CIRC Moves from Statewide Assembly to Unprecedented Grassroots Movement for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

COLORADO - Last night, tens of thousands gathered in community centers, churches, restaurants, union halls, and living rooms across the country to participate in a national telephonic town hall on immigration reform. The teleconference, hosted by the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign featured Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Congressman Raul Grijalva, and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.

"Here in Colorado, we demonstrated that communities across Colorado are informed, engaged and taking action to support comprehensive immigration reform legislation in 2010 that supports families, provides a path to legal status, and protects workers," stated Julie Gonzales, Colorado state director for the Reform Immigration for America campaign.

The national telephonic town hall comes just days after Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC), which counts over 60 organizations in its membership, held its 2009 Annual State Assembly in Grand Junction this past weekend. The conference convened nearly three hundred organizational representatives to strategize and prepare for state and national policy efforts and celebrated over a dozen new immigrant organizing communities in mountain towns from Dillon to Telluride.

Brendan Greene, CIRC's mountain organizer noted, "The message this weekend was clear: our communities need immigration reform now. Too many families have been torn apart and too many children are living in fear." 

At the national level, the telephonic town hall comes after White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano indicated last week that the White House is ready to push for comprehensive immigration reform in 2010. The telephonic town hall allowed Colorado communities and thousands of families throughout the country to hear directly from Congressman Gutierrez and Congressional allies about plans for a progressive immigration reform.