Coalition launches campaign to change immigration debate

Marcony Almeida

The word immigration has never been a subject of so much debate in recent years, especially in cities like Everett, with a growing immigrant population so visible on its main businesses areas and throughout the city. With the approach of the presidential election; the large turnout of the Latino vote in primary and caucus states; and the possibility of Senator John McCain – famous for the Kennedy-McCain legalization bill - becoming the republican nominee, the subject of immigration is not going away soon. But a coalition of unions, civil and immigrant rights organizations, faith-based leaders and organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC) is proposing to change the tone of the immigration debate by launching the Welcoming Massachusetts campaign.

Based on a successful campaign in Iowa and Tennessee, the Welcoming Massachusetts is not a sanctuary campaign, neither a bill nor a proposal to change the law, but a proposal to change the debate on immigration across the state. And the Mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, followed by the Boston City Councilors, unanimously endorsed the campaign passing a city council resolution last week “affirming Massachusetts as a Commonwealth that welcomes and respects the dignity of all people”.  The immigration system is broken and out of date. It is clear that we have to get the system under control. “Councilor Yoon is committed to finding solutions to the problems facing our city. That is his job as a city councilor. Finding solutions begins by having a serious, reasonable discussion. The resolution passed unanimously by the city council and signed by the mayor commits your government to having a serious discussion about the serious problem of immigration”, said Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon, an immigrant from Korea.

Massachusetts played a leading role in establishing the moral and legal framework that gave birth to a new nation, the United States. The core values upon which the United States was founded were framed in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, which states in part that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [human beings] are created equal and endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable rights and that among these are Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness”. This document has inspired people throughout generations and across the world to advance the cause of democracy, liberty, and the respect for the basic dignity of every human being.

Latinos United in Massachusetts (LUMA), from Everett, Chelsea Collaborative, Roca and Centro Latino, from Chelsea, are among organizations that joined the campaign, along with several non-immigrant groups. “We want cities across Massachusetts to have a serious, reasonable, but humane debate on immigration. We cannot discuss this serious matter by a rhetorical war that dehumanize everyone who has an accent, a brown skin color and ‘looks like’ a foreigner. This is the proposal of the Welcoming Massachusetts campaign, and we welcome everyone to join us,” said Lucy Pineda, executive director of LUMA. For more information on the campaign, visit www.welcomingma.org.