[Iowa-dx] GP RELEASE Latino Green candidates lead on immigrants' & labor rights

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 23:03:29 -0500

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624,
mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805,
starlene@greens.org

Latino Green candidates lead on immigration, call
for living wages and repeal of 'three strikes'
law

? Repeal of NAFTA urged; sharp criticism for
U.S.-Mexico 'security wall'

? List of Latino Green candidates included below

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Latino Green candidates for
congressional, statewide, and local office in the
2006 election have taken the lead on civil
rights, immigration, labor rights and living
wages, and numerous other issues.

In California, Peter Camejo, the Green candidate
for Governor <http://www.votecamejo.com>, has
strongly criticized his state's 'three strikes'
law.  Mr. Camejo initiated and is serving as
spokesperson for the campaign to free Santos
Reyes, who was convicted six years ago for
cheating by taking a DMV test for a relative
<http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0914-07.htm>.
  Mr. Reyes was convicted at age 17 back in 1981
for stealing a radio and at 22 for robbery; after
serving time he had no offenses for the next 11
years, found a job, and raised a family.

"It's no secret that life sentences,
'three-strikes' laws, and the death penalty fall
disproportionately on Latinos, immigrants,
African Americans, and other people of color and
the poor," said Liz Arnone, co-chair of the Green
Party of the United States and an immigrant to
the U.S.  "Greens call this a civil rights issue.
  We believe that justice begins with making
punishment commensurate with the seriousness of
the crime.  Otherwise, it means punishment for
being the wrong color or not having enough
money."

Greens, who noted that October is Hispanic
Heritage Month, have called for full human rights
and amnesty for undocumented immigrants, and have
blamed the passage of trade agreements like NAFTA
for the increased flow of immigrants across the
U.S.'s southern border.

"If we want to curb the number of undocumented
immigrants, the first step must be repeal of
NAFTA, which forced people all over Mexico into
poverty and desperation," said David Minton
Silva, Green candidate for California State
Assembly (District 34, Tulare)
<http://home.comcast.net/~greensurfer2/greensurfer2.html>.
  "We must renegotiate with Mexico and Canada for
a real 'fair trade agreement' that would provide
for livable wages.  Working people and families
throughout North America would prosper, and there
would be little need to sneak across borders.
The worst things we can do are to enact vicious
punitive measures against undocumented immigrants
and those who assist them, or erect a medieval
'security wall' -- which passed in the Senate
with a bipartisan 80-19 majority."

"We must look to the root causes of immigration
-- our government's meddling in the affairs of
sovereign nations for corporate profit,
disastrous free trade agreements such as NAFTA,
and economic strangulation and destabilization by
the U.S. government of nations who decide to take
matters into their own hands and care for their
citizens, as opposed to having their national
policy decided in Washington," said Paul Aranas,
Oregon Green candidate for the U.S. House of
Representatives in District 5
<http://www.votearanas.org>.  Mr. Aranas noted
Public Citizen's critical report on NAFTA's
ten-year track record
<http://www.citizen.org/trade/nafta>.

Other Latino Green candidates on the November 7
ballot:

? Ricardo Costa, for California State Assembly
(District 44, Los Angeles)
http://www.vote4ricardo.net

? Pamela Elizondo, for U.S. House of
Representatives, California (District 1)
http://sonomagreenparty.org/pages/hotstuff/gpsc_election_main.shtml

? Francisco Romero, California, for Oxnard City
Council http://allpowertothepeople.org

? Mike DeRosa, for Connecticut Secretary of State
http://www.mikederosa.org

? Joseph Sanchez, for Maryland House of Delegates
(District 36)

? Edgar Rodriguez (incumbent), for School
Committee, New Paltz Central School District,
Ulster, New York

? Anita Rios, for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
http://www.bobforohio.com

? Logan Martinez, for Ohio State House of
Representatives (District 39)
http://www.votelogan.org

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Green campaign listings, news, photos, and web
sites http://www.gp.org/2006elections
Database of 2006 Green candidates
http://www.greens.org/elections
Video clips of Green candidates
http://www.gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml
Green Party News Center
http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

Greens on immigration and trade
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2005_08_04.shtml
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_04_12.shtml
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_04_26.shtml
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2006_05_30.shtml

"Activists cite contributions of immigrants, urge
more support" (Peter Camejo featured)
By Marjorie Hernandez, The Ventura County Star,
September 4, 2006
http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/ox/article/0,1375,VCS_238_4967595,00.ht=
ml

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