MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 19, 2021
CRI Contact (English/Español): Pablo Tapia
Gamaliel Civil Rights of Immigrants Chair
[email protected] /(651) 208-7896
National Contact: Rev. Cynthia Owen Jarrold
Gamaliel National Policy Director
[email protected] /(913) 219-3198
Gamaliel leaders call on Incoming President Biden to prioritize the inclusion of undocumented essential workers in legislation and executive orders during the Administration’s first 100 days
Chicago, IL – January 19, 2021 – The Gamaliel Network’s Civil Rights of Immigrants (CRI) Campaign will hold a press conference on Thursday, January 21, from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. CT, calling on President Joe Biden to use his first 100 days in office to dismantle the oppressive immigration policies of the Trump Administration and to move legislation that reforms our broken immigration system. More importantly, Gamaliel will urge the President to prioritize the inclusion and protection of undocumented essential workers in all legislation and official actions moving forward.
“Historically, undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have been disproportionately affected by social, economic, and political crises. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, undocumented immigrants who serve as essential workers are experiencing an extraordinary moment of pain and vulnerability with little or no access to COVID-19 relief,” said Noe Avelar, a Gamaliel leader in California.
“We know that the Biden Administration plans to release on Inauguration Day what is reported to be substantial immigration reform legislation and to issue several executive orders that would reverse the cruel and immoral policies enacted during the past four years. This is a critical time for President Biden to demonstrate that his administration will be different from those in the past and will secure Complete Inclusive Immigration Reform (CIIR) for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country,” said Pablo Tapia, chair of the Gamaliel CRI Campaign.
The agenda for the press event includes testimonies from immigrant leaders in Tennessee, Illinois, and Minnesota. U.S. Representative Lou Correa (CA-46); Professor Raul Hinojosa, UCLA; and Dolores Huerta, well-known labor leader and civil rights activist and co-founder of United Farm Workers, will also speak.
Individuals who wish to join the press conference via Zoom must register in advance using the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqcuisrT4tGtOuYp9kGbdwYIOYNhTZKwyh.
Individuals who wish to participants via Facebook Live will simply join by going to the Gamaliel FB page: https://www.facebook.com/gamalielnetwork
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Gamaliel is a grassroots network of non-partisan, faith-based organizations in 15states and 44 regions that has, for more than 35 years, trained ordinary people to effectively participate in the political, environmental, social and economic decisions affecting their lives. Gamaliel builds power to transform the world as it is into a new world marked by equity, compassion, hope, shared abundance, and radical inclusiveness.