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Grupos FIRM se reúnen en Birmingham, Caravana a Nueva Orleans para la audiencia sobre Inmigración
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FIRM Groups Meet in Birmingham, Caravan to New Orleans for Hearing on Immigration BIRMINGHAM, AL—Leaders from the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), the nation's largest network of immigrant rights organizations, and the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ), as well as other allies, met in Birmingham, Ala. on Thursday, April 16 to lift up the plight of immigrant families affected by the injunction that has blocked President Obama’s administrative relief programs. These leaders were joined by local faith based leaders and Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell, who spoke in support of these programs: “This injunction is only hurting immigrant families,” said William A. Bell, Mayor of Birmingham. “We need to lift the ban to allow families to remain united in these United States. It is imperative to find pathways to allow these people to continue to be vital contributors to our communities and to be treated with dignity. Our voices need to be heard in order to remove the injustice that is being put upon these families.” Araceli Macias of ACIJ and her daughter Rene Elizalde shared their own story: “We came here with nothing but a bag full of dreams,” said Araceli. “We work hard every day and we will keep fighting because I believe this executive action will give us back a piece of our identities that we left behind in our countries. It will gives us back our voice that we have had to silence in the face of injustice. This action will help us not live in fear that our families will be broken up. It will allow our children to follow their dreams.” “America is said to be the home of the brave and of the free,” said Rene. “I am brave, but I am not free.” Rene added that all she wants is to be able to follow her dreams just like all her American citizen classmates. “All over the country, immigrants and their supporters are standing up to make sure our voices are heard,” said FIRM spokesperson Kica Matos. “We will continue to do so--in Alabama, in New Orleans and all over the country. The law is on our side, as are the majority of Americans, who support the President's actions. We will not give up until we prevail.” FIRM and ally groups present also included Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR), and Latin American Coalition (LAC from North Carolina). This group is part of a larger caravan with delegations from 8 Southeast states convening in New Orleans on April 17. More than 20 solidarity events have been organized around the country. |