FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 13, 2010

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, CAUSA Executive Director, 503.269.5694
Erik Sorensen, CAUSA Communications Director, 503.488.0263

Senate Leadership Pledges to Pass Immigration Reform this Year

Reform Advocates in Oregon pledge to keep the Pressure on Congress and President 

Salem, Ore. --Over the weekend, organizations held marches and rallies in major cities around the U.S. to speak out against the nation's outdated and broken immigration system and to call on Congress and President Obama to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Actions held in Las Vegas, Chicago, Brooklyn, El Paso, Philadelphia, Providence, and Seattle on Saturday were part of the national campaign to continue to ratchet up pressure on Congress to get reform legislation passed this year.

During a five minute speech at a rally in Las Vegas, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), told over 6000 immigration reform advocates that, "We're [Congress] going to pass immigration reform, just as we passed health care reform."  Saying that he had 56 votes and needed a "handful of Republicans, he told the crowd that, "We're going to come back, we're going to have comprehensive immigration reform now. We need to do this year. We cannot wait."

"The pressure that individuals and organizations like CAUSA and others are exerting on members of Congress is having an impact," said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of CAUSA. "With nationwide marches and rallies from over the weekend and the March 21st action in D.C., they have come to discover fast that we mean business in getting immigration reform passed this year.  Families have waited far too long." 

In unity with leaders and activists from around the nation representing faith, labor, immigrant and civil rights communities, CAUSA will continue its pressure on Oregon's Congressional Delegation and the President until immigration reform is passed.

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CAUSA, Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, is a member of the Reform Immigration FOR America coalition and is the largest Latino and Latina civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The Reform Immigration FOR America campaign is a coalition of more than 600 faith, labor, business, progressive, and immigration reform groups that have joined together to get comprehensive immigration reform passed. For more information please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org