PRESS ADVISORY: Virginia Latino Elected Officials, DREAMers, and Other Community Leaders on the Importance of the Latino Vote in this Election

Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-VA), Arlington County Board Vice Chairman J. Walter Tejada, School Board Chair Dr. Emma Violand Sanchez, and other Latino leaders to speak about the importance of the Latino Vote in Virginia and how a Romney-Ryan agenda will impact Latinos

Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:30 a.m., the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s President and CEO and former Virginia congressman Tom Perriello will be joined by long-time community leaders and Latino elected officials to call on the Latino community to make their votes count during this year’s election. They will also speak about the real effects that a Romney-Ryan agenda would have on Virginia’s Latinos in a press conference at The Salsa Room in Arlington, Virginia.

Virginia is one of the top 10 states with high concentrations of potential Latino voters, and their participation has the power to determine a future between two very different visions of America. President Barack Obama wants to create a strong middle class by increasing access to education, health care, a safe retirement, and good jobs. In contrast, the Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), propose a plan based on the faulty theory that tax cuts and special rules for the richest Americans would trickle down to the rest of us.

Virginia is also one of the states that would greatly benefit by legalizing the 38,000 estimated DREAMers that live in the state. President Obama wants to find a path to legalization and eventual citizenship, while Gov. Romney and the GOP have presented and embraced self-deportation.

Please join us to hear why the Latino vote in Virginia matters and how the Romney-Ryan agenda will impact this growing community.

Who:

• DREAMers from Virginia
• Alfonso Lopez, State Delegate (D-VA)
• Walter Tejada, Vice-Chair, Arlington County Board
• Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez, School Board Chair, Arlington Public Schools
• Leni Gonzalez, Founding Member, Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia (DLOV)
• Tom Perriello, President and CEO, Center for American Progress Action Fund; Counselor for Policy, Center for American Progress
• Vanessa Cárdenas, Director, Progress 2050 Action, Center for American Progress Action Fund

When: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:30am
**Note: We will keep you posted on the scheduled date and time of this event should it be moved due to potential weather disturbances**

Where:

The Salsa Room
2619 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204

Map and directions here:  http://thesalsaroom.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=31 (parking available)

Resources:

• The Real Cost of the Romney-Ryan Plan to Virginians
• How the Romney Ryan Ticket Hurts Latinos By Vanessa Cárdenas
• Romney’s Latino Problem: Candidate’s Extreme Anti-Immigrant Stance Alienates Latinos and Defies Mainstream Public Opinion By Angela Maria Kelley, Marshall Fitz, Philip E. Wolgin, and Ann Garcia
• Infographic: The 12 States with the Greatest Economic Impact from Passing the DREAM Act The Economic Benefits of Passing the DREAM Act (from CAP; en español aqui) By Juan Carlos Guzmán and Raúl Jara
• The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Virginia’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics (from CAP) By Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley

To RSVP, please contact Laura Pereyra at lpereyra@americanprogressaction.org or 202.203.8689.

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