Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, will continue her Central Coast immigration reform listening tour on Friday with a stop in Santa Maria for a roundtable discussion with Santa Maria’s faith leaders.
The faith community has been very active in pushing for immigration reform nationwide and discussing the moral obligation to keep families together and reform a broken immigration system.
“As comprehensive immigration reform continues to progress through Congress, I’ve been meeting with my constituents up and down the Central Coast to discuss the many different components needed to make sure comprehensive immigration reform works for the Central Coast,” Capps said. “I’m looking forward to discussing the importance of immigration reform to ensure that families are kept together and we preserve the dignity of all of our friends and neighbors in Santa Maria.”
The roundtable discussion is the latest stop on Capps’ immigration reform listening tour on the Central Coast. Earlier this month, Capps met with faith leaders in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara to discuss immigration reform.
In February, she met with local business leaders and members of the faculty and administration at UC Santa Barbara to discuss the impact of high-skilled immigration on the economy of the Central Coast. Earlier this year, she met with nonprofit immigrant advocacy groups in Santa Maria, where the discussions focused on the family and community impacts of today’s broken immigration system.
Those scheduled to meet with Capps include Marielena Sandoval, director of the Religious Education Programs, and the Rev. Abelino of Saint John Neumann; Jesus Estrada of the Binational Oaxacan Center; Natalia Bautista, a representative of the Oaxacan community; Jose Guzman of Santa Maria Community Health Centers; David Jimenez, pastor at Newlove Christian Church; and Joshua Allen of World Indigenous Missions.
— Ashley Schapitl is press secretary for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.