FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday January 29, 2013
Contact: Natali Fani-González, 202.787.1813, Natali@MateaGroup.com

Moms Call for Inclusive Immigration Reform that Strengthens Families, Aligns with Our Nation’s Values

Las Vegas, NV – MomsRising today applauded President Obama for making immigration reform one of his top legislative priorities, and congratulated the bipartisan group of senators that drafted a framework for improving our immigration system that recognizes the need for continued collaboration to make our immigration policies more fair, just and reasonable.

“We are ready to advocate for legislation that would strengthen our families, our communities, and our national economy; and that includes a roadmap to citizenship for all aspiring citizens,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director of MomsRising, a national grassroots organization with more than one million members working to increase family economic security.

Immigration reform is especially critical for immigrant mothers who work hard to contribute to our communities and care for their families, but who live in fear that any day they could be separated from their children.

An estimated five million children in our country live in fear of being separated from their parents. Currently more than 5,100 children are in foster care after having been being separated from their parents.

“Congress must come together to develop policies that are good for all our families, and recognize the damaging effects of separating American children from their parents or forcing them to start over in a country that is not their own,” said Mary Olivella, Chief Strategy Officer and Director of Diversity and Inclusion Campaign Initiatives for MomsRising.

“We need an immigration reform that is inclusive and aligns with the values of our nation while addressing the complex realities of hard-working families in the United States,” concluded Olivella, who attended the event in Las Vegas where President Obama made his announcement.

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MomsRising.org is an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to achieve economic security for all families in the United States. MomsRising is working for paid family leave, flexible work options, affordable childcare, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes so many others. MomsRising also advocates for health care for all, toxic-free environments, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families. In 2012, Forbes.com named MomsRising’s web site as one of the Top 100 Websites For Women for the third year in a row.