October 13th will be an important day in the fight for immigration reform. The progress towards immigration reform has been slow; the politics of health insurance reform ugly; and the failure of enforcement tactics to change significantly under a new President have all taken a toll on voter enthusiasm.

That is why, one week from today, religious leaders, immigrants, pro-immigrant advocates and their allies will gather in Washington, DC to take their concerns directly to Congress and make clear the urgency of immigration reform clear. A day of action with lawmakers will then culminate in a vigil at the U.S. Capitol, with a call to “Reform Immigration to Keep Families Together”.
Immigrant families and the communities in which they live continue to face the daily nightmare of a broken immigration system. Deportations split families, the threat of enforcement drives work off the books and into the underground, and the legal immigration system remains an unrelenting bureaucracy. This is what motivates immigrant communities and faith leaders to action. What is merely a political issue to some people literally rips fathers and mothers from their children on a daily basis in immigrant communities.

It is because of this very real urgency that Members of Congress are uniting to help Rep. Luis Gutierrez and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus craft and introduce comprehensive immigration reform legislation. After months of waiting, we are finally going to see some action from lawmakers! On October 13th, in DC, Rep. Gutierrez will be putting forth proposals, enlisting coalitions of stakeholders and preparing for the ensuing debate. This will help break the logjam and ensure that this Congress debates immigration before they face voters again in November 2010.

The day begins with a training and the arrival of busses from various cities at the Church of the Reformation (212 East Capital Street) at 10:00 a.m. At 2:00, lead by religious leaders and families separated by our current immigration policies, the group will process from the Church of the Reformation to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for an event with Members of Congress that begins at 3:00 p.m.
If you would like more information, contact Ruth Lopez at lopezr@communitychange.org