Latino Leaders Look For Firm Footing On Immigration Debate

Oregon's Latino leaders are hoping to lay groundwork this week for comprehensive immigration reform. April Baer reports.


One week from Monday, President Obama will meet with Congressional leaders to talk about what a reform bill should include.

At the same time, here in the Northwest, organizers will be trying to build support for changes in the law.

Francisco Lopez is the executive director of CAUSA, Oregon's largest immigrant rights coalition. He says as the immigration debate develops, the state's Latinos are finding their political feet.

Francisco Lopez "We are moving from a survival stage toward full integration. We are not fully there yet, but we are half of the way."

Reform-supporters may face an uphill battle. To many Oregonians, immigration reform means tighter restrictions on who's allowed to stay in the country, not a more welcoming attitude.

Most political leaders have been reticent to take up the cause.

Comments

May 31, 2009
1:02 p.m.
If Democrat Heath Shuler gets enough co-sponsors, he can bring a--PERMANENT-- the SAVE ACT (E-verify) to the chambers in Washington. The criminal minds of hundreds of contractors are circumventing the labor laws, to use foreign nationals. To many companies are illegally cutting costs by mis-classifying some workers as independent contractors thus not having to complete the tax form W-2. I read about the Rule of Thumb knowing a worker's contracting status--if he only works with one company, that business sets their hours and the company's success is tied to the worker's success, the company should probably consider him is an employee, not an independent contractor. That company needs to issue a W-2 tax form -- and pay taxes, Social Security and unemployment and injury insurance on the employee's behalf. However, thousands of parasite businesses are not following the law, as they are cutting corners and many honest businesses are losing jobs, their livelihood because their pariah counterparts are using foreign labor at much reduced costs. Even now hundreds of billions of dollars are spirited away to support the living standards of illegal low income families, who have never paid a cent into the welfare safety net. Billions of dollars are never paid into the Federal and state coffers because of this loophole. Because hundreds of thousands of guest workers have escaped the fields, Madam Dianne Feinstein is insisting in by passing trying to pass for a second time, an AGJOB revised law, to bring in even more farm workers. ICE has a phone number 1-866-DHS-2-ICE workers can call, who have detected suspicious activities happening in the workplace. Learn more at NUMBERSUSA. Can anybody really guess the unmentionable situation, if their is another Amnesty of at least 20 million legalized people, with an intent to bring in more family members--CHAIN MIGRATION--then even more indigent people jumping the fence expecting even more AMNESTIES. The only way to stop this travesty of our constitution, our laws is the SAVE ACT. (E-Verify combined) TO BUILD THE REAL FENCE! TO THROW OUT THE CORROSION IN WASHINGTON! THE LIBERAL JUDGES, GOVERNORS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS. E-Verify must be used in-perpetuity and nobody should be exempt--NOT JUST FOR NEW HIRES. Without some powerful tool the future will be an OVERPOPULATED AMERICA--with water, energy shortages or the spread of a concrete jungle. To harass your Senators www.senate.gov/ and Congress-person www.house.gov/ Reach all participants at: (202) 224-3121

— Posted by Brittanicus

May 31, 2009
1:02 p.m.
This terrible situation that is impacting taxpayers, has been caused by the illegal immigration invasion. There is no doubt in my mind that our so called disloyal Senators are going to use E-verify as a bargaining chip to pass a path to citizenship for lawbreakers. If the nationwide polls were truthful and not intentionally manipulated by the open border, free traders, at least 65 percent of the American people would--DENY--deny any kind of AMNESTY. Owing to fact that these entities, business consortium's have mass amounts of cash, where the pro-sovereignty, anti-illegal immigration organization have limited resources, to warn the American people of this coming--OVERPOPULATION--nightmare. With these ingredients the American people never know the true facts, because the left-wing press, keeps the ugly truth from the general public. The only pathway for organizations like Numbersusa, Judicialwatch, Americanpatrol, Capsweb, Unipac is through the Internet. It's the only gratis way make the pubic aware, that already their are closed door sessions to force another AMNESTY on the taxpayers. My comments have limited exposure, but will publisize a major issue this year, along with health care. No American should have to compete for a job, with an unprocessed, illegal worker. Every foreign national should leave our nation and line up with every honest newcomer immigrant who wants to make their life here. Most people are deluded thinking that illegal immigrants are confined to picking fruit or vegetables. This is an absolute travesty as they are in every high and low spectrum of the workforce. Not just mowing lawns in California, but welders, janitors in schools, heavy machinery on newly laid highways, in the technology field--blue collar and white collar jobs. This is an obnoxious situation, when over ten million Americans and permanent residents, walk the streets jobless. They keep making excuses that our immigration laws are broken--but in truth--THEY ARE NOT?

— Posted by Brittanicus


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