DANR Joins Forces with National and Local Coalitions to March for Immigration Reform in Washington, DC

President Obama and the US Congress Should Keep Their Promise

It’s Time for Immigration Reform; They Should Act Now!

From left, DANR President Nestor Montilla at March for America - National Mall - Washington DC

Washington, DC. — The Dominican American National Roundtable, the only non profit, non partisan 501 (c) (3) national organization headquartered in Washington, DC, advocating on behalf of over 2 million Dominicans in the US, joined forces with hundreds of grassroots and national organizations and thousands of people at the “March for America” that took place in the National Mall in Washington, DC on Sunday, March 21, 2010 to demand from President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress the enactment of comprehensive immigration reform.

The March begun at 2:00 pm, after interfaith services at 1:00 pm.

Critics claim that President Obama broke George W. Bush’s deportation record. During his first year as president, they argue, Obama would deport more than 387,000 immigrants and that on any

given day approximately 32,000 immigrants would be detained in U.S. prisons and awaiting deportation.

The March demanded immigration reform for New American families, including a legalization plan for over 11 million undocumented immigrants, and economic justice for all American families.

Members of the DANR and its National Board of Directors who participated traveled from their home states to join in DC thousands of people from across the United States.

President Nestor Montilla marched accompanied by a delegation of DANR Board members.

National organizers of the Immigration Reform for America Campaign secured hundreds of buses to transport people to the March.

In New York, La Coalición Comunidades Inmigrantes organized participation in the march with the support of Acción Comunitaria La Aurora-NALACC, Alianza Dominicana, Asociación de Egresados de la UASD, Centro de Desarrollo de la Mujer Dominicana, Congreso Nacional Dominicano, Iglesia Presbiteriana de Washington Heighst, Iglesia San Romero de las Américas, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Inmigrants Rights, Proyecto de Participación Cívica de NY (NYCPP) and The Dominican American National Roundtable-DANR (La Mesa Redonda Dominico Americana).

For updates and more information about the march visit www.WeMarchFor America.org.

Here are just some of the organizations sponsoring the National March For America:

AFL-CIO


African Immigrant & Refugee Foundation



Alliance to Develop Power/ADP


America’s Voice
American Jewish Committee


Amigos Multicultural Services Center (Eugene, OR)


Asian American Justice Center


Asian Pacific American Legal Center


Asistencia Migratoria
Bergen County (NJ)

Sanctuary Committee
Bienestar
Border

Network for Human Rights


Brazilian Women’s Group
Breakthrough:

Bring Human Rights

Home
Cabrini Immigrant Services
Campaign for Community Change


Casa de Maryland


Catholic Charities

Hawaii
Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
CAUSA,

Oregon’s Immigrant Rights Coalition
Center for American Progress


Centro para Familias Hispanas


Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Mission
Coalition for Education About Immigration (CEI)


Coalition for Humane Immigration Reform of LA


Coalition of Latino Leaders-CLILA


Coalition on Human Needs
Cobb (County,GA)

Immigrant Alliance & Labor of Love Coalition
COFEM


Community Catalyst
Community Nashville (formally National Council For Christians and Jews/Nashville Chapter)


Comunidad Liberacion/Liberation

Community
Conexion

Americas
Confederacion de Organizaciones de California y Clubes Oriundos de Michoacan


Democracia Ahora


Divine Word Missionaries


Dominican-American National Roundtable (DANR)


Ecumenical Advocacy Days


El CENTRO de Igualdad y Derechos

Fair Immigration Reform Movement


Farmworker Justice
First Focus

Campaign for Children


Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO)


Georgia Urban Rural Summit


Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition


Hispanic Community Dialogue Organization of Virginia


Hispanic Information Center


Hispanic Ministry of the New Albany Deanery


Hispanos Unidos de Passaic


Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters,

JPIC, USA


Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights


Immigrants’ List


Immigrant Rights Network of Iowa


Interfaith Immigration Coalition


Japanese American Citizens League – Pacific

Southwest District
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs


Jobs for America Now


Jornaleros Unidos de Passaic


Kansas House of Representatives


Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights


Korean Resource Center


La Comunidad, INC


La Union (UCL, INC.)


La Union del Pueblo Entero


Labor Council for Latin American Advancement


Latino Coalition of Randolph County


Latinos del Norte de Portland


League of United American Citizens (LULAC)


League of United Latin American Citizens


Liberación Juice Station,

LLC
LULAC

Ohio
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service


Mexican Americans for Immigration Reform


Migrant Support Services of Wayne County


National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO Ed Fund)


National Center for Lesbian Rights


National Council of La Raza


National Immigration Forum


National Immigration Law Center


National Korean American Service and Education Consortium


New Haven Peoples Center


Omni Center For Peace, Justice & Ecology


Patria Morazan, Houston
Peruvian American Political Action Committee


Progressive Democrats of America – Phoenix Chapter


Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada


Reform Immigration for TexasAlliance (RITA)


Refugee and Immigration Ministries, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)


Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center


SEVA (Social Empowerment & Voter Action)


SEIU


Sí Se Puede Latino Democratic Caucus


Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary


Sojourners
South Asian Americans

Leading Together
Southeast Asia

Resource Action Center (SEARAC)


St. Matthew/San Mateo Episcopal Church and Jubilee Center


St. Rita Catholic Church


The Dominican American National Roundtable


The Hispanic Institute


The Hispanic Leadership

Club of Annandale High School


The Law Offices of Richard S. Bromberg


United Action Connecticut


TODEC Legal Center


UFCW


UNITE HERE


United Farm Workers


US Conference of Catholic Bishops


Venezeula Awareness Foundation


Washington Community Action Network


Washington New Sanctuary Movement


Wayne Action for Racial Equality


WIN – the Welcoming Immigrants Network
World Relief

NOTED & QUOTED

CRECE EL ENTUSIASMO Y LA PARTICIPACION DE INMIGRANTES A LA MARCHA DEL 21 DE MARZO EN WASHINGTON D.C.

Radhamés Pérez

Presidente de Acción Comunitaria La Aurora

Centenares de dominicanos del Alto Manhattan y del condado del Bronx se aprestan a participar en la marcha por una reforma migratoria justa y humana, programada para este domingo, 21 de marzo, en la Capital de los EE.UU.

La gran marcha a Washington ha sido concebida para reclamar tanto al Presidente Barack Obama como a los senadores y representantes al Congreso de la Nación, para que cumplan con su promesa electoral de modificar la obsoleta ley de migración vigente.

Concebimos la reforma migratoria desde una perspectiva justa y humana, lo que pasa en primer termino por la legalización de los más de 12 millones de personas indocumentadas que viven en la oscuridad ciudadana y en la exclusión social.

A 48 horas del evento pro-inmigrantes, 250 autobuses están garantizados que saldrán de New York. El minimo de neoyorquinos/as marcharan hacia Washington será de 10,000.

Desde el Alto Manhattan autobuses partirán desde distintos, principalmente desde las oficinas centrales de Alianza Dominicana, ubicada en el 2410 de Ámsterdam Ave, esquina calle 180. La hora de salida ser las 6 de la mañana.

Para la comunidad dominicana y latina en general además de reclamar la reforma a la ley de inmigración, resulta importante demandar la modificación del calendario de procesamiento de las solicitudes de residencias hecha a familiares directos y adultos que viven en nuestros países.

El predominio del actual calendario retarda por mucho tiempo la reunificación familiar. Lo injusto de esta situación se puede ver en el caso de la comunidad mexicana, en la cual hay casos de solicitud de residencias que se están procesando que datan de octubre del 1992, significando una espera de 18 años.

Así mismo hay que insistir en cambiar la ley antiterrorista aprobada en 1996, que penaliza con deportación crímenes menores y no violentos. Producto de dicha ley mas de 1 millón 200 mil personas han sido deportadas de EE.UU., alrededor de 45 mil de las cuales son dominicanos.

Con la marcha del proximo domingo, comenzaremos a celebrar el cuarto aniversario de las grandes manifestaciones pro-inmigrantes ocurridas en la primavera del 2006.

Como recordamos, para entonces millones de personas de distintas razas y nacionalidades salieron a las calles de la nacion y derrotaron la perversa propuesta de los congresistas James Sennsenbrener y Peter King que criminalizaba la inmigración indocumentada.

Acción Comunitaria La Aurora Inc, una de las organizaciones que integran la Coalición Comunidades Inmigrantes, reitera su llamado a nuestra comunidad a integrarse masiva y activamente a este nuevo movimiento pro defensa de nuestros trabajadores inmigrados.

Para más información llamar a los telefonos (212) 740-1960 y (212) 994-6060.

(La Coalición Comunidades Inmigrantes está integrada por Acción Comunitaria La Aurora-NALACC, Alianza Dominicana, Asociación de Egresados de la UASD, Centro de Desarrollo de la Mujer Dominicana, Congreso Nacional Dominicano, Iglesia Presbiteriana de Washington Heighst, Iglesia San Romero de las Américas, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Inmigrants Rights y Proyecto de Participación Cívica de NY (NYCPP). La Mesa Redonda Dominico Americana es tambien patrocinadora de la Coalicion.