Thousands participated in a rally today in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC, sponsored by the National Capital Immigrant Coalition.

Coverage online now, and in tomorrow's major Sunday newspapers, includes:

Los Angeles Times story by reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske which reports: "The afternoon protest on the Capitol's west lawn drew about 5,000 people, fewer than expected, mostly Hispanic workers and their families."

The New York Times story by reporter Neela Banerjee which reports: "Most of the speakers addressed the crowd in Spanish and organizers encouraged demonstrators to sign postcards to members of Congress and to call their senators."

The Washington Post story by Pamela Constable is a must-read. It reports on the enormous challenge organizers of this event and supporters of the proposed legislation in Congress face these days. "When it came to addressing the bill before Congress, the coalition -- composed of area churches, labor unions and immigrant advocate groups -- had a more complicated message that was lost on some of the rally participants. Although the groups generally support immigration reform, they are critical of many aspects of the bill."

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 08:24 PM




The Associated Press has a story out on the wire tonight about our new ad campaign on immigration that will launch tomorrow, Tuesday, night with primetime spots on ABC network during the airing of the Alma Awards. Click here to see the innovative immigration solutions MATT Foundation is proposing.

AP reporter Suzanne Gamboa writes:

"A pro-immigration group is promoting the idea of using savings accounts as incentives for foreign-born temporary workers to return home if they wish to cash in on their nest eggs. The group, Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together, is launching a $2 million ad campaign to press Congress to pass an immigration reform bill, with the savings accounts as one idea to help build more support for the legislation."

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 05:02 PM




As part of a $2 million advertising and message campaign, MATT (Mexicans & Americans Thinking Together) Foundation ran a major full-page ad in today’s editions of The Washington Post, San Antonio Express News and other publications.

Read the text of the ad, titled “The Wisdom of Compromise,” below or click here to see the ad in PDF form. Also stay on top of the latest immigration news by returning to our blog and the news section of our website.

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 08:17 AM




Both the Associated Press and Reuters are reporting that the Senate will not move forward to end debate and schedule a vote on the immigration bill, essentially tabling this issue. CNN.com is reporting: "Democrats withdraw an immigration bill, which is backed by President Bush and offers a chance of citizenship for illegal immigrants, after losing a key Senate vote."

NYTimes.com reports a "crippling defeat" for the push for comprehensive immigration reform. But the Times report also notes the following: "After the cloture motion failed to win Senate approval, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, held out the hope this evening that the bill could be acted upon again within “several weeks.” Otherwise, he may shelve the bill for the year. Mr. Reid said beforehand that the lawmakers had to turn their attention to other issues."

This is a disappointing development. MATT believes in the wisdom of compromise -- that through the democratic, legislative process Democrats and Republicans should be able to work together to pass meaningful immigration reforms that will benefit the entire nation.

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 06:13 PM




SOSA: LET’S NOT GIVE UP ON IMMIGRATION REFORM

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Lionel Sosa, the Executive Director of Mexicans & Americans Thinking Together (MATT) Foundation, released the following statement late this evening.

“Let’s not give up on immigration reform. The Senate may be stalled on the bipartisan immigration reform bill but that doesn’t mean that America should give up. And that certainly doesn’t mean that MATT Foundation will.

“There is too much to lose if immigration reform doesn’t pass this summer. Illegal workers will continue to live in the shadows, separated from their families. And we, as Americans, would be the losers if we didn’t pass immigration reform this year.

“Let’s give it a second chance and let the wisdom of compromise prevail after a brief cooling off period.

“MATT Foundation is here to help.”

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 07:26 PM




Here's a Saturday round-up of news coverage of the latest developments in the efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform:

One of the most prominent supporters of immigration reform efforts in Congress, Senator and presidential candidate John McCain (R-Arizona), has spoken out on the need for the Senate to revisit the bipartisan immigration proposal as soon as possible. The message he's working on getting through today: "The status quo is de facto amnesty — fact."

The Washington Post reports some Democrats are blaming President Bush for the bill's apparent failure, writing that Bush is "facing fresh criticism that he failed to exert the leadership needed to save what is likely to be the last major domestic agenda item of his presidency."

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported today that: "President Bush, calling the nation's current immigration situation unacceptable, urged senators to try again to pass legislation that he described as imperfect but the best option available. In his weekly Saturday radio address, Bush said the bill would not grant amnesty to illegal immigrants, that they would have to pay fines and take other steps to get on a path to legal status and possibly citizenship."

President Bush said the following: "People have strong feelings on this issue. I believe we can express our feelings, disagree on certain elements, and still come together on a solution. We can accomplish that through the bipartisan Senate bill. It is based on months of negotiation. The result is legislation that puts border security first, establishes a temporary worker program to meet the legitimate needs of our growing economy, sets up a mandatory system for verifying employment eligibility and resolves the status of the estimated 12 million people who are here illegally. If this bill becomes law, America will finally have in place a system that addresses all these problems — and can be adjusted to address future problems that may arise."

The New York Times has a story today on the Senator Ted Kennedy's last-minute push and Sen. Harry Reid's decision to withdraw the immigration bill late Thursday of last week. And The Washington Post today reports on "new talks" aimed at reviving the bill.

The AP has reaction from immigrants.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has a powerful op-ed in Sunday's Washington Post in which she writes: "On the subject of immigration, my plea to Congress is loud and clear: You can't quit now. Last week the Senate was on the verge of addressing our broken immigration system. No, the compromise bill wasn't perfect. But our current system is a disaster. I implore lawmakers to go back to the table, iron out their differences and give us an immigration system that is enforceable, and the resources to enforce it."

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 08:59 PM




Read the text of the MATT Foundation ad, titled “The Wisdom of Compromise,” below or click here to see the ad in PDF form, part of a $2 million advertising and messaging campaign aimed at helping Congress get back on the path towards a bipartisan solution to the immigration challenge.

Thousands of people have logged onto MATT.org to read our position, our proposed solutions and the innovative work we're doing to help solve the immigration challenge.

E-mail MATT Executive Director Lionel Sosa at lsosa@matt.org to get involved.

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 09:13 PM




We’re more optimistic today than we were at the end of last week that comprehensive immigration reform will return to the congressional calendar quite soon. MATT Foundation’s Executive Director, Lionel Sosa, will be back in Washington, DC this week for meetings with players in the immigration debate with the hopes of encouraging passage of the bill through the Senate.

The news we’re hearing was echoed by some reports published this morning.

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 06:29 AM




Up until 1982, undocumented immigrant children were not guaranteed state funds for their education. Some kids were banned from school entirely, others were forced to pay tuition to attend public school.

Four families fought this law, achieving the historic 5-4 victory in the Supreme Court. The Plyler vs. Doe decision, which has reached its 25th anniversary, guaranteed illegal immigrants a free public education, establishing their 14th amendment civil rights and equal protection of the law.

Read about this historic case and the Texas judge who ordered Tyler children back to school days after they were banned. And watch Judge William Wayne justice and others who were involved in the Plyler case talk about the experience.

- Cristina Sosa Noriega


Posted By Adam J. Segal at 08:07 PM




José H. Gomez, the archbishop for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, wrote an op-ed for Wednesday’s San Antonio Express News on the need for action in Congress on immigration reform. The column, entitled “America must seek out immigration policy change” is available at this link.

Posted By Adam J. Segal at 12:57 PM