United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez will join other national leaders of labor, ethnic and immigrant rights groups in an on-the-record telephone news briefing Friday at 10 a.m. (PST) urging President Bush and Republican leaders in Congress to match their rhetoric favoring Latino immigrants with action on two popular bipartisan immigration reform bills: AgJobs and the DREAM Act.

Monday's Wall Street Journal reported Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate are blocking the AgJobs bill in response to White House fears of anti-immigrant sentiment from its right wing base ("Immigration Measure Has Bipartisan Backing, But White House Seems Wary in Election Year," by David Rogers, July 14, 2004). AgJobs would allow undocumented farm workers in this country now to earn the permanent legal right to stay here by continuing to work in agriculture. It has 63 Senate co-sponsors, including 26 Republicans.

Also in the phone news briefing will be National Council of La Raza Vice President Cecilia Munoz, Service Employees International Union Vice President Eliseo Medina, UNITE HERE Vice President Maria Elena Durazo, National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium Executive Director Karen Narasaki and Majan Jean, a 19-year old student facing deportation to Haiti this weekend because of failure to pass the DREAM Act offering legal status to eligible children brought here by their parents and raised in the U.S.

In addition, Ventura County farm workers will be at the SEIU office in Los Angeles, where some participants are gathering (3055 Wilshire Blvd., #1050, cross street Westmorland).

Who: UFW President Arturo Rodriguez with other national leaders of labor, ethnic and immigrant rights groups plus a 19-year old student facing imminent deportation to Haiti.

What: Pressing the White House and GOP Congressional leaders on why they are all talk and no action on immigration reform.

When: 10 a.m. (PST) Friday, July 16, 2004. Press availability to follow at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Where: Arturo Rodriguez at UFW's Keene, Calif. headquarters, 29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Rd.; farm workers at SEIU's L.A. office, 3055 Wilshire Blvd., #1050, cross street Westmorland.

To take part in the UFW's online campaign and for background on AgJobs visit ClickHere

- end -