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LULAC Holds Immigration Rally on National Citizenship Day

July 1, 2006

Contact: Lizette Jenness Olmos
(202) 365-4553
Kimberly Jackson
Bromley Communications
(210) 849-9844 cell

Washington, DC – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) celebrates National Citizenship Day today in Milwaukee concluding a week-long successful 77^th National Convention. The themes of the week were education, health, the under-representation of Hispanics in the federal government and immigration. 

“We want to energize the community and address the value of our vote at the ballot box. There are some that want to build walls instead of bridges. Out of the 42.7 million Latinos in this country, approximately half of them are under the age of twenty-five and we need to educate them,” said LULAC National President Hector M. Flores.  

“The civic participation of Latinos in the voting process is crucial to be able to acquire any type of decent legislation on immigration and other economic matters or policies that affect our community. The politicians do not count how many people march they only count how many people vote. The only permanent solution to the issue of undocumented immigration is to have an economic foreign policy that will assist in the economic development of other countries rather that an economic policy of exploitation,” said Dolores Huerta President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation for community organizing, delegate to the LULAC convention, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers.  

LULAC held the immigration rally at the Midwest Airlines Center and stressed the importance of registering 2 million new voters. Voces de la Frontera also attended and participated in a nationwide campaign called “Democracy Summer” to help a million eligible individuals become citizens & voters. Latino residents are conducting a non-partisan neighborhood outreach in four wards to identify eligible voters and persons interested in citizenship class registration. The focus is on people who are eligible, registration and those who need to take classes. Participants will also be writing letters to their legislative representatives and attaching them to a construction worker’s glove to remind them about the hard work and the economic contribution that the immigrant workforce makes to this country. 

“If we do not translate the energy of marches into political power, the Latino community loses. By encouraging and assisting migrants to become citizens, we also give the ability to participate fully in the American process,” said LULAC Director of Policy and Legislation Dr. Gabriela Lemus.  

 “Participating in American democracy is the most important American duty of any U.S. citizen. We want to make sure the community is fully engaged in asserting the voice of those elected to lead us and what laws they implement,” said LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes.

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