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NALEO Encouraged by Pres. Bush Remarks on Immigration Reform; Calls On US Senate to Put Forth Comprehensive Immigration Reform Proposal(Comtex Business Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)LOS ANGELES, Apr 24, 2006 (U.S. Newswire via COMTEX) --The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials released the following statement in response to President George W. Bush's speech today in Irvine, Calif., on immigration reform: "The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) is encouraged by President's Bush's remarks today on comprehensive immigration reform. We appreciate the President's recognition of the numerous contributions immigrants make to our country and his passion for reminding Americans that immigrants are human beings who should be treated with dignity and compassion. We also applaud the President for calling for an end to a situation that has led to the deaths of hundreds of decent, hardworking people while trying to enter this country. NALEO calls on the leadership of the U.S. Senate to put forth a timely comprehensive immigration proposal that includes an earned path to full integration into American society, including the opportunity to obtain U.S. citizenship. NALEO continues to oppose any guest worker program that would not provide a path to legal residency. NALEO also condemns proposals that do not provide a comprehensive solution to fixing our broken immigration system. These proposals include unfair enforcement measures that would criminalize undocumented immigrants; jeopardize the due process rights of newcomers, including naturalized citizens; and penalize organizations or groups that provide humanitarian assistance to newcomers. In his remarks today, the President advocated for undocumented immigrants who are presently here to get in the "back of the line" and wait to adjust their status and ultimately obtain U.S. citizenship. With hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants already stuck in backlogs awaiting a resolution to their cases -- the President and Congress should commit the resources needed to ensure the line is moving before we send more people to the back to wait indefinitely." --- About NALEO: NALEO is a non-partisan membership organization whose constituency includes the nation's more than 6,000 elected and appointed officials. http://www.usnewswire.com Erica Bernal, 213-747-7606, ext 111 or [email protected] |