Carrasco: they will vote the way 'we' tell them

[Danno]

Here's an interesting article from that group's website:

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://icirr.org:80/node/2578">http://icirr.org:80/node/2578</a><!-- m -->

Latinos in Waukegan flex new-found political muscle; could provide swing vote to hotly contested elections
Sat, 01/26/2008 - 00:00
For immediate Release: Press Release
January 26, 2008

For more information contact:

Catherine Salgado, 312.332.7360 Ext. 235


Community leaders organize by building alliances, registering voters and calling out candidates


The newly-formed Waukegan Leadership Council is holding its first-ever Candidates Debate this Sunday, January 27, 2008. In preparation for the rapidly approaching February 5th Primary Election, candidates for State Representative (60th District) and US Congressman (10th District) will answer questions from community members. The Candidates Debate will be held Sunday, January 27 from 3:00-5:00 PM at San Luis Restaurant, 50 S. Green Bay Road in Waukegan.



The Candidates Debate comes on the heels of the City of Waukegan’s controversial decision to pass an anti-immigrant policy that would allow local police to deport undocumented immigrants. The proposal caused massive street demonstrations in the summer of 2007, as Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde dug in his heels and passed the measure, known as “287(g).”



Last week, a front-page story in the New York Times focused on the effects of Waukegan, and the efforts of local immigrant leaders to move beyond last year. “Today, we turn a new page in our community’s history in Waukegan. We move beyond the politics of hatred and fear that are embodied in policies like 287(g). Today, we organize ourselves for power.”



Latinos and other immigrants in the Waukegan area are in a unique position this Election season, since they are surrounded by several hotly-contested elections. On the state level, candidates Eddie Washington, Angelo Kyle and Tony Elam are in a close race for State Representative (60th District).



And on the federal level, Democrats Dan Seals and Jay Footlik are in a contest to determine who could have a shot at Mark Kirk, the incumbent Republican of the 10th Congressional District. This Congressional race will be closely watched across the country, and both political parties expected to raise and spend millions of dollars on the race.



Unfortunately, Kirk chose not to attend the forum. “We are surprised and disappointed that our own Congressman, Mark Kirk, won’t come to this very important event.”



Latinos and other immigrants could provide the swing vote that would determine any of these contests. “We will listen closely to see which candidate will best represent our values on the issues that matter to our community.”



There are now 67,281 naturalized US citizens in the 10th Congressional District – this is nearly 5 times the margin between the winner and loser of the last election for Congressman in the 10th District. “We know that Latinos could very well be the swing constituency in any of these elections.”


The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a state wide coalition of over 100 organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society.

For more information, visit ICIRR’s website at <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.icirr.org">www.icirr.org</a><!-- w --> or call Catherine Salgado at 312.332.7360 ext. 235