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RI4A

Live-Blogging the RI4A Summit – Round 5

Posted by Rachel L. on June 5, 2009

We just wrapped up dinner and an evening plenary here at the RI4A Summit. And, as if things couldn’t get any better, its been a great night.

Today over 700 advocates hit the halls of Congress to talk to their representatives about immigration reform and the issues that are affecting their communities. Organizers of the Summit have been receiving phone calls from their friends within the beltway about just HOW MANY of our advocates were on the Hill today.

One woman told me that towards the end of their very long day talking to lawmakers, one of the security guards at the Capitol asked her “Who are you guys?! You have been everywhere.” Suffice it to say that I think we have made an impact.

Perhaps the best story of the night though is an incredible development in the case of Robert Cote and his family. Earlier, I posted on Robert’s horrifying testimony of his wife’s arrest and pending legal case. When Robert visited his Representative today in Congress, he told his story and his Rep. (not sure who, but I will find out for you guys) immediately put his family in touch with his own legal counsel, in order to search for a way to win his wife’s case. The Representative was so impacted by Robert’s story that he vowed to begin work to pass legislation in the state to ensure this never happened again.

Robert related the story of this incredible visit to us tonight during our dinner plenary, and the good news was met with a celebratory round of applause. Its encouraging to see the hard work and efforts of these amazing organizers pay off. I am in awe of the people I have met this week – people like Robert – who are among the most dedicated, energetic, kind and genuine individuals I have had the privelege to work with and represent. I am honored to be a part of this.

One of those individuals spoke last night, Sister Mary McCauley. Sister Mary became the hero of the Postville disaster last May, when she opened the doors of St. Bridget’s Church to the traumatized community, as a sanctuary from the fear, despair and overall destruction that had gripped the town.

Sister Mary’s speech was different from the others we have heard in these past few days. She rarely spoke of policy and there were no “si se puedes” erupting from the crowd. Rather, she spoke from her heart and the audience was almost silent (a feat for 700 tired and hungry organizers), riveted by the terror and the humanity of her words. She spoke of the individuals affected by the Postville raid, and of her own committment to immigration reform and the immigrant rights movement because of the injustice she witnessed.

As kyledb, who live-tweeted the events last night, wrote:

McCauley is humanizing the debate in a way that I feel is sometimes lost.

After 48 hours of chants, signs and staying on message with policy expectations, Sister Mary’s candid words were a breath of fresh air – albeit the kind of fresh air that reminds you there is much injustice still to be fought.

After Sister Mary, Gerald Lenoir, the Director of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, spoke of the need to bring African American communities in the fight for immigration reform. I think this is thechallenge of the immigrant rights movement at the moment – building black/brown power and working against the propaganda of divisiveness to make sure that the movement is inclusive.

Ernesto Cortes, Regional Director of the Southwest Industrial Areas Foundation, closed out the night – reminding us that we need to be thoughtful about how we fight if we want to win. Again, from kyledb’s live-tweeting (thanks, Kyle!):

Cortes – the only way we can get immigration reform passed is to communicate with people different than ourselves.

Cortes reminded us that it is only through the agitation of those who think differently than we do that we can win hearts and minds, in order to move the votes we need in Congress.

In closing, Cortes adress the infuriating injustice that the most vulnerable have faced because of our broken immigration system. He reminded us that Cold Anger is the only kind of anger that will help us win this fight.

Cortes – anger should give you patience, discipline, and a sense of humor.

We are angry. We are impatient. We are ready for change. But we must continue this fight with discipline and humanity. We must continue to win the small battles – like Robert Cote’s case – and push steadily towards the reform we need.

Live-Blogging the RI4A Summit – Round 4 – Town Hall

Posted by Rachel L. on June 4, 2009

gutierrez summit

The RI4A Summit continued in full force today at the Town Hall Meeting, held at the Church of the Reformation which neighbors Capitol Hill.

The church was packed to its 600 person capacity and despite the early morning trek from their hotels, the attendees were high-energy throughout the 2 hour Town Hall. The meeting opened with a blessing from leaders in the Catholic, Jewish, Baptist and Muslim faiths. The list of speakers during the Town Hall was extensive – Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D – CA), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Rep. Mike Honda (D – CA), Robert Cole, a member of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and a US Veteran, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D – IL), Senator Robert Menendez (D – NJ), Julieta Garibay, a DREAM Act Student leader from Texas and a roundtable discussion including Mark Lauritsen of UFCW, William Lucy of AFSCME and Arturo Rodriguez of UFW.

In short, it was a jam-packed agenda, full of inspiration, energy and momentum, but not without a healthy dose of tension and agitation. It was a two-hour long event, but I want to focus on a few things that stand out for me.

The first was the testimony given by Robert Cote, a US Citizen and a War Veteran. Robert is married to a woman from Honduras and the couple lives in Florida with their two children. He told the story of his sister-in-law, who was involved in a domestic dispute with her boyfriend. The sister-in-law was bloodied and bruised and the police were called. When Robert’s wife began helpfully interpreting for the policeman, being sure they understood her sister’s testimony of the horrific violence, the police paid no attention to the beaten woman and immediately seized on Robert’s wife, asking her to prove her citizenship and grilling her for proof she was in the country legally. After producing her passport and graciously complying with police, a removal order from years prior showed up on her record and she was arrested. A wife and a mother of two, whose crime was helping law enforcement to make her community safer, was held in prison for 9 days with no charges. Eventually, the family fought the case and his wife’s trial is still progressing.

What struck me about Robert’s testimony was not only the injustice faced by the family, but it was also something he said. “When someone is taken away from a family, it is not just that person who suffers. Its everyone.” Before his testimony, Rep. Mike Honda talked about how families (in all their many forms) are the very fabric of society. Together, families can do so much more than individuals – buy a house, invest in their comunity – and when you destroy families you are destroying America.

I think Robert’s family, who is still awaiting to hear its fate – is a perfect example of why immigraiton reform is as urgent as ever. As he said:

“I fought a war from this country. And I will fight a war for my family.”

The fight is on and the pressure is mounting. Here in this church you can feel the patience of the movement waning. Now is the time, this is the year.

This brings me to the second point that stood out for me. When Luis Gutierrez, who has been lauded over and over as a true champion for immigration reform, was introduced by Pastor Freddy Santiago, the Pastor challenged the Congressman over the posteponement of the White House meeting with Barack Obama on immigration. Santiago said that it was a negative sign, a sign that we aren’t being taken seriously.

Gutierrez pushed back, saying that it gives the movement even more time to organize and prepare going into the meeting.

But, in my view, the postponement of the meeting is actually a good sign: for two reasons.

  1. The President is abroad right now and will more than likely have appointments or trips that come up at the last minute. In order to be back for a meeting on Monday, it would be a stretch. I think that this issue is enough of a priority that the rescheduling occurred so the President could attend in person.
  2. It is giving us an opportunity to truly show our power. In the last 24 hours over 80,000 faxes have hit the offices of Congress, asking for immigration reform. As I type, over 700 people are knocking walking through the halls of Congress, knocking on doors, attending meetings and sitting down with our lawmakers to make their case clear: we need reform and we need it now. The postponement of the meeting is only going to make the movement even more focused and more impatient with the wait for reform. This translates into more pressure on members of Congress, and the President, to deliver.

The Town Hall ended on a high note, with a call to Take It to Congress, as hundreds of energized advocates poured out of the church doors and into the offices of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. I bet if you were there right now you would be able to hear at least one “Si se puede” reverberating off the halls of Congress.

The movement has offically hit DC and its not going anywhere until its won.

VIDEO: The Time is NOW – The RI4A Summit

Posted by Rachel L. on June 4, 2009

Check out this great video round-up of yesterday’s events:

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