broken immigration system and throws the door wide open to racial profiling. As a nation, we cannot have each state decide how to implement immigration laws. The Department of Justice is taking an essential step to maintain federal authority over immigration controls and enforcement, and we hope that the courts will make the right call.”

LULAC launched the Unite Arizona Campaign, with over 40 organizations nationwide supporting its efforts, immediately after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the bill into law. The proposed law requires state, county, and municipal employees to ascertain the immigration status of a person if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the person is unlawfully present in the U.S. It also subjects local governments and their personnel to lawsuits by any resident who feels that the new law is not being enforced sufficiently.
LULAC a a meeting today with Linda Chavez-Thompson, Vice Chair of The Democratic National Committee, reiterated its actions to resolve the problem, some of which include:

• Supporting Arizona boycott
• Filing a class action lawsuit that alleges that Arizona’s training materials violate federal law
• Registering voter outreach initiatives in the state of Arizona to offset the under-representation
• Asking President Obama to pass comprehensive immigration reform or to pass a down payment approach with DREAM Act and Ag Jobs now
• A moratorium on deportations and temporary protective status until a bill is passed

LULAC after a meeting with President Barack Obama last week, is placing immigration reform and related issues at the top of its agenda during its annual national conference taking place this week in Albuquerque. . “Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws,” added Vera. “The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country.”

LULAC National President met with President Obama today at the White House

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens National President Rosa Rosales issued the following statement after meeting with President Obama today:

“We would like to congratulate President Obama for addressing a group of grassroots and labor leaders today on the importance of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The President reassures us that he is committed to passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Our country needs immigration reform that improves the efficiency of our legal immigration system and enables hardworking and rule-abiding immigrants to remain with their families and fully contribute to their communities.

We need to continue to put pressure on Congress to get it done in a bipartisan fashion.

Americans in poll after poll show that they support immigration reform that fixes our immigration system while requiring those who are here without documentation to pay extra taxes, pass background checks, and get on a path toward legalization.

LULAC praises the President’s efforts being done on getting a Comprehensive Immigration bill passed.”

The 2010 LULAC Ohio Convention was a total success. 

Several members and friends of LULAC participated in this event full of educational workshops and honored by presence of many elected officials and government representatives. Among them, Congressman Steve Driehaus, Dr. Venita Kelley, Special Representative for the Governor for Closing the Achievement Gap, State of Ohio, Ohio Chief Justice Eric Brown. The keynote speaker was Judge Keila Cosme.

   

More pictures are in our Photo Gallery

Research demonstrates that family engagement in a child’s education increases student achievement, improves attendance, and reduces the dropout rate. To strengthen family engagement policies in education Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), working with several National Advocacy Organizations, introduced the Family Engagement in Education Act. The Family Engagement in Education Act (H.R. 5211) incentivizes schools and districts to meaningfully engage families to close the achievement gap.

In less than a month, 12 representatives from both sides of the aisle have joined Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and Congressman Todd Platts in cosponsoring the Family Engagement in Education Act (HR 5211). View an updated list of sponsors by visiting: http://lulac.org/r/17262/1057/0

In order to build on our efforts and keep momentum going, there will be a National Call-in Day for H.R. 5211 on Friday, June 11, 2010.

We urge you to join parents, teachers, and child advocates across the nation in calling 1-866-608-6355 to contact your Representative in Congress and asking them to cosponsor H.R. 5211. To learn more about H.R. 5211, visit: http://lulac.org/r/17263/1057/0 or call Iris Chavez at 202-833-6130 x13.

Talking Points:

• I urge you to become a cosponsor of the Family Engagement in Education Act (H. R. 5211), introduced with bipartisan support by Congresswoman McCarthy (R-NY) and Congressman Platts (R-PA).

• Research demonstrates that when parents are engaged in their children's education, student achievement and graduation rates increase.

• This bill provides guidance and incentives for schools and districts on best practices in engaging parents to raise student achievement.

• The Family Engagement in Education Act support teachers and principals by providing professional development for educators on how to partner with parents to close the achievement gap.

• H.R. 5211 builds statewide capacity to engage parents and establishes coordinating councils, comprised of parents, educators, and other community stakeholders to coordinate family engagement initiatives across a child's lifespan and in all learning settings.

• This legislation safeguards and strengthens the Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs), the sole federal parent engagement program by tightening their role to scale-up research-based approaches to engaging parents. PIRCs serve over 16 million parents per year, in every state and territory, the majority of whom are low-income and have children that are limited English proficient.

• Thank you for your commitment to children and families. I urge you to join Congresswoman McCarthy and Congressman Platts in ensuring a sound partnership between families and educators to close the achievement gap by becoming a cosponsor of H.R. 5211. Tell the staffer to contact Phil Putter in Congresswoman McCarthy’s office or Mollie Van Lieu in Congressman Platts's office to become a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation.

   

  Thank you for your commitment to closing the achievement gap for all children!

2010 LULAC Ohio State Convention

Presented by Procter & Gamble

Saturday, June 26, 2010

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Marriott Cincinnati RiverCenter                                                                                                       

The annual LULAC Ohio State Convention convenes the LULAC Ohio membership and community leaders from across the state in a day long event consisting of workshops, training and a Women's Empowerment luncheon with Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals, Justice Keile Cosme as Keynote Speaker.  Topics at the convention include cover a broad range of social-economic issues including:

• Immigration 101 for Social Workers & Community Leaders (training session)
• Youth Empowerment
• Legislative Issues in Ohio: "Moving from Reactionary to Preventive"
• The Future of Health Care for Latinos
• Current Issues in Education
• Civil Rights for Civil Rights Leaders
• Reform Immigration for American Campaign: "Next Steps"

Speakers Confirmed:

• Congressman Steve Driehaus, US Representative, OH-1
• Venita Kelley, PhD, Special Representative for the Governor for Closing the Achievement Gap, State of Ohio
• Mireika "Marie" Kobayashi, ESL/Foreign Language Manager, Cincinnati Public Schools
• Richard Sombrano, Chair, LULAC National Civil Rights Commission
• Ruben Castilla Herrera, State Director, Reform Immigration for American Campaign
• Iris Chavez, Education Policy Coordinator, LULAC National
• Jonathan Tolentino, MD, Chief Resident, Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital
• Florentina Staigers, Policy Coordinator, Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs

Cost (includes breakfast & lunch):

• $10 for members
• $15 for non-members
• $5 for students

Please RSVP before June 18th via http://lulacohio.eventbrite.com

Radio Station General Manager apologizes for the insensitivity of the promotion

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens, the largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country, had called on Ohio radio station WTVN-AM and its parent company Clear Channel Communications to apologize for the distasteful contest held last week urging callers to win a free trip to Arizona and “spend a weekend chasing aliens and spending cash in the desert.” LULAC along with other national organizations will file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

A coalition of Columbus community members including LULAC Ohio joined together in rejecting the insensitive promotion and an advertisement on Clear Channel's WTVN 610 Radio Station depicting Mayor Coleman on a Green Card in a trip giveaway promotion to Phoenix, Arizona last week.

“We stood up to racial profiling and bigoted messaging inferred by WTVN’s promotion,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “This is clearly the chilling effect of what is happening in Arizona with SB 1070. We believe that our community must respect and protect all people. We will file a complaint with the FCC and ensure that threats made against the community are dealt with urgently.”

“LULAC will work to create a long-term relationship with Clear Channel,” said LULAC Ohio State Director Jason Riveiro. “We have an advisory board with Clear Channel in Cincinnati and we hope to also establish an advisory board in Columbus as well to help ensure that insensitive issues do not occur again.”

LULAC will have a meeting with Brian Dytko, General Manager of the station next week.
Organizations that have come out against this action include: LULAC Ohio, LULAC – Columbus Councils, NCLR, Reform Immigration Reform for America, Empleos y Employment, Ohio Hispanic Coalition, Casa de la Cultura Hispana, Colombianos en Ohio, The Horn of Africa Rescue Committee (SomaliCommunity), Victoria Motors, University Area Enrichment Association, DJVU Latin Fusion, Jewish Family Services of Columbus and Latino LeaderShift Initiative. 

LULAC participates in spontaneous protest in front of White House

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the country, demonstrates along with Casa de Maryland, SEIU and other National Hispanic Leadership Agenda organizations in front of the White House today protesting Governor Brewer’s hypocrisy. As President Obama said in the meeting that took place this afternoon, “this is the role of the federal government not the border states to implement immigration laws.”

Governor Brewer and other anti-immigrant politicians like her have consistently blocked immigration reform for decades. Now they are they using the gridlock in Washington that they created as the thinly veiled excuse for usurping powers exclusively reserved for the federal government and passing repressive legislation that persecutes hard working immigrants and Latinos who may happen to look like immigrants.

“The time for comprehensive immigration reform is now. As we have seen time and time again, efforts to overhaul our broken immigration system have taken a back seat to dramatic escalations of border enforcement including placing troops on the U.S. border to serve in a function for which they have not been trained,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “What is shocking is that this escalation is coming at a time when border violence and unauthorized border crossings have declined. If we want to solve the challenge of undocumented immigration, it is clear that enforcement alone will not work.”

The truth is that over the last two decades, the United States has spent billions of dollars on border enforcement. Since 1992, the annual budget of the U.S. Border Patrol has increased by 714 percent. At the same time, the number of Border Patrol agents stationed along the southwest border has grown by 390 percent. Interior enforcement has expanded as well, and detentions and deportations are at record levels. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the violent crime rate in Arizona has been declining since it peaked in 1993. It is now lower than it has been since the early 1970s. In the Tucson Border Patrol sector, apprehensions of persons crossing illegally have fallen from 600,000 in 2000 to 241,000 in 2009.

“Governor Brewer is persecuting millions of Arizona families in a desperate gamble to win the Republican primary for Governor,” said LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “If she was serious about solving our immigration problem, she would urge her fellow Republicans in the Senate to sit down at the table and do their job and pass a fair and effective immigration reform bill.”
The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest and largest Hispanic membership organization in the country, advances the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.  

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Ohio is calling on the Columbus community to join together in rejecting ClearChannel's WTVN 600 Radio Station for its racially insensitive, anti-immigrant promotion. The advertisement depicts Mayor Coleman on a Green Card in a trip giveaway to Phoenix, Arizona. This image is meant to be cute; except it's not. The promo states that the winner is invited to "spend the weekend chasing aliens and spend a few pesos in the desert." The message of this promotion is clear and concise. It reads: "win a trip to hunt human beings" ClearChannel and its WTVN 600 Radio Station have broadcast a call toward open violence against Latinos, and this is completely unacceptable! The undersigned stand in solidarity and support of the Latino/Hispanic community in Columbus, Cental Ohio and every peace loving community. LULAC is calling on people of all faiths, races, ethnicities, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, genders and age groups to stand as one voice, one faith and one community with justice for all.

“We believe that our community must respect and protect all people, send forth a message of compassion and dignity and engage all citizens of good will and affirming actions”

Community members will turn in hundreds of letters to Brian Dytko, General Manager of Clear Channel in Columbus, Ohio. By making this statement as a community, we declare that we are committed to work together to hold accountable those cynical few who would see Ohio's residents weakened and divided. Columbus is a multicultural and extremely diverse city. We must hold this fact up, not as a call to violence against others, but as a beacon of pride around which we all gather as one interconnected community.

Therefore, we request ClearChannel's WTVN610 Radio Station to immediately remove the promotion and to release a public written apology (half page size) written by those who created & approved the ad. Finally, this apology should be signed by WTVN’s General Manager.

LULAC Ohio
LULAC-Columbus Councils
Reform Immigration for America-Ohio
Casa de La Cultura Hispana
Empleos & Employment
DJVU Latin Fusion
Colombians In Ohio
Ohio Hispanic Coalition
The Horn of Africa Rescue Committee (Somali Organization)
Victoria Motors
University Area Enrichment Association

Misuse of National Guard is Not the Answer to Solving our Broken Immigration Laws

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States, is firmly opposed to President Obama’s announcement that he would send 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“As we have seen time and time again, efforts to overhaul our broken immigration system have taken a back seat to dramatic escalations of border enforcement including placing troops on the U.S. border to serve in a function for which they have not been trained,” stated LULAC National President Rosa Rosales. “What is shocking is that this escalation is coming at a time when border violence and unauthorized border crossings have declined. If we want to solve the challenge of undocumented immigration, it is clear that enforcement alone will not work.”

Over the last two decades, the United States has spent billions of dollars on border enforcement. Since 1992, the annual budget of the U.S. Border Patrol has increased by 714 percent. At the same time, the number of Border Patrol agents stationed along the southwest border has grown by 390 percent. Interior enforcement has expanded as well, and detentions and deportations are at record levels. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the violent crime rate in Arizona has been declining since it peaked in 1993. It is now lower than it has been since the early 1970s. In the Tucson Border Patrol sector, apprehensions of persons crossing illegally have fallen from 600,000 in 2000 to 241,000 in 2009.

“The fact is that the enforcement benchmarks that conservatives insisted on in 2007 have been met, unauthorized border crossings are down, violent crime is down, and the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has declined,” stated Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director. “However, instead of following through on their promise of comprehensive immigration reform once the targets were met, we just have ever escalating calls for enforcement. While we appreciate that the President has called for comprehensive immigration reform, we are disappointed that he is trying to appease those whose thirst for border crackdowns and punitive measures for hard working immigrants can never be quenched.”
LULAC is calling upon its membership to oppose several amendments being offered this week to the supplemental war spending bill which will go even further than the President’s border escalation. Specifically we are asking our members to contact their senators to oppose expected amendments by McCain (SA 4214), Kyl (SA 4228) and Cornyn (SA4202).