Press Release from the National Council of The Race ( La Raza )

( BONUS INFO – HERE for the dearly departed Charlie Norwood on La Raza)

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Michele Waslin
Jacqueline Pacheco
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Aug 10, 2007

NCLR CALLS ON BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO RECONSIDER DISCRIMINATORY MEASURES IN IMMIGRATION PACKAGE

Murguía Urges President Bush to Meet with Hispanic Leadership on Reversal of Position

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., expressed deep concerns over the Bush Administration’s recently unveiled immigration plan. The measures include increasing the use of state and local law enforcement in enforcing federal immigration laws, expanding raids at workplace sites, and implementing new Social Security “no match” regulations that could put millions of Americans at risk of losing their jobs.

“Today the Bush administration put forth a set of measures disguised as immigration enforcement which amounts to an assault on the civil rights of all Hispanic Americans,” stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

“The package of measures announced today will result in the racial profiling of all working Latinos. In effect, what these measures will do is impose a substantial burden on a subset of our citizens which is based entirely on the color of their skin, their accent, or their name,” continued Murguía.

“Frankly,” Murguía added, “this plan is such a dramatic shift from President Bush’s previous strong support of the need for comprehensive immigration reform that it seems to be a complete reversal of his position. I call on President Bush to meet with leaders of the Hispanic community to explain how this package of discriminatory measures squares with his stated desire for immigration reform that is consistent with American values.”

“Finally, Congress should not escape accountability. Congressional opponents of real immigration reform have been targeting legal immigrants and even U.S. citizens in recent debates. The distinction between undocumented and legal immigration and between immigrants and Latinos has been deliberately blurred. It is the responsibility of congressional leaders to halt the scapegoating, do their job, and fix our nation’s broken immigration system,” concluded Murguía.

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