RGV Equal Voice Network

The State of Our Valley

2012-01-19T09:43:00.004-06:00

President Obama spoke to thenational community last night in his State of the Nation address. The RioGrande Valley Equal Voice Network welcomes this yearly accounting, as it offersthe country a sense of the leadership that our nation's president intends toemploy over the coming year.

The state of the families who livein the Rio Grande Valley illustrate clearly the inequality that has become apart of our nation's social reality. Our families work longer hours for lesspay, and pay higher tax rates than any other region in the country. We have, asa region, invested more people in the nation's Armed Forces than anywhere elsein the nation, and yet our veterans continue to lack the medical care that theyhave been promised over and again. We have the highest number of uninsuredpeople in the USA, have no public hospital, and yet are charged some of thehighest rates for medical care in America. We are the youngest region in thenation and yet our schools are vastly, and, unfairly, underfunded. We are aculturally-diverse area--an international region--that suffers, inextraordinary ways--from our nation's fears that our borders may not be secure,with a border wall that blights our landscape, policing policies such as securecommunities that threaten the necessary trust between residents and theirpolice officers, and young people whose hopes are squandered by politicalbickering over the Dream Act.

The Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Networkbegan work on our National Family Platform that we adopted during the 2008presidential campaign. Over the past three years, the Network has beencommitted to increasing the influence of our families upon those elected andappointed public servants who are charged with overseeing the wellbeing of ourregion.

The Network is delighted with the growth it has seen over this shorttime, as our constituents now number nearly 30,000 residents of the Rio GrandeValley. Our six working groups have, in different ways, achieved importantgoals, most important amongst those being the increasing number of colonia andworking family members who participate in our projects.

The core member organizations—ARISE (A Resource in Sharing Equality),LUPE (La Union del Pueblo Entero), the Texas Organizing Project, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, the South Texas Adult Resource and Training Center(START Center), Proyecto Azteca, Proyecto Libertad, IDRA (InterculturalDevelopment Research Association), the Brownsville Community Health Center (Mano a Mano) and Proyecto Juan Diego remain committed tothis process, and are grateful to the generous and creative support of theMarguerite Casey Foundation in these efforts.

In our State of the Valley report, we offer the following snapshots ofour work.

Jobs and Economic Security: Given that the Rio Grande Valley hasthe lowest paid workers of any region in the nation and a high incidence ofwage theft, this working group established “Fuerza del Valle,” a projectdesigned to educate, empower and unite workers. Fuerza meets twice a week, oncein Hidalgo County and once in Cameron County, creating a space in which workerscan come with their complaints and questions to find information and, ifrequired, advocacy and legal support. Tens of thousands of dollars have alreadybeen recovered for workers whose employers had not paid for their work. A May 1^strally highlighted the efforts of Fuerza, and now the project has an actingdirector. South Texas Civil Rights Project is the fiscal sponsor for Fuerza,

Education: Numerous town hall meetings clearlyestablished a nearly universal anguish that both parents and educators sufferover the condition of Valley schools. Roughly half of all ninth graders dropout before graduation. In an effort to grant parents greater access to theschools, a number of independent, state accredited Parent Teacher Associationshave been formed in both Hidalgo and Cameron counties. These independent PTA’shave gained unprecedented access for parents to their children’s schooladministrators. The Network also employed a number of means to educate familieson the dangers of HB1, a law that encourages schools to place certain highschool students into a tracking system that would leave these young people,upon graduation, without sufficient credits for college admittance. Thedismal educational situation in the Valley has been exacerbated by the cuts toschool funding enacted by the 2011 legislative session, budget decisions whichreduced funding to Valley school districts in an inequitable and brutal manner,to Valley school districts. In response to this, the Education working group ispromoting its “ya basta; our schools deserve the same as the rest of schools inTexas” campaign to the 2012 campaign season.

Health Care: The Network became engaged in thenational health care debate, actively educating and involving our membership inthe discussion. After the bill was signed into law, the working group held numerous workshops on the subsequent legislative changes in health careboth nationally and state wide. Sensitive to the looming (and alreadypresent) diabetes epidemic in our region, the Network has collaborated witharea public health entities on different initiatives, including the promotionof a revision of SNAP (food assistance program) so as to provideincentives for healthier eating. The working group is currently educatingour constituents on the new managed Medicaid/Medicare programs, and helpingwith CHIP enrollment. We are closely watching the changes to county policiesthat affect the way indigent care is managed, and we continue to work to bringcommunity health advocates together in monthly meetings.

Housing: Hurricane Dolly struck the Valleyin 2008, leaving behind a swath of devastation and highlighting the region’sdeficient flood control infrastructure. Those who live in colonianeighborhoods suffered the most from the storm’s flooding. In many cases, evenafter three months, residents had several feet of flood waters on theirproperty. The working group created a housing coalition which established analliance of a number of local entities. This coalition, including communitydevelopment corporations and other organizations, forged relationships with themembers of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council and local Countygovernments. The coalition aimed to assure that colonia residents’ needs foradequate drainage and housing be addressed with the hurricane disaster reliefmonies. After a series of meetings, the coalition was able to get moneyfor direct drainage infrastructure in their colonias and have had theirneighborhoods listed in the needs assessment targeted areas for the reliefoutreach efforts. We worked with the LRGVDC and County governments on the FairHousing Assessment Standards for Texas (FHAST), the Analysis of Impediments,and the Needs Assessment. Colonia residents also hosted meetings of the LRGVDCin three colonias in Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy Counties so they could beincluded in the EDA Regional Planning Grant. Most importantly, an Equal VoiceCouncil of Colonias has begun so that colonia residents can be a recognizableentity when it comes to regional planning.

Immigration: During the 2011 session of theTexas legislature, eighty-five ant-immigrant bills were introduced into theTexas legislature. The immigration working group organized a coalition ofchurches, small businesses, community-based organizations, police departments,veterans, cities and small businesses to present a united front against thelegislation. The group sent over 400 constituents to Austin and, in conjunctionwith other organizations, successfully blocked all the anti-immigrantlegislation. Dream Act activists were sought out and enlisted in this effort,and support for their particular efforts were offered. The working group hasdiligently worked to mitigate the effects of “Secure Communities” a federalprogram designed to force local police departments to do federal immigrationenforcement. The group is a member of the Southern Border Communities’Coalition, participating in a border-wide effort at the documentation of abusesby authorities. Membership in the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance’sexecutive committee has kept our voice and experience at the forefront of stateefforts to demand comprehensive immigration reform—and to promote policies thatassure the protection of our residents’ human rights.

Civic Participation: The EqualVoice Network recognizes that civic engagement is the underpinning for all ofour efforts. It is only when our families are welcomed at the table of thedecision makers that effective changes in policy can be achieved. To that end,we continue to engage and educate our constituents on civic engagement. TheNetwork rallied during the 2010 election season and raised voter participationmore than 10% over the 2006 election. The different member organizationshave put in place their plans for engaging citizens in the 2012 campaign, andthe working group is organizing a series of efforts to work on voterregistration, voter education, and a nonpartisan get out the vote effort. Acalendar of events for the spring, summer and fall has been prepared withevents that include educational rallies to inform our constituents aboutthe different roles of elected officials, how a precinct caucus works, and whyit is so important for them to vote.

Civic Engagement, 2012

2012-01-06T17:36:00.000-06:00

In eleven short months, thenation will choose a president, Texans will decide who will lead the state, andValley residents will elect those we feel can be held responsible for localpolitical office.

The Equal Voice Network, acoalition of nine community-based organizations with more than 30,000constituents, has already been preparing an extensive civic engagement projectfor the Valley. Called “Mi Voto es Mi Voz,” this will be the second such effortby the Equal Voice Network. In 2010 network membership realized a ten per centincrease over 2006 numbers in its ten target precincts.

“In a democracy, allelection cycles are important, but for the Equal Voice family, this seasonmerits special attention. The sinful use of anti-immigrant prejudice bypoliticians, and our government’s preference for military spending over andagainst the immediate needs of our families clearly tells us that thepoliticians are not paying attention to the heart and soul of this country. Anelection gives us an opportunity to speak up, and believe me, we intend to beheard,” said Michael Seifert, the Network Coordinator.

The Equal Voice Networkwill focus in on twenty-four areas of Hidalgo and Cameron County, with apreference for the Pharr, San Juan, Alamo and Mission areas, as well asneighborhoods in San Benito and Brownsville. The voices of the primarilylow-income residents of these precincts are particularly important in thelocal, state, and national dialogue on jobs, the economy, and immigration.

"Casting a ballot isone of the most important things we do as citizens and as neighbors. It is ourway of saying ‘Here we are. We count.’ So the Equal Voice Network and LUPE isgoing to do its best to make sure that every last one of our membersunderstands that and takes part in the get out the vote effort,” said DanielDiaz, a community organizer from LUPE who works in the Mercedes area.

As non-profits, the Networkmembers take care to follow the federal law on civic engagement, avoidingpartisan politics, while, at the same time, investing large amounts of time andenergy in encouraging people not only to vote, but also to become intimatelyinvolved in the entire process. The Network sees civic engagement as a way of beingfaithful to the missions of the different member organizations, be theyinvolved in housing, health care, or education.

“It makes no sense for theSTART Center (San Benito) to work so hard to prepare our young people for goodjobs if our elected leaders are paying no attention whatsoever to this need. Avote is a “shout out” and we are dedicated to getting our youth to shout outloud and long,” said Ron Rogers, START Center Board President.

With Congress in gridlockand the economy inspiring fear, many cynics may dismiss civic engagement as auseless exercise on behalf of unresponsive politicians. Equal Voicemembers, on the other hand, have seen first hand the results of successful getout the vote campaigns in the past.

“As a mother and as amember of one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Valley, I have seen whathappens when a community votes,” said Lupita Sanchez, from Cameron Park, nearBrownsville. “For years we suffered all sorts of humiliation—no roads, nopolice patrols, no mail delivery. And then we learned how to get out the vote,we got involved, and now Cameron Park is a place I am proud to live in.”

The Equal Voice Network isplanning a number of activities and events throughout the year, includingcandidates’ forums, debates, and voter registration drives.

Members of the Equal VoiceNetwork include: ARISE – A Resource in Service Equality (Alamo); BCHC –Brownsville Community Health Center (Brownsville); Casa de ProyectoLibertad (Harlingen); La Unión del Pueblo Entero LUPE (San Juan); ProyectoAzteca (San Juan); Proyecto Juan Diego (Cameron Park/Brownsville); STARTCenter- South Texas Adult Resource and Training Center (San Benito); and theTexas Organizing Project.

RGV Abuse Documentation Project

2011-11-17T11:06:00.001-06:00

The Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network received news yesterday, November 16th, 2011, that the Four Freedoms Fund has awarded the Immigration Working Group a grant of $50,000 to support the working group's activities to counter border enforcementabuses, as well as seek enforcement administrative and policy reforms. Texas ACLU and Rio Grande Legal Aid have offered valuable assistance in helping us receive these funds.

The Abuse Documentation Project is a borderwide effort to systematically record and analyze abuses suffered at the hands of the Border Patrol and Immigration officials. We aim to leverage this data toward our work on reforming enforcement policies.

Many of the member organizations have years of experience collecting data around abuse by Border Patrol, most notably Proyecto Libertad, ARISE, LUPE, and Proyecto Juan Diego. This project looks to broaden and coordinate these efforts.

2011-09-07T17:33:00.002-05:00

¡Basta con las Aguas!: Colonia women set an "¡hasta aca!" on flooding

by Michael Seifert

September 7, 2011

Hidalgo County, Texas -- This pastThursday, the strong women of ARISE gathered neighbors together in the colonianeighborhood of Hidalgo Park. Theoppressive heat was no match for the spirit of some thirty members of this neighborhoodin south Hidalgo County who had gathered to meet with local governmentofficials and engineers. The meeting was held, appropriately, on theproperty of one of the hundreds of families that had suffered devastatingdamage from Hurricane Dolly’s flooding.

Martha Herrera, neighbor

A sofaand an easy chair, victims of the water damage from the floods of more than three years’ ago,were piled up behind the group, stewing in the morning heat, and adding visiblesupport to the testimony of the neighbors who, one after another, offeredtheir views of the infrastructure failures.

MarthaHerrera, one of the neighbors, noted, “We pay taxes, we are citizens, and it makes me so angry tosee raw sewage running through our streets after a heavy rainfall. Our childrendeserve better than this, and so do we.”

The TexasOrganizing Project, LUPE, the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service andother members of the Equal Voice Housing Working Group were present at themeeting. Ramona Casas, of ARISE, led the meeting, one of a series of suchgatherings called to establish for county officials the gravity of the drainagetroubles that have afflicted colonia residents for decades.

RaulSesin (Hidalgo County Planning Department, Mario Garcia (Program Administratorfor the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council) and several engineerslistened as the women laid out their concerns.

In the end,Mr. Sesin agreed to a number of commitments on behalf of the county. Apart fromofficially certifying the area as one which in fact suffers significantflooding, Mr. Sesin agreed to do a study of the area, work to make the drainageditch wider, add some gates on the canal and install a system of pumps. Inaddition, the county official said that he would work with engineers so thatduring a flood event, sewage would not back up into the streets of the area.

Mr. Sesinand his team will be meeting with Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia to work outa plan for informing the public about the next steps.

Theneighborhood meeting is one of a serious of steps organized by Equal VoiceHousing organizers and Mr. Mario Garcia, the Economic Development ProgramDirector for the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council.

As themeeting wound up, a Pharr police patrol stopped by, wondering what all of thecommotion was about. “Just doing our job,” the patrolman was assured, “we areall just doing our job.”

2011-03-31T12:06:00.025-06:00

The Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network is a collaboration of ten community-based organizations committed to bringing lasting social change to the neighborhoods of our community. We are guided by the principles set forth in the National Family Platform and we look forward to the day when working families will sit at the tables of decision makers and when these same family members will exercise their right to influence those discussions that lead to the decisions that so deeply affect the quality of the lives of their children, their grandparents, and their neighbors.

The generosity of the Marguerite Casey Foundation inspires, informs and sustains the Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network.

List of Anti-Immigrant Bills Proposed in Texas House and Senate

2011-01-25T10:16:00.004-06:00

The Texas legislative season began with the introduction of dozens of bills that target Hispanic communities and families. They are bad bills. They will cause needless suffering to members of our community. They include numerous unfunded mandates. They are clearly subject to court challenges and therefore would waste valuable state resources.

The following are samples of the bills; you can find details at

Voter ID bills
HB 16 (Riddle (Houston-Republican), HB 112 Harless (Spring-Republican), HB 248 (Chisum (Pampa-Republican); SB 178 (Belton, Abilene, Marble Falls-Republican)

(1) This is an unfunded mandate to local election boards that will cost extra time and effort checking IDs for unnecessary reasons.
(2) There is essentially no problem to be solved here. Voter fraud occurs in tiny numbers and does not affect elections.
(3) This legislation will disenfranchise citizens without simple IDs (e.g., drivers’ licenses). These are disproportionately elderly and minorities.

From Tuesday’s San Antonio Express:

Near Dallas in Farmers Branch, according to the study, residents have spent $4 million since 2007 to defend a prohibition on renting apartments or homes to illegal immigrants. Similar measures in Prince William County, Va., which has spent $1.3 million, and in Riverside, N.J., which spent $82,000, have been rescinded or curtailed in light of the legal expenses.

HB 539 Anderson (McLennan-Republican) Voters must present identification in order to vote. Acceptable forms of identification are discussed.

Bills that require local communities to enforce federal immigration law

HB 17 (Riddle (Houston-Republican)
[This bill grants permission for a peace officer to arrest an individual without a warrant, if the officer has probable cause to believe that the individual has violated a civil or criminal provision of federal immigration law.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(5) This use of “criminal trespass” is of dubious legality. If interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents. It will be costly to defend in court.

HB 18 (Riddle (Houston-Republican)
[This bill requires state agencies and local agencies that adopt a rule or policy that does not fully enforce state or federal immigration law to forfeit or return any state funding related to immigration.]
(1) This is an unfunded mandate on local government. It is an infringement on local government decision-making by duly elected representatives and their officers.
(2) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers.
(3) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(4) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.

HB 113 Harless (Spring-Republican)
[This bill would require local law enforcement to enforce the federal immigration law.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.

HB 183 Solomons (Carrollton-Republican)
[Relating to the duty of a law enforcement agency to verify the immigration status of an arrested person.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(4) Arrest is not the same as conviction, and this bill may affect many people proven innocent of criminal charges. It is open to abuse via pretext arrests.

HB 247 Solomons (Carrollton-Republican)
[This bill would require local law enforcement to enforce the federal immigration law.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(5) The use of “probable cause” for immigration enforcement, if interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents.

HB 296 Berman (Tyler-Republican)
[Arizona copycat. Relating to the enforcement of immigration laws, to the investigation, prosecution, and punishment of certain criminal offenses concerning illegal immigration, and to certain employment and labor practices and requirements regarding immigration and immigrants; providing civil and criminal penalties.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(5) This use of “reasonable suspicion,” if interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents. It will be costly to defend in court.
(6) This bill may cost the state millions to defend in court.

HB 302
[This bill would require local law enforcement to enforce the federal immigration law.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(5) The use of “probable cause” in immigration enforcement, if interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents.

HB 311 (Geren (River Oaks-Republican)
[Relating to the duty of a peace officer to inquire into the immigration status of persons arrested on other grounds.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(4) The use of “reasonable suspicion,” if interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents. It will be costly to defend in court.
(5) Arrest is not the same as conviction, and this bill may affect many people proven innocent of criminal charges. It is open to abuse via pretext arrests.

HB 532 Lewis (Odessa-Republican) Within 48 hours of arrest and prior to release on bond, the arresting law enforcement agency shall have the detainee’s immigration status verified by a law enforcement officer authorized to do so and must inform U.S. ICE if the detainee is not a U.S.

citizen and is in the U.S. illegally. A warrantless arrest is permitted if a peace officer has probable cause to believe that someone is not a U.S. citizen and is in the U.S. illegally. U.S. ICE shall then be notified. An illegal alien is presumed to be a flight risk for purposes of bond determination, but evidence may be presented to rebut that presumption. It is a second degree felony for a non-U.S. citizen to apply to register to vote or to request, demand or convince another person to tender an application on his behalf. The voter registration application form shall include an acknowledgement that the applicant understands that providing false information on the application is perjury, a state and federal crime and that it is a state crime for a non-U.S. citizen to vote.

SB 124 (Patrick (Houston-Republican)
[This bill would require local law enforcement to enforce the federal immigration law.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(5) Local law enforcement use of “probable cause,” if interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents.

SB 126 Patrick (Houston-Republican)
[This bill requires a peace officer to verify the immigration status of any person lawfully stopped, detained, or arrested on other grounds if the officer suspects the person to be suspected of a criminal violation of federal immigration law.]
(1) This bill would damage the close relationships between immigrant communities and local police that result in improved community safety and better law enforcement.
(2) Leading authorities on local policing express disapproval or strong concern about local enforcement of immigration status laws. These critics include the Police Foundation, in a major report, and the Major Cities Chiefs of Police.
(3) It would particularly hurt families and women, as undocumented and mixed status families would avoid calling the police in domestic violence cases.
(4) Costs of local law enforcement of immigration status laws are potentially high burdens on municipalities and counties, including police time in stops and in processing arrests, detention before turnover to federal authorities, lawsuits for wrongful stops and arrests, and training in the complexities of immigration law for local officers. This is an unfunded mandate on local government.
(5) Local law enforcement use of “probable cause,” if interpreted in a biased way, could result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents.

Bills that requires school districts and colleges to act as immigration police

HB 21 (introduced by Riddle (Houston-Republican)
[This bill would require local governmental entities, including school districts, to the determine the citizenship status of people receiving their services.]
(1) This is an expensive unfunded mandate to school districts and other local government entities. The cost in personnel time, training, and data collection processes could easily be in the billions statewide.
(2) Local government personnel are untrained in determining complicated immigration and nationality statuses, and there are possibilities that local governments would be open to liability.
(3) Collecting citizenship and immigration status information from school children and other government users will have a chilling effect on education and other services. Families will be discouraged from using these beneficial services, especially education.
(4) The chilling effect of the law on public schools may violate the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision and leave the state and school districts open to expensive law suits to determine its legality.

HB 22, HB 464 Kleinschmidt (Lee County-Republican)
[This bill requires school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to determine the citizenship status of students at their initial enrollment in the district or school, and report that information to the State Board of Education. Section 54.052, Education Code, is amended to read that persons not authorized to be present in the U.S. are not considered residents for purposes of this title. Section 54.053, Education Code, is amended to read that and an institution of higher education may request that an applicant seeking resident status for purposes of attending the institution provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S.]

(1) This is an expensive unfunded mandate to school districts. The cost in personnel time, training, and data collection processes could easily be in the billions statewide.
(2) Local school personnel are untrained in determining complicated immigration and nationality statuses, and there are possibilities that school districts would be open to liability.
(3) Collecting citizenship and immigration status information from school will have a chilling effect on education.
(4) The chilling effect of the law on public schools may violate the Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court decision and leave the state and school districts open to expensive law suits to determine its legality.

Bills that would hamstring public safety campaigns, amongst other poorly considered consequences

HB 81 Flynn (Canton-Republican)
[Relating to the use of public funds to print certain public documents in a language other than English and other bilingual requirements.]
(1) Providing these documents only in English will prohibit some Texas residents from reading or fully understanding important information. There may be detrimental effects on health, public safety, homeland security and emergencies, and other aspects of state outreach.

(5) If done in a biased way, this will result in racial profiling, imposing burdens on U.S. citizens and legal residents.

HB 176 Jackson (Eastland-Republican)
[This bill would remove requirements that state agencies provide material in languages other than English.]

HB 177 Jackson (Carrollton-Republican)
[This bill would remove requirements that state agencies provide material in languages other than English.]
(1) Providing these documents only in English will prohibit some Texas residents from reading or fully understanding important information. There may be detrimental effects on health, public safety, homeland security and emergencies, and other aspects of state outreach.

HB 301 Berman (Tyler-Republican)
[Relating to the establishment of English as the official language of Texas and the requirement that official acts of government be performed in English.]
(1) Providing state documents only in English will prohibit some Texas residents from reading or fully understanding important information. It will reduce public participation. There may be detrimental effects on health, public safety, homeland security and emergencies, and other aspects of state outreach.
(2) Official acts of government is vague and leaves the state open to injunctions and lawsuits, which will be expensive to defend.

Unfunded mandates. . .

HB 197 Solomons (Carrollton-Republican)
[This bill requires people who wish to receive or renew certain occupational licenses to provide proof of citizenship or immigration status. It also creates a criminal offense for violation.]
(1) This bill imposes a complicated unfunded mandate on local governments and issuing agencies. Immigration and nationality law are extremely complex, and will require long and expensive training.
(2) Mistakes will be burdensome to legitimate applicants and open the possibility of racial profiling. Issuing agencies are vulnerable to lawsuits for wrongful denials.

Patently unconstitutional bills, leading to costly lawsuits:

HB 292 (by Berman (Tyler-Republican)
[This law would deny citizenship to children born in the United States if the child's parents are not lawfully present in the United States.]
(1) The US Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship. This bill is unconstitutional and will be costly and ultimately fruitless for the state to defend in court.
(2) The determination of lawful presence of the parents is highly complex in view of the many and diverse U.S. immigration and nationality laws. It is an expensive, unfunded mandate on Texas hospitals and state agencies. Training costs will be huge. Mistakes leave the state open to expensive lawsuits.

HB 293
[This bill denies access to employment, grants, loans, professional and commercial licenses, welfare, food assistance, disability benefits, housing assistance, or unemployment benefits or assistance if the citizen child's parents were undocumented at the time of the child's birth.]
(1) This bill imposes a complicated unfunded mandate on state agencies and local governments. Immigration and nationality law are extremely complex, and will require long and expensive training to make these decisions.
(2) Mistakes will be burdensome to legitimate applicants and open the possibility of racial profiling. Agencies are vulnerable to lawsuits for wrongful denials.
(3) It may be unconstitutional to deny benefits to one class of children while other children receive these benefits. The state will be subject to long and expensive lawsuits.
(4) It is unethical to discriminate among U.S. citizen children, between eligible versus uneligible ones, for reasons that are not their own fault or choice.
(5) Denial to U.S. citizen children of some of these services, such as food assistance, will have costly long term effects, e.g., in public health and economic productivity.

HB 294 (by Berman, Tyler-Republican)
[Relating to prohibiting a person who is in the United States illegally from bringing a claim in a state court.]

HB 297
[Relating to prohibiting a person who is in the United States illegally from bringing a claim in a state court.]
(1) This bill is of dubious legality (may violate due process and equal protection). It is likely to bring expensive lawsuits for the state, and likely to lose.

HB 303 Berman (Tyler-Republican)
[This bill proposes a fee on all money transfers from Texas to Mexico or Central or South America. The fee can only be reimbursed by those who can prove that they are lawfully present in the United States.]
(1) This bill interferes with the free market and sets a bad precedent.
(2) Possibly this bill is unconstitutional (commerce clause) and will be very expensive for the state to defend in the courts.
(3) The bill will be expensive for money transfer companies to administer. It is an unfunded mandate on them.
(4) Immigration law is complex and money transfer companies are not prepared to make accurate decisions. Mistakes will be expensive and the companies will be open to lawsuits.

SB 84 Nelson (Flower Mound-Republican)
[Relating to requiring governmental entities and contractors with governmental entities to participate in the federal electronic verification of work authorization program, or E-verify.]
(1) The current E-Verify system has database error rates that make it unworkable.
(2) Overly cautious employers could discriminate against employees they think look possibly undocumented (e.g., any Hispanic), whatever their actual legal status.
(3) This could encourage a black market, cash payment system that would hurt government revenues and cause losses to the Social Security Trust Fund.

SB 151 Huffman (Lake Jackson, Houston-Republican)
[Relating to the eligibility of certain persons to receive a sentence of community supervision, including deferred adjudication community supervision.]
(1) This bill is of dubious legality (may violate equal protection). It is likely to bring expensive lawsuits for the state, and likely to lose.

HJR 38
[This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment declaring English the state language and requiring that official acts of government be conducted in English.]
(1) Providing state documents only in English will prohibit some Texas residents from reading or fully understanding important information. It will reduce public participation. There may be detrimental effects on health, public safety, homeland security and emergencies, and other aspects of state outreach.
(2) Official acts of government is vague and leaves the state open to injunctions and lawsuits, which will be expensive to defend.

And others. . .

HB 140
[This bill requires that recipients of state grants participate in a federal work eligibility verification program.]

HB 178 Jackson (Carrollton-Republican)
[This bill requires that state entities participate in the federal work eligibility verification program.]

HB 202 Solomons (Carrollton-Republican)
[This bill requires that recipients of state grants participate in a federal work eligibility verification program.]
(1) The current E-Verify system has database error rates that make it unworkable.
(2) Overly cautious employers could discriminate against employees they think look possibly undocumented (e.g., any Hispanic), whatever their actual legal status.
(3) This could encourage a black market, cash payment system that would hurt government revenues and cause losses to the Social Security Trust Fund.

Transportation of Undocumented Person

82(R) SB 146 Hinojosa (McAllen-Democrat) 11/8/2010 It is a state jail felony, or third degree felony, depending on circumstances, to transport an undocumented person in a way that hides the person from local, state or federal law enforcement. Affirmative defense are available if the transporter is related to the undocumented person.

Resolution opposing Texas Anti- Immigration Law

2010-12-17T14:58:00.000-06:00

RESOLUTION NO. _______

A RESOLUTION OF _________________ (ORGANIZATION NAME) CONDEMNING THE NUMEROUS ANTI-HISPANIC, ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE 2011 TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION

WHEREAS, the Rio Grande Valley, located on the border between the United States and Mexico, has long maintained shared heritage, tradition, and friendship as well as close economic and familial ties with Mexico; and

WHEREAS, __________ (Organization Name) opposes any law which brings the potential or likelihood of violating the civil and human rights of individuals by expanding racial profiling and which brings the increased probability of separating families by increasing arrests, deportation, and detention of individuals; and

WHEREAS, considering our state’s current fiscal and budgetary crisis we believe that these types of bills will have a negative impact on our state business relationship with our partners to the South; and

WHEREAS, this type of legislation has already shown a very negative financial and business impact in Arizona, causing $141 million in lost lodging revenue; and,

WHEREAS, ___________ (Organization Name) believes any such law to be out of step with the rules of basic civility, humanity and the human rights of all individuals; and

WHEREAS, ___________ (Organization Name) supports the just treatment with dignity of all those who enter the United States; and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT ___________ (Organization Name) is opposed to the numerous anti-Hispanic, anti-immigrant bills that have recently been introduced in the Texas Legislature.

PASSED AND APPROVED on this ___ day of _______ 2010.

______________________

(Organization Name)

______________________________

(Organization Director)

ATTEST:

______________________________________

(Organization Secretary)

Sample Parish Resolution to State Opposition to Anti-Immigrant Legislation

2010-12-17T14:57:00.000-06:00

A RESOLUTION OF                                                                                CATHOLIC CHURCH CONDEMNING THE NUMEROUS ANTI-HISPANIC, ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE 2011 TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION
WHEREAS, On January 23, 1999, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope John Paul II presented his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, and the bishops of Mexico and the United States, seeking to awaken faith communities to the mysterious presence of the crucified and risen Lord in the person of the migrant and to renew in them the values of the Kingdom of God that he proclaimed,
WHEREAS , the Rio Grande Valley, located on the border between the United States and Mexico, has long maintained shared heritage, tradition, and friendship as well as close economic and familial ties with Mexico; and
WHEREAS,                                                                             Catholic Church opposes any law which brings the potential or likelihood of violating the civil and human rights of individuals by expanding racial profiling and which brings the increased probability of separating families by increasing arrests, deportation, and detention of individuals; and
WHEREAS, considering our state’s current fiscal and budgetary crisis we believe that these types of bills will have a negative impact on our state business relationship with our partners to the South; carrying dire consequences in particular for the Rio Grande Valley’s economy; and
WHEREAS, our community believes any such law to be out of step with the rules of basic civility, humanity and the human rights of all individuals; and
WHEREAS, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops have continually argued for the just treatment with dignity of all those who enter the United States; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT                                                            Catholic Church is opposed to the numerous anti-Hispanic, anti-immigrant bills that have recently been introduced in the Texas Legislature.

PASSED AND APPROVED on this ___ day of _______ 2010.

                                                                                    ______________________
                                                                                    (Organization Name)

Resources for Immigration Legislation

2010-12-14T10:49:00.004-06:00

The Texas Catholic Conference has published a list of the proposed legislation on immigration, with a policy paper attached to each:
http://www.txcatholic.org/index.php/public-policy/current-legislation-bill-reports/immigration

Anti Immigration Legislation Filed in Texas, 2010:

http://rgvequalvoicenetwork.blogspot.com/2010/11/anti-immigration-legislation-filed-in.html

Economic benefits of a just, comprehensive immigration reform:

http://rgvequalvoicenetwork.blogspot.com/2010/11/economic-benefits-of-comprehensive.html

Ten myths around immigration and immigrants:

http://rgvequalvoicenetwork.blogspot.com/2010/11/ten-myths-around-immigration-and.html

A set of resources, also listed here:

http://rgvequalvoicenetwork.blogspot.com/2010/11/series-of-immigration-resources.html

Perryman’s work-- An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers on Business Activity in the US with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By-S7ktkhYqwNTYzOWZhYjQtYzI0NS00ZWY1LWEyZDAtYjlmMzA4NWZkMjRi&hl=en

ARIZONA’S PUNISHMENT DOESN’T FIT THE CRIME: More flaws in the Arizona laws:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By-S7ktkhYqwOThjNjZhOWQtMmY0My00NzNmLWI4ODMtZTdiNjlkYmJhZWQ3&hl=en

Texas Comptroller’s Excellent Study of the benefits to Texas of immigrants:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By-S7ktkhYqwYTFkY2ZkNGEtNjA3My00ZDNmLWFkMDAtOTgwMjhhMTIzMmQ5&hl=en

Series of Immigration Resources

2010-11-23T19:01:00.003-06:00

Immigration resources

Perryman’s work-- An Analysis of the Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers on Business Activity in the US with Estimated Effects by State and by Industry

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By-S7ktkhYqwNTYzOWZhYjQtYzI0NS00ZWY1LWEyZDAtYjlmMzA4NWZkMjRi&hl=en

ARIZONA’S PUNISHMENT DOESN’T FIT THE CRIME: More flaws in the Arizona laws:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By-S7ktkhYqwOThjNjZhOWQtMmY0My00NzNmLWI4ODMtZTdiNjlkYmJhZWQ3&hl=en

Texas Comptroller’s Excellent Study of the benefits to Texas of immigrants:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0By-S7ktkhYqwYTFkY2ZkNGEtNjA3My00ZDNmLWFkMDAtOTgwMjhhMTIzMmQ5&hl=en

Ten Myths Around Immigration and Immigrants

2010-11-23T18:54:00.002-06:00

Immigrants don't want to learn English

FALSE

The development of English proficiency among non-English speaking immigrants today mirrors that of Nineteenth and early Twentieth century immigration, when masses of Italian, German, and Eastern European immigrants came to America. While first generation, non-English speaking immigrants predictably have lower rates of English proficiency than native speakers, 91% of second generation immigrants are fluent or near fluent English speakers. By the third generation, 97% speak English fluently or near fluently.

(Source: Shirin Hakimzadeh and D'Vera Cohn, "English Usage Among Hispanics in the United States," Pew Hispanic Forum, Dec. 6, 2007. http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=82; Janet Murguia and Cecilia Muñoz, "From Immigrant to Citizen," The American Prospect (Oct. 23, 2005), http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?articleId=10487)

Immigrants Don't Pay Taxes

FALSE

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes. Between one half and three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay state and federal taxes. They also contribute to Medicare and provide as much as 7 billion dollars a year to the Social Security Fund. Further still, undocumented workers pay sales taxes where applicable and property taxes—directly if they own and indirectly if they rent.

(Source: Immigration Policy Center, "Undocumented Immigrants as Taxpayers," (November 2007), http://www.ailf.org/ipc/factchecks/UndocumentedasTaxpayer.pdf; Eduardo Porter " Illegal Immigrants are Bolstering Social Security with Billions," New York Times, (April 5, 2005), http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/05/business/05immigration.html?ex=1270353600&en=78c87ac4641dc383&ei=5090&partner=kmarx)

Immigrants Increase the Crime rate

FALSE

Recent research has shown that immigrant communities do not increase the crime rate and that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native born Americans. While the undocumented immigrant population doubled from 1994 to 2005, violent crime dropped by 34% and property crimes decreased by 32%. Furthermore, Harvard sociologist Robert Sampson has found that first generation immigrants are 45% less likely to commit violent crimes than Americanized, third generation immigrants.

(Source: Immigration Policy Center, "Ímmigrants and Crime: Are They Connected," December, 2007, http://www.ailf.org/ipc/factchecks/CrimeFactCheck10-16-07.pdf; Robert Sampson, "Open Doors Don't Invite Criminals," The New York Times, March 11, 2006, A15; Executive Office of the President: Council of Economic Advisors, "Immigration's Economic Impact," June 20, 2007, http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.html)

Immigrants Take Jobs Away from Americans

False

A recent study produced by the Pew Hispanic Center reveals that "Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers." In fact, given that the number of native born low wage earners is falling nationally, immigrants are playing an important role in offsetting that decline. The Urban Institute reports that between 2000 and 2005 the total number of low wage workers declined by approximately 1.8 million while the number of unskilled immigrant workers increased by 620,000, thus offsetting the total decline by about a third.

(Source: The Urban Institute, "Trends in the Low-Wage Immigrant Labor Force, 2000-2005," March, 2007, http://www.urban.org/publications/411426.html; Rakesh Kochhar, "Growth in the Foreign Born Workforce and Employment of the Native Born," Pew Hispanic Center, August 10, 2006, http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.phpReportID=69)

Immigrants are a drain on the United States Economy

False

The immigrant community is not a drain on the U.S. economy but, in fact, proves to be a net benefit. Research reported by both the CATO Institute and the President's Council of Economic Advisors reveals that the average immigrant pays a net 80,000 dollars more in taxes than they collect in government services. For immigrants with college degrees the net fiscal return is $198,000. Furthermore, The American Farm Bureau asserts that without guest workers the U.S. economy would lose as much as $9 billion a year in agricultural production and 20 percent of current production would go overseas.

(Source: CATO Institute, CATO Handbook for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 108^th Congress,http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb108/hb108-63.pdf; Executive Office of the President: Council of Economic Advisors, "Immigration's Economic Impact," June 20, 2007, http://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.html; Derrick Z. Jackson, "Undocumented Workers Contribute Plenty, The Boston Globe, April 12, 2006, http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/04/12/undocumented_workers_contribute_plenty/)

Undocumented immigrants are a Burden on the Healthcare System

False

Federal, state and local governments spend approximately 1.1 billion dollars annually on healthcare costs for undocumented immigrants, aged 18-64, or approximately $11 in taxes for each U.S. household. This compares to 88 billion dollars spent on all health care for non-elderly adults in the U.S. in 2000. Foreign born individuals tend to use fewer health care services because they are relatively healthier than their native born counterparts. For example, in Los Angeles County, "total medical spending on undocumented immigrants was $887 million in 2000 – 6 percent of total costs, although undocumented immigrants comprise 12 percent of the region's residents."

(Source: The Rand Corporation, "RAND Study Shows Relatively Little Public Money Spent Providing Healthcare to Undocumented Immigrants," November 14, 2006, http://www.rand.org/news/press.06/11.14.html; Dana P. Goldman, James P. Smith and Neeraj Sood, "Immigrants and the Cost of Medical Care," Health Affairs 25, no. 6 (2006): 1700-1711)

The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

2010-11-23T18:47:00.003-06:00

Raising the Floor for American Workers

The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

SOURCE: AP/Mark Lennihan

By Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda | January 7, 2010

The U.S. government has attempted for more than two decades to put a stop to unauthorized immigration from and through Mexico by implementing “enforcement-only” measures along the U.S.-Mexico border and at work sites across the country. These measures have failed to end unauthorized immigration and placed downward pressure on wages in a broad swath of industries.

Comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants and creates flexible legal limits on future immigration in the context of full labor rights would help American workers and the U.S. economy. Unlike the current enforcement-only strategy, comprehensive reform would raise the “wage floor” for the entire U.S. economy—to the benefit of both immigrant and native-born workers.

The historical experience of legalization under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act indicates that comprehensive immigration reform would raise wages, increase consumption, create jobs, and generate additional tax revenue. Even though IRCA was implemented during an economic recession characterized by high unemployment, it still helped raise wages and spurred increases in educational, home, and small-business investments by newly legalized immigrants. Taking the experience of IRCA as a starting point, we estimate that comprehensive immigration reform would yield at least $1.5 trillion in cumulative U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years. This is a compelling economic reason to move away from the current “vicious cycle” where enforcement-only policies perpetuate unauthorized migration and exert downward pressure on already low wages, and toward a “virtuous cycle” of worker empowerment in which legal status and labor rights exert upward pressure on wages.

This report uses a computable general equilibrium model to estimate the economic ramifications of three different scenarios: 1) comprehensive immigration reform that creates a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants in the United States and establishes flexible limits on permanent and temporary immigration that respond to changes in U.S. labor demand in the future; 2) a program for temporary workers only that does not include a pathway to permanent status or more flexible legal limits on permanent immigration in the future; and 3) mass deportation to expel all unauthorized immigrants and effectively seal the U.S.-Mexico border. The model shows that comprehensive immigration reform produces the greatest economic benefits:

· Comprehensive immigration reform generates an increase in U.S. GDP of at least 0.84 percent. Summed over 10 years, this amounts to a cumulative $1.5 trillion in additional GDP. It also boosts wages for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.

· The temporary worker program generates an increase in U.S. GDP of 0.44 percent. This amounts to $792 billion of cumulative GDP over 10 years. Moreover, wages decline for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.

· Mass deportation reduces U.S. GDP by 1.46 percent. This amounts to $2.6 trillion in cumulative lost GDP over 10 years, not including the actual cost of deportation.2 Wages would rise for less-skilled native-born workers, but would diminish for higher-skilled natives, and would lead to widespread job loss.

Legalizing the nation’s unauthorized workers and putting new legal limits on immigration that rise and fall with U.S. labor demand would help lay the foundation for robust, just, and widespread economic growth.

Contact List of Valley Leadership Against Anti-Immigrant Legislation

2010-11-23T18:38:00.002-06:00

First Name	Last Name	Association	Contact
Amaris	Garcia	Congressman Cuellar	amaris.garcia@mail.house.gov
Ray	Prewett	Citrus Mutual	ray@valleyag.org
Rev. Jerry	Frank	Valley Interfaith	jerrywfrank@yahoo.com
Elliot	Tucker	South Texas Civil Rights Project	elliott.tucker.tcrp@gmail.com
Rev. Alfonso	Guevarra	Bishop Flores	mendezguevara@aol.com
Michael	Leu	Hidalgo County Judge	michael.leu@co.hidalgo.tx.us
Ann	Williams Cass	Equal Voice/Proyecto Azteca	AnnWCass@aol.com
Jose	Medrano	Equal Voice/START	jmedrano@startcenter.org
John Michael	Torres	Equal Voice/LUPE	johnmichael@lupenet.org
Arturo	Ramirez	CEO	CEOLRG@utxb.com
Armando	Garza	Equal Voice/Proyecto Azteca	agarza@proyectoazteca.com
Martha	Sanchez	Equal Voice/LUPE	martas@lupenet.org
Neha	Singhal	Equal Voice/LUPE	neha@lupenet.org
Esmeralda	Zuniga	Texas Organizing Project	ezuniga@organizetexas.org
Alex	Garrido	UTPA Dream	jossealex88@hotmail.com
Jorge	Compret	UTPA Dream	dupres@hotmail.com
Maggie		Rio Grande Guardian	mmercato26@yahoo.com
Paula	Gomez	BCHC	paulasgomez@sbcglobal.net
Josemaria	Vazquez	AGIFof the USA	americangiforum@att.net
Alix	Flores	Equal Voice/BCHC	alixflores@sbcglobal.net
Orlando	Salinas	Rep. Aaron Peña	orlando.salinas@house.state.tx.us
Enrique	Perez	TX AgriLIfe Extension Service	e-perez@tamu.edu
Ruben	Saldana	TX AgriLIfe Extension Service	rjsaldaña@ag.tamu.edu
Carlos	Robledo		caldanR@yahoo.com
Brittney	Booth	Rep Veronica Gonzales	brittney.Booth@house.state.tx.us
Sr. Phylis	Peters	Equal Voice/Proyecto Juan Diego	phylispeters@gmail.com
Lupita	Sanchez	Equal Voice/Proyecto Juan Diego	lupita.sanchezmartinez@gmail.com
Adriana	Guerrero	Equal Voice/Proyecto Juan Diego	delgadina1963@hotmail.com
Cynthia	Sakulenzki	RGV Hispanic Chamber	cynthia@rgvhcc.com
Steve	Taylor	Rio Grande Guardian	staylor@riogrnadeguardian.com
Ramona	Casas	Equal Voice/ARISE	ariseadvocacy@att.net
Paula	Barrera	Equal Voice/Proyecto Juan Diego	paulabarrera17@yahoo.com
Alexis	Gallegos	Congressman Henry Cuellar	alexis.gallegos@mail.house.gov
Salomon	Torres	Congressman Ruben Hinojosa	Salomon.Torres@mail.house.gov
Linda	McKenna	RGV Partnership	linda@valleychamber.com
Ninfa	Kruegar	BARCA	rgvbarca@aol.com
Rev Linda	Whitworth-Reed	Greater McAllen Ministerial Alliance	linda@fpcmcallen.com
Pat	Mayer	Task Force on Immigration Mission Presbytery	pjmoyer2005@sbcglobal.net
Ed	Kruegar	Comite de Apoyo	comitedeapoyo@aol.com

Anti-Immigration Legislation (Filed in Texas)

2010-11-23T18:34:00.001-06:00

Bill Number Brief Description Bill Sponsor

HB 113	Sanctuary Cities	Immig	Harless
HB 140	E-verify	Immig	Laubenberg

HB 17	Criminal Tress of Undoc	Immig	Riddle
HB 176	English Only	Immig	Jackson, Jim
HB 177	Licenses to LPR and Citizens	Immig	Jackson, Jim
HB 178	E-verify	Immig	Jackson, Jim
HB 18	Sanctuary Cities	Immig	Riddle
HB 183	Reporting Arrested persons to Ice	Immig	Solomons
HB 19	Penalty for Undoc causing accid w/out DL	Immig	Riddle
HB 197	Documentation for license	Immig	Solomons
HB 202	E-verify	Immig	Solomons
HB 21	School Reporting of Undoc	Immig	Riddle
HB 22	State Agency Reporting on Undoc	Immig	Riddle
HB 247	Sanctuary Cities	Immig	Solomons
HB 277	Matricula Consular	Immig	Alonzo
HB 292	Birth Records Access	Immig	Berman
HB 293	Birthright Citizenship	Immig	Berman
HB 294	Undoc cannot file state claims	Immig	Berman
HB 296	Arizona Copy cat	Immig	Berman
HB 301	English Only	Immig	Berman
HB 302	Sanctuary Cities	Immig	Berman
HB 303	Remittance Tax	Immig	Berman
HB 311	Peace officer enforce immig	Immig	Geren
HB 81	No Bilingual Docs	Immig	Flynn
HCR 16	10th Amend Resol	Immig
HCR 17	10th Amend Resol	Immig
HCR 19	10th Amend Resol	Immig
SB 124	Sanctuary Cities	Immig	Patrick, Dan
SB 126	Arizona Copy cat	Immig
SB 146	Transport of Undoc	Immig	Hinojosa
SB 151	Denying to immig eligibility for Community Supervision	Immig	Huffman

SB 189	Aliens practice medicine	Immig	Nelson
SB 84	E-verify	Immig	Nelson
SCR 1	10th Amend Resol

March the Vote

2010-10-20T15:39:00.001-05:00

“We marched for farm workers rights, we marched for immigration reform. Now we are marching to vote.” (Maria Rayo Treto from El Movimiento del Valle Por Los Derechos Humanos).

The Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network will join the Texas Mi Familia Vota campaign in a march to the polls this coming weekend.

At 5:30pm this Friday afternoon, Oct 22nd, neighbors from Cameron Park and members of Proyecto Juan Diego will march to the Central Cultural as part of the Mi Voto = Mi Voz action.

At 9:30am on Saturday morning, Oct 23rd, marchers in Hidalgo County will gather in four locations to walk to their polling places (Alamo (Duranta and Tower Rd), Alton (201 W. Main St/LUPE Office), Las Milpas (125 Denny Dr/ARISE Office), and Mercedes (Bus 83 and Baseline Rd).

The march is a continuation of various events organized by the Equal Voice Network and its member organizations. The events have included various community forums, as well as candidate educational sessions.

“We are inviting the community to come and walk with us to support and get out the vote for all the registered voters that should exercise their right to vote. We know that this year we will make the difference! Your vote is your voice!” said Ramona Casas, ARISE organizer.

The Equal Voice Network has joined with Mi Familia Vota to encourage voter participation in the upcoming elections. The Equal Voice Network is focusing its organizing on the issues of comprehensive and humane immigration reform, health care access for all, jobs and economic stability, affordable housing and increased access to educational opportunities.

For more information, contact José Chapa, Get Out the Vote Coordinator, 534-5109 (joserchapa@gmail.com)