WASHINGTON, DC (Today) - This Wednesday, Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, U.S. Rep Michael Honda (CA-15), will join other Members of Congress to denounce the new Arizona immigration measure (S.B. 1070) signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last week.  Rep Honda will  discuss why the Arizona immigration law creates a moral and political imperative for the federal government to act swiftly on comprehensive immigration reform to avoid a patchwork of state measures that does not fundamentally fix the broken immigration system.

The House bill Rep Honda co-sponsored, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act (CIR ASAP or H.R. 4321) has 95 House co-sponsors, mainly from the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.  Pro-immigrant allies in the Congress, including Members of these caucuses and many who are co-sponsors of H.R. 4321, have been invited to speak at Wednesday's event

Rep Honda said, "Arizona's anti-immigrant sentiment  is not only anti-American (after all, we are a nation of immigrants) but also financially counter-productive.  A study conducted in early 2010 by UCLA professor Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda shows that comprehensive immigration reform garners $1.5 trillion to the US gross domestic product over the next ten years.  Fail to reform immigration, however, and we lose $2.6 trillion over the same period.  On incurred cost alone, the choice is simple."

WHAT:  Press Conference re: Arizona Anti-Immigrant Bill and Need for Federal Action on Immigration Reform

WHEN:  11:00 a.m., ET, Wednesday, April 28, 2010

WHERE:  House Triangle (U.S. Capitol grounds)

WHO:           

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL)
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA)
Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY)
Other Members of Congress have been invited, but are not yet confirmed