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In this issue: * Come To The 9th Annual Cesar E. Chavez March This Saturday * We Are Watching You: 2009 Arizona Anti-Immigrant Bills *  Reaction to Obama Administration Announcements by U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force * President Barack Obama promises to tackle immigration system  * Volunteer Opportunities at Border Action Saturday, March 28, 2009 Come To The 9th Annual Cesar E. Chavez March This Saturday Please join us at the 9th Annual César E. Chávez March this Saturday March 28, 2009. Border Action members and supporters will march to celebrate the legacy of the late civil-rights leader.  We will meet at Pueblo High School, march east on 44th St., south on 6th Ave., and stop at Rudy Garcia Park to enjoy a rally, music and speakers. Come by and see us at our booth! View the flyer: Front  |  Back Everyone is welcome to join us at the march! meet at 9:00 a.m. at Pueblo High School 12th Ave. and 44th St., Tucson, AZ Look for our banners! For more information about the march and other events during Chávez Week, visit the Arizona César E. Chávez March Holiday Coalition's website. Click for More Border Action Galleries Wednesday, March 25, 2009 We Are Watching You: 2009 Arizona Anti-Immigrant Bills Following our successful 2008 session, we have once again launched our State Legislative Campaign aimed at monitoring anti-immigrant bills throughout the session. With your support, phone calls, and emails, we watched as 44 anti-immigrant bills were halted to the ground. Our action alerts include a series of talking points that reflect why these bills are bad/good for the entire state of Arizona, including immigrant families. PLEASE take the time to contact these committees as bills come up. It CAN and WILL make a difference! Sign up to Receive Arizona Legislative Alerts! Use our new interactive anti-immigrant bill widget to view updated information and share it with your friends! Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Reaction to Obama Administration Announcements by U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force Find out more about the U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force and their work at www.bordertaskforce.org Keep up with Immigration Policy with the National Immigration Forum's updates at www.immigrationforum.org/policy/update  U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force White House Border Violence Proposal A Step in the Right Direction Border Communities Point to Necessary Improvements Washington, DC - The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force responded positively to announcements made yesterday by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on new border security and law-enforcement measures the Administration is taking in response to U.S.-Mexico border violence and drug trafficking.  Today, Secretary Napolitano and senior Homeland Security staff testified at a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee entitled "Southern Border Violence: Homeland Security Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Responsibilities."  The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force is made up of state and local law-enforcement, elected officials, faith leaders, and community-based organizations along the border from Brownsville in the East to San Diego in the West. "It is clear that the President understands the complexity and challenges of border security," said Fernando Garcia, Executive Director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, which is a co-convener of the Task Force.  "This plan amounts to a 'comprehensive bi-national border strategy' that is the right approach and we applaud the White House for not succumbing to the temptation to over-simplify national security strategies." "The proposal aptly relies on and supports local law-enforcement to curtail border violence," said Jennifer Allen, Executive Director of the Border Action Network in Tucson, another Task Force co-convener.  "Local agencies are often called on, but rarely have sufficient resources, staffing, support, and communication and Washington appears to be addressing this." Read the full statement... Friday, March 20, 2009 President Barack Obama promises to tackle immigration system By LAURA ISENSEE The Dallas Morning News  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama renewed his campaign promise to tackle the immigration system in a meeting with Hispanic lawmakers Wednesday. "The president made clear to us that he is a man of his word," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Obama also told the lawmakers that he will travel next month to Mexico to discuss escalating violence from drug cartels and immigration with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, White House officials said. During the campaign, Obama supported a comprehensive overhaul of immigration policy, including creation of a possible path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who are otherwise law-abiding. Obama has yet to tackle the issue, as his administration has grappled with the economic crisis and an increasingly crowded agenda in his two months in office. But immigration legislation is on the agenda and moving forward, said Hispanic lawmakers who attended the West Wing meeting, their first face-to-face meeting with the president. The caucus consists of all Democrats and one independent. Read the full story... Volunteer Opportunities at Border Action We always welcome: Translators / Interpreters (English/Spanish) -     For Ya Basta articles and events Graphic Designers & Artists -    For banners, signs, posters, windows Data Entry Specialists Computer Technicians -    Specifically network and Internet troubleshooting Fundraising Volunteers Make a contribution to support immigrant organizing for human and civil rights. You are currently subscribed to receive "Border Action Updates" as . Click here to unsubscribe   Our work depends on your support and contributions! Please take a minute to make your contribution TODAY! Join our Cause on Facebook! Find us on MySpace! Watch Border Action Videos! PO Box 384 Tucson, AZ  85702 (520) 623-4944 Fax: (520) 792-2097 BAN@borderaction.org