Groups Cite Critical Role Latino Immigrants Will Play in Midwest’s Future

Kansas City – More than a dozen Hispanic-serving community-based organizations and affiliates of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) will hold a news conference at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, September 21st to showcase the contributions of immigrants in the Midwest, and to urge Congress and the Administration to pass immigration reform legislation before the end of the Congressional session. The news conference, to be held at El Centro, Inc. (650 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS), will feature remarks by NCLR Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Janet Murguia, a native of Kansas City, Kansas who is returning to Kansas City as part of an NCLR national affiliate tour.

The press conference also aims to bring attention to the 2004 National Week of Action, September 20-26th, a multi-state effort to rally support of legislation such as the “DREAM Act “and the “AgJobs” bill, as well as comprehensive immigration reform. The “DREAM Act” would provide access to in-state tuition rates and a path to permanent legal status for undocumented students, and the “AgJobs” bill would provide a path to legal permanent status for a limited number of migrant farmworkers.

In addition to El Centro, Inc. event partners include: Cabot Westside Clinic, the Guadalupe Center, Inc., Harvest America Corporation, Hispanic Economic Development Corporation, Mattie Rhodes Counseling and Art Center, the Westside Housing Organization, and the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission.

Refreshments will be served. For more information on NCLR, the largest national Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S., and its affiliate network, visit www.nclr.org.