Voces Unidas meets with U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen to update her on our communities

Voces Unidas on Wednesday joined Leadville-based nonprofit Full Circle in a meeting with Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen to share the organizations’ insights into what’s happening within our immigrant communities.

We had a good conversation about what we’re seeing, in particular in Lake County. We also had the opportunity to share some of the stories we’ve been collecting as we do more rapid response actions following reports about ICE activity.

Public opinion polls show that many people are deeply concerned and opposed to the current administration's heavy handed approach to immigration enforcement.

In our own nationwide 100-days Poll of Latino voters, respondents clearly favored legalization pathways for immigrants.

Latinos do want smugglers and drug traffickers to be brought to justice, but 60% of poll respondents are opposed to undocumented individuals being deported without an opportunity for a court hearing to determine if they’ve actually broken the law. 

And a resounding 78% said the administration should not target “long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records,” but instead should focus their time and efforts on those who pose a “legitimate safety and security threat” to our communities.

We know that’s not how immigration enforcement is happening now. Instead, many families are scared and worried about leaving their homes. 

Immigrant families deserve clarity, so that they can continue to contribute to our communities.

Next month Voces Unidas intends to take a cohort of community leaders to our nation’s capital where we hope to discuss more specifics with lawmakers, including to share our thoughts on various proposed changes to the law.

We believe that when lawmakers are passing legislation, they should hear directly from the people who stand to be most impacted by their actions. Our voices matter.

Voces Unidas continues to monitor immigration issues and proposals closely. 

If you want to report any abuses of ICE actions in our Western slope communities, call 970-340-8586.