Immigration forum in Calif. On April 18 INQUIRER.net
April 13, 2009
WASHINGTON D.C., United States—Representative Michael Honda, chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, will be hosting an immigration forum on family unity in San Jose, California this weekend.
The forum, which will be co-hosted by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, will take place at St. Victor’s Church, 3108 Sierra Road, San Jose, California, on April 18 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Members of the Asian, African, and Latino communities will provide testimony at the event, according to an announcement from Honda’s office.
In a related development, Honda welcomed the commitment of US President Barack Obama and congressional leaders Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid for committing to a comprehensive immigration reform this year.
Reacting to the New York Times article on the administration’s commitment to the reform, he said the present immigration system is broken.
“We need the tax revenues from immigrants already working in our country who want to contribute. We need to make sure families are able to stay together, including families with US-born children. We need fair and practical solutions to make immigration work for our nation, our economy, and our families,” Honda said.
According to Honda’s office, there are currently 1.5 million undocumented immigrants from Asia, as well as 2 million Asians waiting in the family-based visa backlogs.
