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 Entertainment | Books | October 2007 
Edward James Olmos LA Latino Book Festival Immigration Forum
 Hispanic PR Wire
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| | Edward James Olmos |
Award winning actor Edward James Olmos hosts Immigration Forum at annual Book Festival with high profile Hispanic leaders Hector Flores, Alex Nogales, Margaret Donnelly, Ruben Navarrette, and others.
There are those in the US Senate and the media who say that real immigration reform is stalled, as America now seems focused on the 2008 Presidential elections. But this does not sit well with award winning Latino actor Edward James Olmos, who along with a panel of high profile Hispanic leaders plan to focus on Congressional meddling in local anti-immigrant ordinances during an Immigration Forum held at the 11th annual LA Latino Book & Family Festival in Hollywood, this Sat., Oct. 13. “Washington seems to be thinking only about getting elected, when the United States is in real need of immigration reform”, exclaimed Mr. Olmos.
Yet behind the scenes, certain US Congressman are quietly helping to put real teeth into local city ordinances, resulting in a 400% increase of deportation of Mexican immigrants over the last 2 months, such as in the City of Irving, Texas, where US Congressman Pete Sessions assisted city council members to beef up Irving’s Criminal Alien Program (CAP). Sessions has a history of anti-immigration stands against the Mexican immigration community, even though his wife is from Mexico. “Irving, Texas is the home of the Dallas Cowboys, yet that city now has one of the toughest anti-immigrant ordinances in the country”, said Hector Flores, Immediate past National President of LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and one of the panelists.
“Congressman Sessions helped put Irving’s CAP program on steroids, in part by giving them access to federal earmark funds from the Department of Homeland Security in order to give Irving cops overtime pay to troll, profile and detain anyone and everyone who is Hispanic in that city. This is a clear violation of our civil rights, and it cannot continue”, said Flores.
Fortunately, there are many who agree with Edward James Olmos and Hector Flores, as they join other high profile Hispanic leaders at the LA Latino Book Festival Immigration Forum on Oct. 13 to discuss the hot topic issues of Immigration Reform. Panelists include Hector Flores (Immediate past President of LULAC), Alex Nogales (CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition), syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette, Margaret Donnelly (award winning Hispanic author and noted immigration attorney), and others.
Panelist Margaret Donnelly, who was born in Venezuela and currently lives in Dallas, is outspoken about immigration issues and is pushing for the extension of a law allowing family members to remain in this country while they seek legal residency. That law is Section 245i of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The longtime Republican said she has been disappointed with the position that the Republican leadership has taken on immigration. "Our Republican leadership has essentially failed our Latino community," she said. "They need to rethink their positions. Latinos are the largest immigrant community, and we're providing the labor force that this economy needs."
3.3 million Immigrants became legalized under President Reagan's immigration reform program of 1986, and subsequently the US had one of most economically successful eras in our history. But the 1996 Republican Congress imposed punitive laws which prevented many families from coming together. Spouses of lawful permanent residents must wait seven years and their children over 21 must wait more than twice as long to emigrate. "We Latinos are very family oriented," said Donnelly. "Do you think they're going to wait to be together? No, they will wait here in this country, all together as a family."
The Irving City Council recently approved the Criminal Alien Program (CAP) as the Irving Police Department's official policy for addressing prisoners who are not U.S. citizens. With the assistance of US Congressman Pete Sessions, the Irving Police Department initiated an arrangement with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April 2007 where residency status is reviewed over the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This change has increased the number of illegal aliens identified, as every prisoner booked into the Irving Jail is rigorously screened regardless of charges. Since partnering with ICE, over 1300 immigrants have been removed from the Irving Jail and deported back to Mexico this year.
U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions visited the Irving Police Department on May 29 to recognize the City of Irving for its cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through Irving's Criminal Alien Program. "I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Chief Larry Boyd and the City of Irving for their successful implementation of this program," said Sessions. "This new method ensures that law-abiding residents are safe through the identification and deportation of these illegal aliens. It's time we focus our resources on these illegal aliens and deal with them as criminals on a federal level."
The US economy is historically and directly tied to the flow of cheap immigrant labor from Mexico, and the dollars they send back to Mexico in the form of remittances. Some in the US State Department feel that this remittance flow, now estimated at over 26 billion US dollars annually, keeps Mexico from becoming a fascist, socialist state like Venezuela and Cuba.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform is a vital part of America’s future, as Hispanics rapidly become the majority in most southern states. Local municipalities and certain members of Congress have nothing to fear with the change in the cultural landscape, as Hispanics have demonstrated conservative family values that will be the bulwark against increased competition for natural resources from Asia and the Middle East in the 21st century. |
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