Durbin host Chicago Hispanic leaders at Calderon Joint Session of Congress address

DURBIN WELCOMES TWO CHICAGO AREA LEADERS AS SPECIAL GUESTS TO THE JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today welcomed Sylvia Puente and Artemio Arreola as his guests to an address by the President of Mexico Felipe Calderon Hinojosa to a joint session of Congress. Durbin, a member of the Senate Escort Committee, will meet with his guests prior to the joint session.

“At today’s Joint Session of Congress, I look forward to hearing President Calderon’s views on strengthening the partnership between our two nations,” said Durbin. “I am pleased to welcome both Sylvia Puente and Artemio Arreola as my guests to the Joint Session. They have both been tirelessly working to improve the lives of our Hispanic population in Illinois and around the country.”

Sylvia Puente’s twenty-five year career serving the Latino community spans a wide range of experience at local, state and national levels. She has been recognized as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S.” by Hispanic Business magazine. She is currently the Executive Director of the Latino Policy Forum, a public policy and advocacy organization in the Chicago metropolitan area working to improve educational outcomes for children, make housing accessible and affordable, and build the influence and leadership of the Latino community.

Artemio Arreola has been a union labor activist for the Service Employees International Union for 15 years. He is a co-founder of the March 10th Movement which organized the first large scale immigrant rights march in Chicago on March 10th, 2006. He is currently the Political Director for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights an organization that is dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life.