Families at risk, backers say
Local advocates for the Latino community say U.S. immigration policies are tearing families apart and they plan to put the issue in the spotlight as soon as President-elect Barack Obama takes office.
They are joining a national campaign to ask the incoming chief executive for a moratorium on immigration raids until Congress enacts comprehensive reform. They contend that deportations often separate legal-resident children from parents who are in the country illegally.
Emma Lozano, an activist with Chicago-based group Familia Unida Latina, has spearheaded national efforts and traveled to the Holy City on Friday.
"Right now, we're talking about keeping the family together," she said. "We're not talking about a pathway to citizenship."
Lozano is best known for her work on behalf of Elvira Arellano, an undocumented Mexican woman who sought sanctuary in a Chicago church in 2006 to avoid deportation. Immigration authorities deported Arellano the following year after she traveled to Los Angeles.
Lozano said she got to know Obama well during his days as an Illinois state senator. Her organization plans to deliver the petitions to him through another Illinois Democratic politician, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez.
The Latino Association of Charleston has planned a march in downtown Charleston the day after the presidential inauguration. Members also will hold community forums this weekend in an attempt to interest U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to support undocumented family members.
The Jan. 21 march will start in Charleston's Marion Square and will coincide with others in major cities across the country. This weekend, the Latino Association will host two community forums to try to persuade U.S. citizens and legal residents to petition for undocumented family members and friends. The forums at the International Longshoremen's Association Hall on Morrison Drive will be held 2-5 p.m. Saturday and the same time on Sunday.
Diana Salazar, the association's president, said these activities will not directly address South Carolina's new state laws targeting illegal immigration.
The efforts come at an uncertain time, as many are waiting to see the effects of state-level laws aimed at reducing illegal immigration.
The first such South Carolina law went into effect on Thursday and will require public employers and contractors who do work with the state and have 500 or more workers to check the legal status of all new hires. The requirement will extend to smaller businesses and private employers in stages between this summer and 2010.
Meanwhile, the poor economic climate in South Carolina appears to be driving some Latino workers to other states or even to their native countries.
Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com
