University of Illinois students visit LUPE!

While many students spend their winter break relaxing from a tough semester, ten students from the University of Illinois decided to use their winter break to engage in a learning and volunteer experience. Last week, we were excited to host these students from Chicago as participants of the Alternative Winter Break (AWB) program. According to their website, the AWB program “embodies the spirit of voluntarism, and seeks to tackle serious issues relevant to the nation’s community.” A pretty commendable goal for students on break from rigorous classes!

So what all did these students get to do? While visiting our offices, they learned about our work and engaged in volunteer work around some of our main issues in the Valley and at the border. The students also volunteered their time at Proyecto Azteca to help build houses and also helped conduct surveys in some of our communities. These students also had a chance to visit some Colonias and participate in house meetings to understand what community organizing really means when it comes to building leadership & power in low-income communities.

The students came during a good week: Rep. Gutierrez introduced the CIR-ASAP immigration reform bill and we had many actions planned. Here’s another picture of our students eating tamales, reading the CIR bill summary, and calling the White House to push for immigration reform:

If your school is interested in engaging in an alternative break program with LUPE, please contact us at lupe@lupenet.org

RGV Activists meet with Rep. Hinojosa!

(Thanks to Jorge Luis for the pictures and story!)

MCALLEN, TX — The immigration reform cannot be taken for granted, Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, representing the 15th District of Texas, said in a teleconference to a group of community organizers in regard to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), that was introduced by representative Luis Gutierrez on Tuesday December 15.

“If Texas makes its homework, just imagine having Florida, New Mexico, Arizona doing the same; with all of them we can get more than 218 representatives supporting this bill, ” Hinojosa said.

Congressman Hinojosa also said the CIR ASAP will be approved before March 2010 with the support of more than 218 representantives. The Democratic Party control the House majority with 218 members while Republicans have 217 representatives. The U.S. Senate has also to pass the reform with at least 60 senators.

Members of La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), A Resource in Serving Equality (ARISE), and the Ann Cass Foundation, all of them part of the Equal Voice for America Voice’s Coalition, showed support for the immigration bill and announced actions this week to press the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama to discuss and support CIR ASAP.

Hinojosa was one of the 70 representatives who signed the CIR ASAP introduced this Tuesday at the House. Congressmen Solomon Ortiz and Henry Cuellar also sponsored the bill. According to the Reform Immigration for America campaign, more than 60,000 Americans participated last November in more than 1,000 meetings across the country to support the immigration reform. They sent the word Justice of Justicia in a text message to the number 69866 and now are going to call 1-866-974-8813 to ask President Obama to fulfill his promise of getting the immigration reform approved this year.

CIR-ASAP – let’s start the process on winning immigration reform!

Many community organizations were present at today’s press conference – ARISE, LUPE, Proyecto Azteca – all representing the Equal Voice for America’s Voice coalition, as well as the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance and the national Reform Immigration for America coalition. Groups were gathered to mark the introduction of Rep. Gutierrez’s comprehensive immigration reform bill, CIR-ASAP. (READ THE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. GUTIERREZ HERE.)

Everyone was really pleased to hear that Rep. Gutierrez has introduced the first immigration reform bill – a sign & call to action that Congress needs to start working on getting common sense and humane immigration reform legislation passed next year!

Martha, LUPE organizer, talks to the crowd about CIR

We urged the crowd to call the White House on the provided 1866 #s to tell President Obama that we support immigration reform, that we’re excited about the start of the process with Gutierrez’s bill, and that we expect him to make good on his promise to reform immigration policy!

Call the White House to tell them you support CIR!!

Also check out a video of Juanita, LUPE executive Director, discussing the need for immigration reform NOW! (In English around :45 seconds)

And watch Lourdes Flores, ARISE Exec Director, talk about comprehensive immigration reform (CIR):

DON’T FORGET! CALL THE WHITE HOUSE NOW TO TELL THEM YOU SUPPORT IMMIGRATION REFORM!

ENGLISH: 1 866-584-0773
ESPANOL: 1 866-974-8813

Gutierrez wants Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP!

Press release from LUPE:

BROAD, DIVERSE COALITION TO INTRODUCE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM LEGISLATION BEFORE HOLIDAYS

San Juan, TX – Today, a broad coalition that reflects the richness and diversity of America, took the first steps toward passing comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. Representatives of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, The Congressional Asian and Pacific Americans Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Congressional Progressive Caucus joined Congressman Luis Gutierrez to introduce the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security And Prosperity” (CIR A.S.A.P.) in the US House of Representatives. The legislation will protect workers, keep families together, and promote our national security while ensuring that we stay true to our values as a nation of immigrants.

The Equal Voice for America campaign, made up of several Valley organizations including Proyecto Azteca, La Union del Pueblo Entero, Southwest Workers’ Union, Proyecto Juan Diego, Proyecto Libertad, the START Center, Project ARISE, and SCAN view the introduction of this bill as a sign of progress and momentum for action on real, common sense immigration reform by this Congress. Ann Cass, Executive Director of Proyecto Azteca, responded to the proposed legislation saying, “We are glad that Rep. Gutierrez has filed the bill because now we can move forward with the action to get a just and comprehensive immigration reform.”

Juanita Valdez-Cox, LUPE’s Executive Director added, “We can’t afford more delay, it’s time to fix out broken immigration system. Today was a big step in the right direction, and we hope Congress follows Rep. Gutierrez’ example.” Rogelio Nunez of Proyecto Libertad, in Harlingen, expressed his hope that the bill, at the end of the day, would create an immigration system that is “broad-ranging, inclusive and opens up new possibilities for the next generation of immigrants to our country.”

Americans all over the country are organizing to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Last month, at least 60,000 Americans participated in more than 1,000 house parties in 45 states. They have been mobilizing, taking action, and making their voices heard by texting “justice” or “justicia” to 69866 and getting connected to the Reform Immigration for America campaign. They are also calling 1-866-974-8813 to tell the White House to keep its promise, and act to pass comprehensive immigration reform this year. All over the country, Americans are taking action to celebrate International Migrants Day and the introduction of the first immigration reform bill, as it will finally start the discussion on comprehensive reform.

Equal Voice for America’s Families staff and members will meet with Rep. Ruben Hinojosa on Tuesday, December 15 and with Rep. Henry Cuellar on Friday, December 18 to discuss immigration reform and reaffirm their support of successful passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2010. Equal Voice for America’s Families is holding a Press Conference on Tuesday to mark the introduction of Rep. Gutierrez’s immigration reform bill:

What: Press Conference to mark the introduction of the CIR-A.S.A.P. bill
When: 9:00 AM, Tuesday December 15, 2009
Where: LUPE office in San Juan, TX at the corner of Cesar Chavez Road and Business 83

12/11 News Round-up!

Here’s some news from the past week in case you missed it:

1. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and confirmed that comprehensive immigration reform remains a priority and will likely be addressed in 2010.

2. Rep. Gutierrez will be introducing the first comprehensive bill on immigration reform NEXT week! Check back for more updates on the blog – we’ll also be having a few events next week to mark the introduction of this important legislation!

3. In local immigration-related news, the Valley has a new Bishop, Daniel Flores, who is very much in favor of immigration reform and will hopefully be a key ally for us!

4. In healthcare news, it looks like the Senate has reached a “deal” to drop the public option, and will instead hire private insurance companies to run an alternative health plan. Some good news is the expanded coverage for 55-64 year olds to access Medicare. More good news is that the Senate defeated an amendment that was anti-choice & anti-women’s rights.

Some local events we’re having:

-this morning, several Valley groups met with Homeland Security representatives to discuss topics related to the border community including the complaint process, training and evaluation of Border Patrol officers, community relations/outreach and short term detention. Check back for more updates on the meeting!

-today at 5pm we’re inviting anyone who’s interested in joining a Valley-wide network of allies to support the movement for immigration reform. Rio Grande Guardian did a preview of the event here. (Disclaimer – link might not last very long!)

Citizenship Ceremony at LUPE’s Alton Office!

This past Saturday marked one of the several citizenship ceremonies that LUPE has hosted at its various offices. More than 25 community members in the Alton area went through the rigorous process of obtaining citizenship and were recently approved – definitely a cause for celebration! In the last 3 years, I am proud to report that the Alton office alone has helped more than 190 members become citizens through our preparation classes.

Some of our guests at the event included Victor Leon, Outreach Coordinator for U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, Elizardo “Chardo” Ramos, of the Health Dept in Hidalgo County, Salvador Vela, Mayor of Alton as well as Ricardo Garza, Commissioner of the city of Alton.

Here’s a picture of the new US citizens that were able to come to the ceremony for recognition of their hard work:

With access to U.S. citizenship, these community members will be able to fully engage in civic participation as voters and live without fear of being separated from their families. Hear what one of our members, Juanita Gonzalez, has to say herself about why citizenship is important to her:

Health Care Vigil: We can’t afford to wait!

That’s not just some catchy slogan. We literally cannot afford more time or money on waiting to pass health care reform that includes a public option. Why? Here are some sobering statistics:

-about 46% of the Valley is uninsured (that’s almost half)
-Texas has the most uninsured residents in all of America
-the Valley has “fewer citizens with health insurance that any other region in America” (from an op-ed by Sen. Shapleigh in El Paso)

A vigil put together by MoveOn.org brought together many residents from the Valley who shared their stories about how health care reform could help them and their family. Some talked about how they cannot get low-cost insurance due to high costs or “pre-existing conditions” while others talked about not being able to afford health insurance for employees working for a small business. Hear some of these voices right here:

Watch Ignacio talk about his worries regarding his pre-existing condition & what that means for his future health insurance:

Jeannette speaks about the struggles of being a college student unable to afford health care:

What boggles my mind though, are the anti-reform folks who were gathered at a nearby sidewalk chanting against “socialized medicine.” Ironically, they started singing the Pledge of Allegiance and I realized it as I heard the end: “..and justice for all.” YES! That’s exactly what we’re fighting for, JUSTICE for patients, for future patients, for families of patients, justice for ALL. A recent article in Common Dreams sums up the argument pretty nicely:

Supporting universal health care does not make you socialist or even a liberal, it makes you a human being.

valley residents support the public option

ACTION ALERT: Tomorrow, there is a Health Care Town Hall meeting with U.S. Reps Hinojosa, Cuellar and Ortiz from 6-7pm. The event will only have 25 invited guests, but it will be streamed live here: http://www.valleycentral.com/ — watch & send us your thoughts at neha5126 [at] gmail [dot] com!

Honoring Sen. Ted Kennedy

The loss of Senator Ted Kennedy has been felt widely across America, especially among those in the Rio Grande Valley who saw him as a champion for immigrant and farm worker rights. He first came to the Valley in 1960 to campaign for his brother, John F. Kennedy’s bid for presidency. In 1967, Sen. Kennedy was back in the Valley to partake in subcommittee hearings to push for organized farm labor. Sen. Kennedy was a long-time friend of Cesar Chavez and was heavily involved in advocating for the farm workers’ movement.

Here is a clip of Juan Gonzales from Democracy Now! on the relationship between Ted Kennedy & Cesar Chavez:

“In 1969, Ted Kennedy marched with the farm workers to Calexico on the Mexican border in California…an eight-day, 200-mile march that was one of the turning points, the pivotal moments in the history of United Farm Workers. He then spoke at their founding convention of the Farm Workers. And throughout his career, Kennedy was the main defender of trying to get immigration reform, migrant education for children of migrants.”

– Juan Gonzales

A member of LUPE, Francisco Martinez, who worked closely with Cesar Chavez and had the opportunity to visit Sen. Kennedy and hear his speeches, said:

“We have lost a great champion in the struggle to win immigration reform and healthcare reform. Now we must work even harder to realize the dreams that we shared with Senator Kennedy.”

Famous picture of Cesar Chavez, Ted Kennedy and Coretta Scott King at a “No on Proposal 22″ rally in the 1970′s:

Cesar Chavez and Sen. Kennedy addressing the U.S. Senate in 1985:

Mercedes Back to School Fair

LUPE held a “Back to School” fair today to provide local Mercedes residents with free school supplies, information about financial aid for college, the chance to sign up for self-defense classes as well as the option of getting a free blood-sugar test.

*The first table with LUPE’s newsletter, membership information, and other useful pamphlets on college:

*A line forms for the second table, which was giving out information on college affordability and financial aid:

Abriendo Puertas! Opening Doors!

*Hiladgo County’s Sheriff sits at the third table to talk safety and self defense classes with folks:

*Representatives from Richard’s Pharmacy conduct voluntary blood-sugar testing for free:

*A LUPE volunteer hands out bags of school supplies to the children and parents:

*School supplies in hand, these students are ready for a successful school year!!

ready for school!

*Some of the lovely volunteers with LUPE Organizer, Maria Gomez (middle) who made this event possible:

*Future college students and community leaders:

si se puede!

For all pictures from the event, please click here.