Las Cruces, NM - On this edition of PUENTES, bridges to the community, host Emily Guerra meets with Las Cruces City Councilor, Olga Pedroza, and Diocese of Las Cruces, Bishop Oscar Cantú, to talk about a community forum on immigration policies organized by the Las Cruces City Council and local community leaders.
Immigration affects everyone in our community and the entire nation. Although New Mexico is so close to the border of Mexico, local residents still have mixed feelings about immigrants and immigration policies. Pedroza said she was asked by Mayor Ken Miyagashima to help organize a “Community Immigration Forum” to bring understanding to the public about several issues of immigration effects and views.
Testimonials from unidentified young men that are here illegally will open and close the forum. There will also be an Ethics and Moral Panel with representatives of different faiths. Bishop Cantú explains the Catholic Church’s moral teachings about migration, “We believe that people have a right to migrate, but before they even have that right, that they have a right not to migrate.” The forum will also have panels to discuss policies on the legality of immigration and the causes such as economics and violence.
The Community Immigration Forum will take place on Thursday, September 29th from 5:30pm to 9:30pm at the Las Cruces City Council Chamber. Participants will be: Peter Ossorio (retired U.S. Attorney), Kelly H. Burnham (retired Assistant U.S. Attorney), Anna L. Hey (Immigration Attorney, Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico), Nancy A. Oretskin (Co-founder of Southwest Asylum & Migration Institute), Chris Benoit (Attorney for Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid), Molly Molloy (NMSU Research Librarian for Latin America and the Border), Jaime R. Montoya (Las Cruces Chief of Police), Dylan Corbett, Bishop Emeritus Ricardo Ramirez, Pastor Jared Carson, Rabbi Larry Karol. For more information contact Olga Pedroza at opedroza@las-cruces.org.