FUSsa-talk Mailing List: Fw: {MIFN} Reminder: Minnesota March for Justice, Opportunity and Against Racism this weekend!

[Carol Koepp (carolkoepp]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mn Immigrant Freedom Network 
To: immigrant-freedom-network 
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 11:15 AM
Subject: {MIFN} Reminder: Minnesota March for Justice, Opportunity and Against 
Racism this weekend!


Dear Friends and Community Supporters,

We write to remind you about the Join the Journey of Hope, a Minnesota March 
for Justice, Opportunity, and Against Racism happening this weekend. The march 
will take off from the city of Owatonna on Friday September 11th at 2:00pm and 
conclude on the afternoon of Sunday September 13th at 7:00pm in the city of 
Albert Lea. Various workshops and meetings with decision makers are planned 
throughout the three day action, for more information or to get involved please 
contact Ernesto Velez Bustos at 507-446-9599, 507-446-1130 or zezke [at] 
hotmail.com.
Please see the press release below for more information. 


We also wanted to remind you to Sign the Reform Immigration For America (RIFA) 
participation form! RIFA is a public awareness and civic engagement campaign to 
unite people so together we can work to bring the needed changes to our 
communities. Individuals, informal groups, coalitions, organizations, schools, 
churches, unions, and anyone interested in supporting immigrant communities can 
join the campaign. 


Please view and download the RIFA endorsement form at this link: 


http://groups.google.com/group/immigrant-freedom-network/files?&sort=date


Together, we can do it! 
alondra 
MIFN Communications 


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
August 25, 2009 


CONTACT: Ernesto Velez Bustos, 507-446-9599, 507-446-1130 


PRESS RELEASE 


THE JOURNEY OF HOPE: MINNESOTA MARCH FOR JUSTICE, OPPORTUNITY, AND AGAINST 
RACISM 


WHEN: Friday, September 11th to Sunday, September 13th, 2009 


WHERE: The march will take off from the city of Owatonna on Friday September 
11th at 2:00pm and conclude on the afternoon of Sunday September 13th at 
7:00pm in the city of Albert Lea. 


WHO:  Immigrant families, students, youth, faith leaders, and allies. 
Organizing groups include Centro Campesino, Minnesota Immigrant Rights 
Action Coalition (MIRAC), ISAIAH, Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network 
(MIFN), Jewish Community Action, Interfaith Coalition on Immigration, 
Minnesota SOL (Strengthening Our Lives), SEIU Local 26, Resource Center of 
the Americas, The Advocates for Human Rights, Immigrant Law Center of 
Minnesota and Family & Children’s Services. 


WHY: Various groups and communities are coming together to demand that a 
just and humane immigration reform be passed in this congressional year. 


Owatonna, Mn – The current immigration reform movement has been in existence 
for well over two decades now. The 111th Congress has become critical for 
reaching the ultimate goal of just and humane immigration reform. 


President Obama has said he is committed to fix the current obsolete and 
enforcement-only system. He initiated the debate, but has lacked concrete 
leadership in this critical issue. On the other hand, his administration has 
left the immigration reform struggle down in the priority list. One example 
is the fact that the failed 287-(g) program will be extended to 11 new 
cities. The program allows state and local law enforcement and corrections 
authorities to work with federal immigration authorities to identify and 
remove dangerous immigrants. However, recent investigations have revealed 
that the program is flawed and local authorities are abusing this program by 
targeting noncriminal immigrants. 


The current immigration system is obsolete and it will only get worse if WE 
THE PEOPLE do not take action. Voters last November turned out with high 
hopes of real change, now its time to demand the immigration reform we were 
promised. Working families are under siege with ICE raids continuing to take 
place in our communities. In our region, we have witnessed the increasing 
hostilities of fringe, anti-immigrant, and racist groups that use 
immigration as a cover for their hate.  Nationalist groups, with their 
influx of racist letters, e-mails and signs are constantly harassing our 
communities. On top of this, rural communities, amongst them the southern 
Minnesota town of Albert Lea, are being used to build detention centers and 
increase the number of beds for immigration detainees. 


As part of the Journey of Hope, an ongoing campaign to promote a fair and 
humane immigration reform as well as keeping the light of justice and 
dignity alive and burning, Centro Campesino, Minnesota Immigrant Rights 
Action Coalition, ISAIAH, Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network, Jewish 
Community Action, Interfaith Coalition on Immigration, Minnesota SOL 
(Strengthening Our Lives), SEIU Local 26,Resource Center of the Americas, 
The Advocates for Human Rights, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and Family 
& Children’s Services are organizing the MARCH FOR JUSTICE OPPORTUNITY AND 
AGAINST RACISM. 


The message is simple: our communities in Minnesota demand just and humane 
immigration reform passed in this congressional year. November 4, 2008 
brought change to the White House, yet the houses of millions of immigrant 
families continue to hope for the change they were promised. President Obama 
and congress need to stop politically symbolic forms of enforcement-only 
policies and stop indiscriminate ICE raids immediately. Immigrant families 
demand respect and dignity and a common sense approach to a solution to our 
immigration dilemma. Only real comprehensive immigration reform will solve 
this issue. 


For more information please contact: Ernesto Velez Bustos, Centro Campesino, 
507-446-9599, 507-446-1130, ze... [at] hotmail.com or i... [at] 
centrocampesino.net. 

-- 
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 
Tel.  651.287.0660  or  1.877.265.8817
Email.  freedomnetwork [at] gmail.com

sign up to our EMAIL LIST-SERV for current happenings:
http://groups.google.com/group/Immigrant-Freedom-Network

check us out on the WEB at:
www.immigrantfreedomnetwork.wordpress.com

www.myspace.com/MIFN

Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network
2500 University Avenue, Suite C7
St. Paul, MN 55114

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Because you care about Immigrant Rights and Immigrant Leadership you are 
currently subscribed to the Mn Immigrant Freedom Network's list-serv called the 
"Immigrant Freedom Network" group. 

To reach the moderator of this group, send an email to 
Immigrant-Freedom-Network [at] googlegroups.com 


To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 
Immigrant-Freedom-Network-unsubscribe [at] googlegroups.com 


For more options, visit this group at 
http://groups.google.com/group/Immigrant-Freedom-Network
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---