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RESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ann Vanek-Dasovich 850-567-2459 media@FightForFlorida.com
BRINGING THE FACES OUT OF THE SHADOWS:
CONGRESSWOMAN WILSON JOINS COALITION TO LAUNCH FACES OF FLORIDA
(STATEWIDE, Fla.) – As the debate heats up on the Senate floor around the Gang of 8’s Senate Bill 744: Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, so does pressure on Florida’s Senator Marco Rubio to pass legislation that will help millions live without out fear of persecution and pursue the American dream. On a teleconference today, Fight for Florida launched a public education campaign entitled Faces of Florida that highlights a different immigrant’s story each week on its website (www.FightForFlorida.com). The website features a vehicle for immigrants to share their personal stories with the public. By sharing these personal stories, Fight for Florida hopes to bring a human face to the plight of Florida’s undocumented and combat the rhetoric of the extreme right with compassion and understanding.
“Immigrants comprise almost one quarter of the entire workforce of Florida,” remarked Cynthia Hernandez, Senior Research Associate, Instructor & Director of Internship Programs at Florida International University. She went on to explain that immigrants “are the backbone to Florida’s economy and our country’s. They are essential for us to remain competitive on a national and global level. And yet, many immigrants live in poverty, face horrible working conditions, and are in constant fear of having their families torn apart through deportation. The implications of our research findings suggest that the effects of not creating a pathway to citizenship by passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill, in a state with nearly 1 million undocumented immigrants, will disrupt and tear apart honest and hardworking families and make Florida’s economy less profitable, less competitive, and less viable.”
Nicolas Wulff, the first Face of Florida, shared his story and had this observation. “I am a student and I am a Floridian. I am also an undocumented immigrant. Congress needs to come together to create a common-sense roadmap to citizenship for people like me who aspire to be Americans. After all, it’s not what you look like or where you were born that makes you an American – it’s how you live your life and what you do that defines you here in this country.”
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who recently intervened on behalf of an immigrant facing deportation after hearing about his plight from his son, tied it all together. “Immigration reform is not only about justice, it’s also about jobs. When we bring undocumented workers in from the shadows, we boost wages and create opportunity for all Americans.”
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE PRESS TELECONFERENCE
Keeping the pressure on Senator Rubio, Florida AFL-CIO President Mike Williams headed to Washington, D.C. to lend his support to the bill, had this to say, “today I am in D.C. urging our elected officials to create a reliable, inclusive roadmap to citizenship for Nicolas and all of our sisters and brothers who are Americans in every way but paper. From Congress to communities across Florida, we are fighting for a roadmap to citizenship and against additions to the bill that would hurt working families.”
Later in the evening, an educational forum on immigration in Miami attracted over 100 participants. It drew connections between the plight of immigrants and the civil rights movement.
BACKGROUND INFO:
Background info is available for download at:
http://www.flaflcio.org/sites/default/files/Binded%20Group.pdf
A summary of S.744 as passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee can be found here:
Additional information can also be found at www.FightForFlorida.com
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