Press Release

Gutierrez Announces Five-Week, Fourteen-City Tour to Document Urgency for Immigration Reform in 2009 February 2, 2009

Media Contact: Rebecca Dreilinger (202) 225-8203

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Washington DC) Today, U.S. Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) announced that he will spearhead a five-week national tour—visiting 14 U.S. cities—to document the harm caused to citizens across our nation in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform.

In an unprecedented nationwide campaign, Gutierrez has partnered with local communities and churches to hold rallies for thousands of U.S. citizens whose families have been or risk being torn apart by our broken immigration system. Many members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are also holding similar events in their districts.

“As a nation —as citizens— we cannot wait any longer for fair and just immigration reform,” said Rep. Gutierrez. “Across America, parents and children, husbands and wives are being torn apart by a system that values quotas over family values and which undermines our economic security in a time of crisis. It is for this reason that U.S. citizens in each of these 13 cities are joining this campaign and standing up for real, lasting change.”

When & Where:

February 27, Providence, RI

February 28, Atlanta, GA

March 1, Albuquerque, NM
March 7, Houston, TX
March 8, Phoenix, AZ
March 13 McAllen, TX
March 14, Dallas, TX
March 15, El Paso, TX
March 21, Chicago, IL
March 22, Milwaukee, WI
March 28, Tampa, FL
March 28, Orlando, FL
March 29, Miami, FL
April 4, Philadelphia, PA

Already nearly 40 evangelical church leaders, representing nearly 20,000 parishioners, have joined Rep. Gutierrez to demonstrate the vast numbers of American families—from all political backgrounds—who demand change from a legal system that undermines family values. U.S. citizens whose families have been affected will be available at each event to share their specific stories with press.

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