L os Angeles, CA – United States Representatives Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL), Nydia Vasquez (D-NY), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), and Mike Honda (D-CA) introduced in Congress a socially-responsible comprehensive immigration reform bill. The proposed legislation addresses key issues necessary for a real workable solution to the currently broken immigration-reform system.

Linda Limcaco, RN, was excited to know that something is being done about our immigration problem. She is the president of the International Network of Filipinos Overseas, Inc. and the Filipino-American Reform Immigration for America Task Force partner. She said, that "Congress just took its first step in beginning actual work on comprehensive immigration reform. We applaud this first step in the US House of Representatives and look forward to a similar action in the U.S. Senate in short order.  The American people are tired of government inaction on this important and pressing issue affecting all of us."

Ms. Limcaco added: "Congress members Gutierrez, Velasquez, Grijalva and Honda and others gave thoughtful consideration to introducing a workable solution to the immigration problem, a long-delayed action on the part of our government.

This news report is issued by the Task-Force Public-Relations and Press Office – as volunteered by the Media Breakfast Club of Los Angeles (mediabcla@aol.com) of the Filipino-American “Reform Immigration for America” Task Force, as headed by Overall Chairman Ernie Gange (erniegange@aol.com)

“Representative Gutierrez and his colleagues traveled and met with thousands of families in churches and in neighborhoods across America over the past year and a half.  We expect this legislation to address the concerns of all Americans who care about the future of our families, communities, the economy and the Nation. We are optimistic that the legislation will hold true to the values and principles that Americans share, including fair and workable path to citizenship and worker protection. We look forward to be able to review the legislation in greater detail."

Mike Pearson, a minority entrepreneur of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said, "We must not forget that the immigration reform debate is about real people. Every day, our immigration system remains broken, is another day when good people fall victim to exploitation on the job and children wait hopelessly to be reunited with their parents. The economic unease of workers and employers, and the fear that pervade in many communities underscore the urgent need for reform now."

"Representative Gutierrez and some of his fellow Members of Congress have delivered on their promise to introduce a bill in time for the holiday recess.  Americans want an immigration system that will be fair, and serve the real interests of hardworking taxpayers, workers, employers, and families across America." said Dr, Aida Rivera, a Task Force partner from Delaware County, Pennsylvania.  

Filipino-American families are among those who are most affected by the backlog in family immigration. Many of us wait between four to 22 years before we can be reunited with our parents, children or siblings. – Ruben Seguritan, a New York-based lawyer

R ebecca Greene, RN, president of the Philippine Nurses Association of America, for Pennsylvania and New Jersey, said, that, "I want to see an increase in the immigration quota for non immigrant visa for nurses and doctors."

Dr. Rommel Rivera, the president of the Filipino Executive Council of Greater Philadelphia, Inc., with affiliates in the tri-state of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, is also an Immigration Task Force partner. Dr. Rivera was impressed of the new development and he said, "We are at the crossroads as a nation in deciding what kind of country we want to be and how we live up to our values and beliefs about family, community, and fairness. The time is now for all Americans who care about fairness, who want to see the country move together toward a brighter future and push for comprehensive immigration reform that balances the best of our American traditions with real and practical solutions."

Input from Atty. Ruben Seguritan

In view of this new development on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the "FILIPINO-AMERICAN ‘REFORM IMMIGRATION FOR AMERICA’ TASK FORCE" Overall Chair, Ernesto Gange, asked the help of two of the most-prominent immigration lawyers in New York, Atty. Loida Nicolas-Lewis  and Atty. Ruben Seguritan. They are the authors of a book on immigration, "WHY FILIPINOS SHOULD FIGHT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM?"

The following is the short statement from Atty. Ruben Seguritan:

QUOTE. Filipino-American families are among those who are most affected by the backlog in family immigration. Many of us wait between four to 22 years before we can be reunited with our parents, children or siblings.

We need to reduce the backlog in family immigration by effectively increasing family visas to more realistic levels. Such a measure will bring our families together and render our immigration system more consistent with the principle of family reunification.

Visa petitions filed by Filipino War Veterans on behalf of their families are languishing in the pipeline as the backlog results in years of delay.  These family members should be allowed to obtain family-based immigrant visas without being subject to numerical limitations.

Meanwhile, it cannot be denied that the United States needs foreign workers to render services in various sectors of the economy such as education and hospitality. We need to increase the temporary visas for teachers and hospitality workers.

Thousands of medical facilities nationwide, in particular, need registered nurses and physical therapists, and yet, immigration laws are restrictive and do not reflect this reality. We need to increase the number of employment-based visas and create a temporary foreign worker program for nurses and physical therapists. And if the healthcare reform bill is passed, we need to ease the entry requirements for doctors.

We are mindful of the importance of national security and we believe that this matter can be sufficiently addressed by creating a national border security program and by encouraging some 12 million undocumented workers a path to citizenship. UNQUOTE. # # #

Today, Dec. 15, 2009, Congressman Luis Gutierrez and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus introduced their immigration reform bill, aptly titled the "CIR ASAP Act." It's the first bill in the 111th' Congress to provide a comprehensive plan, and clearly lays out many of the realistic solutions that we have been pushing for.

Your work has gotten us this far, and Congressman Gutierrez has kept to his commitment. Now it's time for Congress to step up.

Tell Congress to support the CIR ASAP Act.

http://actions.reformimmigrationforamerica.org/t/5174/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3081&key=23724027#end

This is a crucial moment for our movement. We must now come together and show why these reforms cannot wait.

The CIR ASAP Act already has over seventy co-sponsors in Congress, but it's going to take all of us working together to make comprehensive immigration reform the law.

Tell your Members of Congress to support immigration reform.

http://actions.reformimmigrationforamerica.org/t/5174/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=3081&key=23724027#end

This fight isn't about abstract policies or processes. It's about hard-working people who want a fair working environment. It's about families, separated by a bureaucratic system that doesn't work. It's about fixing our broken system and doing what's right.

Thank you for your support,

Rich Stolz
Reform Immigration FOR America