Student Project Supports Immigration Reform

Student Project Supports Immigration Reform

Posted by student ALEJANDRO AVILES – As part of my final Capstone project, I supported the recent gathering of more than 800 community members and leaders who came together last week to participate in the American Dream FOR Arkansas public forum at Mosaic Church in Little Rock.

The gathering was part of the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign, a national effort that brings together individuals and organizations from the business, law enforcement, education, faith and civil rights sectors with the mission to build unified support for workable immigration reform. 

The atmosphere was filled with excitement and high expectations for Arkansas’s’congressional delegation to engage in immigration reform. Representatives from Arkansas’s business, political and education sectors voiced their support for comprehensive immigration reform.

“Thousands of businesses respect immigrant communities because of their work ethic and loyalty to employers,” said Alan Leveritt, Little Rock businessman and publisher of the Arkansas Times.

Others voiced support for immigrant communities and their impact on local economies.

“Our business was built by immigrants and we are committed to Arkansas,” said Elias Trejo, a business leader from the 4th Congressional district. “Our restaurant chain generates more than 350 jobs, contributes income and sales taxes, is involved in our communities, and we are concerned with immigration reform. It is a critical issue for our economy, for our children and for Arkansas’s future.””  

Concerns were raised about the cost of deportation on both the economy and the human capital in America. Others spoke about the need to better educate the immigrant population in the state.

Click here for more about the event. For specific information on the Reform Immigration FOR America/FOR Arkansas Campaign visit: www.reformimmigrationFORamerica.org.

Alejandro Aviles is a member of the Clinton School Class of 2010 and is director of the Arkansas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).