Activists launch immigration reform campaign
Associated Press
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
AOL IM

ATLANTA – Representatives from labor, faith, business and immigrants’ rights groups gathered Monday outside the Capitol to launch the Georgia arm of the national Reform Immigration FOR America campaign.

The Atlanta launch, attended by about 25 local activists, was one of more than 30 planned in 20 states Monday. The campaign is being launched nationally with a news conference Wednesday in Washington, the kickoff of a three-day summit expected to bring together 700 grass-roots advocates from 35 states.

“Our immigration system is broken and we need a practical, workable solution in order for us to move forward as a nation,” said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, which is leading Georgia’s effort.

The campaign seeks comprehensive immigration reform that promotes economic opportunity and offers long-term solutions. Part of that, organizers say, is a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in this country.

Anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King held a news conference at the Capitol right before the campaign’s Georgia launch. He urged stricter enforcement of immigration laws and argued for the deportation of all illegal immigrants.

“People coming into this country illegally understand that they are committing a crime and that if they get caught they will be deported,” he said. “For America, we must secure our borders. For America, we must enforce our immigration laws.”

Immigration is a hot-button issue in Georgia, which has seen its immigrant population grow rapidly in recent years and has some of the country’s strictest laws regarding illegal immigrants.

The campaign for immigration reform comes just before President Barack Obama’s scheduled bipartisan meeting on the issue June 8 with members of Congress.

“This is for us to start rallying and for us to start getting the debate going in local cities and communities before members of Congress from both parties start meeting next week to discuss immigration reform,” said state Rep. Pedro Marin, a Duluth Democrat who is one of few Hispanic state legislators.

The political climate has changed since Obama became president and Democrats took over control of both chambers of Congress, said Shuya Ohno, spokesman for the Washingon, D.C.-based advocacy group National Immigration Forum.

For that reason, he said, he’s more optimistic about success than in 2006 and 2007 when a bipartisan group in Congress tried to push through legislation that would have given illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

“This time we’re united behind some common policy principles,” Ohno said. “This took a long time to build, but now the unity’s there.”

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