Latino religious leaders and members of their congregations gathered Saturday evening at a northwest Denver church to promote comprehensive federal immigration reform and warn of the punishment politicians may suffer at the polls if they support Arizona-style immigration legislation.
The Republican Party in particular is vulnerable to a backlash from Latino voters if some grassroots elements of the party continue to promote immigration policies seen as coercive and exclusionary, said the Rev. Luis Cortes Jr., president of Esperanza, a national network of about 14,000 Latino congregations and organizations.
Among other provisions, Arizona’s recently passed immigration law authorizes state and local police to determine the immigration status of someone if there is a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country unlawfully.
Cortes, from Philadelphia, was keynote speaker at Saturday’s Women of Faith gathering at the Ministerios Internacionales church to promote “common-sense immigration reform legislation.”
The lively event included singing, dancing, preaching and prayer.
If the Republican Party “does not find a way to participate in comprehensive immigration reform, it risks the alienation of a large block of American society,” Cortes said in an interview.
On behalf of Esperanza, Cortes routinely lobbies the Obama administration and Congress on immigration.
The group’s framework for immigration reform includes such principles as:
• Emphasizing border security;
• Prioritizing immigration enforcement to target “drug traffickers, violent criminals, gang members and individuals who pose a genuine threat to our nation’s security”;
• Creating and enforcing a multi-layered temporary worker program;
• Creating a workable path to legal residency for undocumented immigrants, one that includes registration, passing a criminal background check, paying taxes due, learning English and remitting fines “for illegal entry and overstay.”
Organizers of Saturday’s event had expected about a thousand women to attend, but only about 100 did.
“We are shocked,” said Pastor Jackie Martinez, a leader of the Ministerios Internacionales church. She said it’s likely that many stayed away because Saturday’s gathering focused on immigration.
“People are so afraid.”
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
