Events Archive
January 2006
- Program: Public Policy Seminar on Immigration Reform: It's Everyone's Issue
- Date: January 23, 2006
- Location: Philadelphia, PA (Constitution Center)
- Audience: National and state government officials, the media, local private and public constituencies, and policymakers
Public Policy Seminar on Immigration Reform: It's Everyone's Issue
January 23, 2006, Philadelphia, PA - On Monday, January 23, 2006, the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians hosted a seminar to discuss the recent immigration legislation passed by the House of Representatives, which is currently being intensively debated by Congress. The event drew record attendance with more than 170 people from government, the media, academia, and public and private constituencies in Philadelphia. The presentations were passionate and important to the future of the region. "It (2005) was a remarkable year of organizing and advocacy. Immigrant communities, religious leaders, and business and labor organizations began to raise their voices for a more realistic way of managing and regulating immigration," said panelist Frank Sharry. "However, Supreme Court nominations and other business delayed Senate action until next year." He continued, "In the meantime, the House leadership responded to organizing and advocacy of a different sort. Egged on by the simplistic protests of talk radio hosts, talk television hosts, and Minutemen, the House leadership went first. Intentionally ignoring calls from responsible leaders in both chambers, in both parties, and from the White House, House leaders deliberately kept any hint of comprehensive reform from being considered. Instead, they passed the harshest piece of enforcement-only, anti-immigration legislation in seventy years." Held at the Constitution Center, this forum was the second in a series of public policy seminars sponsored by the Welcoming Center.
Welcome:
Anne O'Callaghan, Executive Director of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
Moderator:
J. Whyatt Mondesire, Publisher of the Sunday Sun; President, NAACP
Speakers:
Frank Sharry, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum
Tamar Jacoby, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute
Stanley Slaughter, Chair, Mayor's Commission on African & Caribbean Affair; Board Member, Nationalities Science Center
David Oh, Board Member, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians; Immigration Attorney & Community Activist
Closing Remarks:
Anne O'Callaghan, Executive Director for the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
Sponsor:
The William Penn Foundation
Partners:
Catholic Services
Congreso
HIAS and Council Migration Service
Nationalities Service Center
Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition
United Communities
Quick Facts:
"Immigration laws are so out of step with the reality that we drive an ordinary dynamic process underground."
Frank Sharry, Executive Director, Immigration Forum
"The real problem is that there aren't enough native-born workers to sustain the industries that rely on unskilled labor - from agriculture to food-processing to health care to construction - much less fuel the growth of these sectors, or related ones."
Tamar Jacoby, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
"It is critical for individuals to understand the importance of immigration and its impact on our lives, in terms of both our cultural lives and economic standing. This seminar is an important step in educating the Philadelphia Region about the influence that immigration has had, and will continue to have, on our future."
Anne O'Callaghan, Executive Director of The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
