The organizers of the National Latino Congreso recently announced plans to shift the upcoming gathering from Downtown Los Angeles to El Paso, Texas.
The Latino Congreso held its inaugural gathering in 2006 and two subsequent yearly editions in Downtown Los Angeles. Those first three gatherings drew crowds ranging upwards of 2,000, with elected and appointed officials, various civil rights advocates, and community organizers in the mix.
Interest in the event appeared to decline steadily after the inaugural edition, however, and the gathering fell off the 2009 schedule altogether. But organizers said that attendance levels did not figure into plans to shift the next gathering to the Texas border town — and they are billing the January 29-31 event as a 4th annual edition despite the interruption in the yearly schedule.
The decision to shift the event to El Paso is an attempt to tie the event closely to immigration reform, a political issue that's expected to get plenty of attention next year, according to organizers. Many political observers believe that immigration reform will take center stage later in 2010, after President Barack Obama's efforts at healthcare reform have either succeeded or failed.
"The legislation that's coming up is crucial to the immigrant community, and we think that El Paso, being a border city, is ideal because its location stresses the point that immigration reform is needed," said Patricia Gonzales of the William C. Velasquez Institute, a non-profit organization that has been a driving force behind the Latino Congreso from its offices in Los Angeles and San Antonio, Texas.
"We're trying to get our communities organized in anticipation of the debate on immigration reform," Gonzales added.
El Paso is a major border crossing, separated from the metropolitan area of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, by the Rio Grande River. El Paso and other border cities have become hotspots in recent years, as concerns have grown about everything from illegal immigrants crossing the border in search of work in the U.S. to drug cartels shipping narcotics north and engaging in unprecedented levels of violence in Mexico.
The tough U.S. economy and growing concerns about the drug trade have led to calls for immigration reform, with significant numbers of voters and politicians expressing favor for new restrictions and security measures at the border. Many immigrant advocates remain hopeful of seeing new federal standards that will extend some chance for legal residency to illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for an extended period of time and have no record of criminal activity.
Promotions for the Latino Congreso bill the event as a "comprehensive gathering of thousands of organizations represents one of the largest gatherings of Latino leaders from throughout the country," with an agenda that goes beyond immigration reform.
"At this Congreso, action plans will be launched on justice for immigrants, climate change, saving homes, and creating jobs," according to the organization's website at latino.congreso.org on the Internet.
A number of prominent national and regional groups have joined the William C. Velasquez Institute as organizers of the event, including the Downtown-based Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund (MALDEF), the Mexican American Political Association, with headquarters in the Boyle Heights district east of Downtown; the National Day Labor Organizing Network, which operates from offices in the Westlake district west of Downtown. They join a number of organizations from across the country, including the Hispanic Federation; the League of United Latin American Citizens; the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities; the National Hispanic Environmental Council; and the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project.
Houston, Texas-based Citgo Petroleum Corp., a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), has signed on as a sponsor for the upcoming event, according to organizers.
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National Latino Congreso
Sam Hassan is a writer for the L.A. Garment & Citizen.
Photo from National Latino Congreso's flickr photostream.
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