Left In Lowell

Friends; This is the press release for our action today, organized by MIRA
and by the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities
(NALACC)

PLEASE BE THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN COMMUNITIES

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 27, 2006

Faith and Community Rally for Immigrant Justice

Boston, MA – Today, thousands of religious and community leaders gathered in
Boston, MA and Washington, DC to call for fair and just immigration reform.

In Boston, over 2,000 immigrant leaders gathered at the Boston Common for a
rally at 5:00 PM followed by a religious ceremony at the Tremont Temple.
Organized by organizations across the region and under the leadership of the
Massachusetts Chapter of the National Alliance of Latin American and
Caribbean Communities (NALACC) and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee
Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), participants were greeted by religious leaders,
elected officials, labor leaders and community members.

In Washington, DC over 200 religious leaders were joined by nearly 3,000
community members from across the country on few days notice in order to
coincide with final deliberations of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Gathered on the West Capitol Lawn, and then at the Senate Dirksen Building,
religious leaders wore handcuffs to symbolize their solidarity with
immigrants, and intention to defy unjust laws.

“Now is the time to send an unequivocal message to our elected officials: we
will not accept an enforcement only law or a guest worker program that will
subject millions of our neighbors to second class citizenship.” asserted
Elena Letona of Centro Presente.

“Regardless of immigration status, of whether we were born here or not, we
all deserve respect for our basic human dignity. We are peaceful,
hard-working members of the community and we deserve to be treated with
respect and dignity, not only because of what we contribute daily to this
country, but because we are human beings, children of the same God,”
affirmed Patricia Sobalvarro of Agencia Alpha, a ministry of Congregation
Lion of Judah.

“The lack of a humane response to resolve the anguish, uncertainty,
exploitation and sorrow that millions of immigrants suffer daily is an issue
that concerns the religious community and everybody who cares about
upholding values of compassion and love for neighbor,” stated Pastor
Edylberto Niño of Tremont Temple. Alluding to some of the most controversial
aspects of H.R. 4437, Pastor Niño concluded “Putting undocumented immigrants
in jail and those of us who demonstrate compassion towards them is
diametrically opposed to the central teachings of the Judeo-Christian
faith.”

“Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have marched
to demand justice –from Topeka to Chicago to Los Angeles to Milwaukee to
Knoxville, Tennessee,” said Ali Noorani, executive director of the
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. “A movement for
immigrant rights has begun and today, in Boston and Washington, DC, we stand
together hoping Our America will choose a path of compassion and justice.”

###

NALACC is a network of Latin American and Caribbean immigrant-led
organizations working to raise the quality of life in their communities,
both in the United States and in their countries of origin.