Last night we hosted a panel discussion on the 14th amendment in honor of Cesar Chavez's birthday. We had a good turnout. Most of those in attendance were students. The quote of the night for me was made by Jose Orozco. He stated the following about immigration: "The US could be improved by the integration of immigrants." He made the comment based on what he believed Ceasr Chavez believed in regards to the benefit immigrants can have on democracy in our country. The best approach to immigration in my opinion is to provide a path to legal residency for immigrants along with an educational system to assist immigrants in becoming integrated into our country.
The other thing that was stated by another member of our panel, Dr. Richard Eutalatin, was that this discussion about the 14th amendment is a side show that is being used to take us away from the real issue of immigration reform that needs our attention. The view was shared by the other panel members. All in all the event went well and I believe those in attendance learned a lot about the issues.
Next week I have been asked to be part of a panel on immigration at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. I have been asked to share about the DREAM Act and where the legislation currently stands. I am honored to be asked to be a part of this panel. All I can hope for is that we educate more people about this issue so that people become well informed. The panel starts at 3:30pm and if you are in the area please plan on attending. The others on the panel include an immigration attorney; Rebecca Shine, the producer of the film "Papers"; and a student who is undocumented. This student will share his or her story in the hopes of educating people about the need for comprehensive immigration reform. I'll update you next week about the panel and the discussion we had.
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