Rep. Luis Gutierrez: Traveling across U.S for immigration reform

WASHINGTON–Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who has been traveling the nation to push immigration reform at a variety of forums, Tuesday is the newsmaker at the high-profile breakfast the Christian Science Monitor hosts for reporters here.

Gutierrez is a member of a bi-partisan House group trying to forge compromises on contentious immigration issues. To that end, Gutierrez is booked with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) for an April 22 appearance on immigration at the City Club of Chicago.

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Gutierrez is in California rallying support for immigration legislation working its way through the House and Senate.

Click below for details on Gutierrez recent travels provided by his office:

Below, from Gutierrez office…

March 16, National City, just outside San Diego, California, for an event at 1:00 p.m. PT at the One in Christ Church hosted by Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA), the son of Mexican farm workers and freshman Member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. His constituents will have an opportunity to speak directly with the two Congressmen about their concerns and hopes for immigration reform. Following the church event, a rally with national and Southern California labor leaders will be held with the two Congressmen. Speakers include AFSCME President Lee Saunders and AFL-CIO Immigration Task Force Chair Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary Treasurer, Los Angeles County Labor Council.

March 17, Congressman Gutierrez will join leaders of the United Farm Workers (UFW) and their families at Hartnell College in Salinas, California at 10:00 am PT to discuss issues related to agricultural workers in immigration reform. The Congressman has traveled to Salinas to speak with farm workers on numerous occasions and has worked closely over the years with the United Farm Workers, the union once led by Caesar Chavez.

March 17, Local leaders and clergy will join Rep. Gutierrez at an event in her San Francisco District hosted by San Francisco Organizing Project and the Archdioceses of San Francisco, Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns. The interfaith event will be held at the Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist at 3 p.m. in the City’s historic Mission District.

And a look back at Gutierrez March travel….

March 1, two events in Central Florida with Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). Three-hundred people gathered at the Asociacin Borinquea (Puerto Rican Association) in Orlando and 400-500 at the Zocalo Square Market in Haines City, FL, including farm workers and their families. The event in Haines City kicked off a statewide caravan tour of farm workers and other pro-immigrant activists to build support for immigration reform that culminates in Washington on Wednesday (3/13).

March 2, Rep. Gutierrez participated in a citizenship workshop for immigrants learning how to apply for citizenship hosted by numerous state and local officials in Elizabeth, New Jersey also featured a discussion of immigration reform proposals and progress by Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressman Luis Gutierrez.

March 6, Rep. Gutierrez addressed 300-400 leaders who paid their own way to Washington to join the National Council of La Raza’s Advocacy Day, which included hundreds of Capitol Hill meetings with Members and staff to build support for immigration reform this year. The audience from 31 states was gathered at Gallaudet College, just north of the U.S. Capitol Complex, for a day of training and preparation for their Hill meetings on Thursday. Undeterred by the inclement weather, Rep. Gutierrez fired up the crowd predicting that the “nation’s first Latino President has already been born and may be with us today in this room.”

March 8, Rep. Gutierrez spoke at a community forum at Mountain View College in Dallas hosted by Dallas/Ft. Worth Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), a freshman Member of the Congressional Black Caucus, who asked Rep. Gutierrez to help him keep his constituents informed about the progress towards immigration reform in Washington.

March 9, Rep. Gutierrez participated in a series of events at the Bayou City Event Center in Houston with Rep. Al Green (D-TX), a long-time colleague and ally, which included a town hall meeting with constituents and a meeting with union leaders on immigration. They were also joined by Houston Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), a champion of immigration reform who serves on the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee (with Rep. Gutierrez). Both Rep. Green and Rep. Jackson-Lee are members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

March 12, Rep. Gutierrez participated in a town hall conference call with Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), a freshman Member of the Congressional Black Caucus, who invited his constituents to discuss progress being made in Washington on immigration reform with Congressman Gutierrez.

March 13, Rep. Gutierrez participated in a People’s Hearing, an informal session in a Senate Committee room where families and individuals facing hardships because of our broken immigration system, spoke directly to Members of Congress, including Reps. Judy Chu (D-CA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Mike Honda (D-CA), Steven Horsford (D-NV), and Juan Vargas (D-CA)and others. This was the culmination of a massive nationwide mobilization of hundreds of activists and individuals who have been traveling on busses and in caravans of cars, trucks and vans barnstorming across 41 states to build support for immigration reform. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is bringing a large contingent from Illinois to the event organized by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), the Center for Community Change and other advocates.