Gutierrez brings Obama message of immigration reform
By Raj Jayadev
New America Media
Apr 25, 2009
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In St.
Victor’s, a humble yet crowded eastside San Jose church, Representative
Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Representative Michael Honda (D-Calif.) sat
transfixed, and at times teary-eyed, last week as they bore witness.
They, along with religious
leaders from the different faiths that make up Silicon Valley’s diverse
communities, were there to hear personal testimonies from immigrant
families who have had loved ones deported, opportunities denied, and
dreams deferred due to current immigration law.
The congressmen
spearheaded the event called “Family Unity” as part of a national effort
to set the stage for President Obama’s comprehensive immigration reform
agenda.
While the San Jose stop
was the last but one of the 20 cities Gutierrez had taken this traveling
call-to-action to, it was the first that focused on the voices and
experiences of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community.
The effort of inclusion
was intended help foster a more broad-based movement for immigration
reform. And as Honda, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American
Caucus, then told the audience of roughly 400 attendees, “At a national
level, the API community is often times left out of the debate, our
voices silenced, and then fall between the cracks, but not this time.”
Noting that May was Asian
Pacific Heritage Month, he went on to say, “I hope to amplify API voices
and bring to Washington their stories of family hardship, stifled
futures of bright students, and decades of family separation.”
Among the testimonies
delivered at Family Unity was one by Agnes, an elderly Filipina who
shared a harrowing story of her family who has been unable to properly
respond to a medical concern due to immigration restrictions. She shared
how her brother, Digno, was recently diagnosed with cancer, but his
wife, who is undocumented, cannot find work to pay for medical bills and
other basic needs due to her status. “She can’t drive either, and I do
my best by taking her to the grocery store and looking after the kids.”
While the health concerns
of Digno weigh heavily on the family, Agnes says there is also still the
ever-looming fear, “that one day, Digno’s dear children will come home
from school and their mom will have been deported.” She implored
Congressman Honda and Gutierrez to act quickly. “This system is broken.
Our family cannot afford to be separated. Please help us.”
Gutierrez, after hearing
testimonies like Agnes’s for most of the evening, responded with a
rousing speech in both English and Spanish that brought standing
ovations for both. He told the crowd that President Obama, who he has
met with as part of the Hispanic Caucus to discuss timelines around
immigration reform, already made his commitment to pathways to
legalization during his run for office. “He told us, first year, first
term; now we need to hold him to his word.”
Gutierrez was in San Jose
in 2007, drumming up public support when Comprehensive Immigration
Reform was on the House and Senate floor. Despite an outpouring of
support, the legislation failed to gain the required votes.
When asked how this moment
could lend itself to a different outcome, Gutierrez says, “For one
thing, we’re matured and we’ve increased the level of support that we
have nationally.”
And while Gutierrez
acknowledges the economic climate may color the discussion around
immigration reform, he remains optimistic. Comparing the need for
comprehensive immigration reform to struggles such as the civil rights
movement and the suffrage movement, he said, “Look, they can always say
it’s not a good time, but we have to deal with this moral crisis.”
Gutierrez says the next
step is mass rallies across the country planned for May 9th. They are
aimed at catching the President’s attention, in fact, will be
back-dropped with banners quoting Obama’s immigration promise.
The day was chosen since
May 10th is celebrated as Mother’s Day for many people from Latin
America. Gutierrez left the congregation with a mandate to organize for
May 9th and beyond.
“We can’t have a
Democratic majority and a Democratic president that says its committed
to the rights of immigrants, yet still have a federal government that
rips children out of mother’s arms.”
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