Press Conference & Protest: No Walls No Deaths Nov. 1, 11 am

NEWS RELEASE
 
PRESS CONFERENCE AND PROTEST
NO WALLS NO DEATHS
WHEN: WEDNESDAY NOV. 1, 2006
TIME: 11:00 AM
WHERE: FEDERAL BUIDING, 560 CAPITOL MALL, SACRAMENTO, CA
 
Contact: Luis Magaña (209) 405-1213
 
In Remembrance
 Death, Borders and the U.S. Immigration Crisis
           
October 31, 2006 – Immigrants rights groups will hold a press conference and protest to remember those who have died, and to call on the nation’s legislators and civic leaders to resolve the immigration impasse by supporting humane immigration policies that lead to the orderly inclusion of those who flee hardship and persecution instead of the deaths of many
 
Nov. 1st  and 2nd Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a period in which the memories of the living are intertwined with the love for those who have died. 
 
For families and friends alike, this will also be a time to remember the many of who died attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.   Since 1994, when Operation Gatekeeper was launched by the federal government, more than 4,000 persons have died trying to cross the nation’s southern border. 
 
We already know that the US attempt to keep immigrants out by spending funds to expand enforcement measures and militarize the region will lead to more deaths, injuries, and horrendous hardships for border crossers.[1]  President Bush’s recent signing of the “Secure Fence Act of 2006”, which calls for the construction of a 700-mile fence will further compound this already gravely dangerous situation. 
 
Citizens and residents of the US have demanded that Congress and the President pass and implement comprehensive immigration reform.  They have been rewarded with sound bites, a legislative holdup and political somersaults that continue to delay structural changes to existing immigration policies. 
 
This lackadaisical period of do-nothingness means that the nation’s citizenry will experience harsh pre-election pronouncements and anti-immigrant messages reflecting an “I’m-tougher-on-immigration-than-you are” point by myriad politicians seeking to win Congressional re-election.  Consequently, there is little expectation that legislators will promote concrete and logical solutions to address the immigration phenomenon.
                                                
 
Sponsors: (partial list)
American Friends Service Committee/ Project VOICE
Latin Council for Latin Americans Advancement (LCLAA)
Organización de Trabajadores Agrícolas de California
North Americans for Democracy in Mexico
Comité Cívico Primero de Mayo
Asociación de Braceros del Norte de California
Asociación de Inmigrantes de San Marcos E.
Comisión Honorífica Mexicana