REID A NO-SHOW AFTER ACCION AMERICA THREATENS PROTEST

By Juan Montoya


Bowing to community-wide pressure and immigrant activists threatening a massive demonstration to protest the lack of progress on that issue, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, cancelled his appearance in Irving today.

Acción America president Carlos Quintanilla said he got a call from Reid's office after the group vowed to protest Reid's visit to Irving, a city long-known to follow police policies that Quintanilla said targeted Latinos.
"His office called us today and told me that the senator won't be coming to Irvig, after all," said Quintanilla. "We're talking about one of the most powerful politicians in Washington three or four persons removed from the White House. I think this gives our movement credibility that we can influence the course of events nationwide."
The Dallas Morning News reported that Irving Mayor Herb Gears said in an e-mail that Reid "just called to inform me that pressing government business in our nation's Capitol requiring his presence necessitates his having to postpone tomorrow's planned events in the DFW area including those in Irving.
"The Senator expressed appreciation for the support of our event and for those planning to attend and indicated that he looks forward to rescheduling later in the year," Gears wrote.
Reid's appearance in Irving was expected to have drawn a crowd outside the event.

Texas Republican leaders had urged their followers to stand in opposition to proposed health care legislation and urged them to protest at the site Reid was to visit. Tea Party leaders said their supporters would almost certainly have attended if it had not been cancelled.

But Quintanilla said that Acción America had sent Reid a strong protest over the policies followed in Irving.
According to Quintanilla, Acción America's battle continues to end deportations and racial profiling in that city. He said that there had been 5,400 deportations for traffic related offenses, and that local law enforcement had been found guilty in federal court for violating the voting rights of Latinos in Irving.
Further, he said that a racial profiling study confirms Irving racial profiles against Hispanic and Blacks.
Accion America again was the leader in responding to the deportation in Irving, mostly for minor traffic offenses. Over 5,000 people participated in a peaceful assembly that led to the drastic reduction of deportations in Irving. While the Criminal Alien Program continues to deport undocumented individuals for minor traffic offenses, the number of traffic-related deportations has been significantly reduced.
Acción America was notified that Senator Reid was canceling his Irving appearance due to "pressing business" in the nation's capitol.
"Acción America was the only Hispanic group calling for him to cancel his visit," Quintanilla said. "We are appreciative that his office took our calls and that the Senator reconsidered his visit to a City that continues to be anti Hispanic and anti immigrant. We hope that he will also hear our message that we need Immigration Reform."
Locally, Acción America has targeted the policies of the majority members of the Brownsville Independent School Board and has questioned their actions on their firing of the former superintendent, the award of a $40 million insurance contract, the continued investigation of the Special Needs Department, and alleged favoritism on behalf of some board members.
Two board members – Rick Zayas and Ruben Cortez – have sued Quintanilla in Leonel Alejandro's court charging that Quintanilla defamed and libeled them.
Quintanilla has refused to back off and said that the group's opposition to the actions of the majority of the board members will continue.
"We appreciate that the senator heeded our call and listened to the voice of the people and called off his visit," he said. "We hope that these two individuals in Brownsville will also listen to the people and do the right thing."