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Home > Press Room > 2007 > Press Release
Press Release
Maximizing Latino Voting Power, Defeating Anti-Immigrant Efforts.
United Strategy to be Developed During Five-Day
Gathering.
October 1, 2007
For more
information, contact:
Jorge-Mario Cabrera, NALACC, 562-243-5559
Lizette J. Olmos, LULAC, 202-365-4553
LOS ANGELES, CA – The 2nd
Annual National Latino Congreso, a national
gathering of Latino leaders from throughout the
country to develop a united agenda, will kick
off its meetings by discussing ways in which to
maximize Latino voting power, effective
mobilization efforts for the 2008 national
elections, and efforts to defeat anti-immigrant
efforts nationwide. More than 1,500 delegates
and observers from throughout the United States
and Latin America are expected to gather in
downtown Los Angeles on October 5-9, 2007 to
attend the historic policy-development
convention. “The National Latino Congreso is a
unique forum set up to address key issues
through proactive dialogue sessions which we
believe will lead us to be a stronger, more
politically united community,” stated Antonio
Gonzalez, President of Southwest Voter
Registration Education Project (SVREP), one of a
dozen national conveners. “The 2008 elections
will provide Latinos with the opportunity to
play a critical role in deciding who wins the
primaries and, in some states, who ultimately
wins certain battleground states outright in the
general election. The 2004 elections
demonstrated Latinos made a difference at the
polls, are increasing in voter registration
numbers, and cannot be ignored.” Entitled
“Maximizing Latino Voter Power in 2008 and
Beyond: Nexuses between Federal Elections,
Immigration Reform, and State/Local
Elections/Issues”, Day 1 of the National
Congreso will be the first opportunity for
participants to put forward ideas on
community-based Latino mobilization efforts. At
the same time, participants will also discuss
the inherent challenges involved in mobilizing a
culturally and politically diverse electorate.
“As a diverse community,
Latinos have to face the fact that in order to
develop successful strategies to defeat
anti-immigrant forces intent on fostering a
climate of fear and deception, we need to have
honest discussions among ourselves on how best
to deal with these unfortunate anti-immigrant
voices,” stated Oscar Chacón, Executive Director
of the National Alliance of Latin American and
Caribbean Communities (NALACC) another national
convener.
Recent voting data suggests
that Latinos are increasingly becoming involved
in the civic process. In states like New Mexico,
Texas, Arizona, California, Florida, New York,
Nevada, Illinois, and Colorado, for example,
Latino voter registration and votes cast is
significantly above the national average, with
Arizona making the most significant gains.
Looking ahead in 2008, it is estimated that more
than 12 million Latinos will be registered to
vote in the presidential election. At the same
time, an analysis of Latino unregistered voter
potential shows there are approximately 6.7
million Latino unregistered voters that could
become voters in states across the country.
In addition to finding ways to
mobilize Latino voters, Congreso participants
will also look at strategies to enact meaningful
immigration reform following Congress’ failed
efforts earlier this year, and combat extremist
political forces seeking to pass anti-immigrant
local and statewide ordinances across the
country that only seek to further an agenda of
discrimination and hate and scapegoat an entire
community.
“As day laborers, we look
forward to participating in the Congreso to seek
new alliances and to strengthen a collective
agenda that allows us to build leadership and
power. We are the public face of the immigration
movement because we are out in the streets every
day. We want to share our experience as a
vulnerable population that seeks to petition
Congress for fair reforms and develop a
common-sense approach that benefits us all and
return to Washington, D.C. with renewed
strength,” stated Pablo Alvarado, National
Coordinator of the National Day Laborer
Organizing Network (NDLON).
In 2006, the First Annual
National Latino Congreso broke new ground by
bringing together more than 2,000 Latinos from
20 states to create a united Latino agenda on a
variety of issues. In all, during the four-day
Congreso, a platform of 64 resolutions was
created by delegates representing over 700
Latino organizations and elected officials, on a
variety of issues including education reform,
immigrant rights, healthcare, urban greening,
foreign policy and climate change.
The national convening
organizations include Hispanic Federation (HF),
the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
(LCLAA), the League of United Latin American
Citizens (LULAC), the Mexican American Legal
Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the
National Alliance of Latin American and
Caribbean Communities (NALACC), the National Day
Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the National
Hispanic Environmental Council (NHEC), Southwest
Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP),
William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI) and Earth
Day Network (EDN). The co-convening
organizations include the Hermandad Mexicana
Latinoamericana, the Latino Coalition for a
Healthy California (LCHA), the Mexican American
Political Association (MAPA), the National
Alliance of Craftsmans Associations (NACA) and
the National Hispanic Caucus of State
Legislators (NHCSL). Southwest Airlines is the
Official Airline and Community News Publisher is
the Official Internet Broadcaster of the 2nd
Annual National Latino Congreso. For more
information on the Congreso, contact
www.latinocongreso.org.
The Conveners of the National
Latino Congreso are pleased to announce that
Southwest Airlines is once again the exclusive
and Official Airline of the National Latino
Congreso.
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