June 1, 2009: Reform Immigration for America Kicks Off in Nashville

Monday, June 1st, 2009 For Immediate Release Elias Feghali, (615) 775-1069, elias@tnimmigrant.org Press Release Momentum for Immigration Reform builds in Tennessee, throughout Nation Community leaders join together in national Reform Immigration For America campaign Nashville, TN–Local labor, faith, business, and immigrant leaders from throughout Tennessee gathered today to proclaim their support for immigration reform. As partners of the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign, a broad-based national effort to fix the broken immigration system through a comprehensive legislative approach, these community leaders demonstrated the diverse coalition that is spearheading the movement for reform. Avi Poster, president of the Coalition for Education about Immigration, kicked off the event, saying, "comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue, as evidenced by the increasing rancor that has defined national and local conversations about immigration and the regressive ways in which communities have responded to the problems created by our broken national immigration system." He continued, "unfortunately, the absence of reform has given rise to the adoption of local public policies that aggravate rather than solve problems.” Throughout the conference, speakers kept returning to one central theme: “Immigration is what’s right for the economy, it’s what’s right for our families, and it’s what’s right for America,” said Remziya Suleyman, policy coordinator for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition. The Vice-President of Program Service for Community Nashville, Anthony Johnson, added, “America is built on a system of values that embraces everyone. Unfortunately, the current system is an affront to those values, and needs to be reformed immediately.” Some of the leaders are headed to Washington, D.C. this week as part of a national summit on immigration reform. Coming exactly a week before President Obama holds a top-level meeting about immigration with key Congressional members, the conference and the summit serve as The Coalition for Education about Immigration (CEI) is a grassroots organization devoted to facilitating educated, rational and informed conversation on immigration and related issues. www.educationaboutimmigration.com clear indication that there is broad support and building momentum towards reform legislation this year. ### For media inquiries to the Reform Immigration For America Campaign National Press Office, please contact: Shuya Ohno, cell (202) 309-5645, sohno@immigrationforum.org The Coalition for Education about Immigration (CEI) is a grassroots organization devoted to facilitating educated, rational and informed conversation on immigration and related issues. www.educationaboutimmigration.com