From the Border to the Nation: BNHR Convenes Regional Leaders, Elected Officials in New Ellis Island Virtual Border Policy Summit

WHAT: New Ellis Island (NEI) Virtual Border Policy Summit. Press will have an opportunity to ask questions at the culmination of each panel through moderated Q&A sessions.

WHO: Hosted by BNHR and featuring the participation of border residents and experts, including the following officials and organizations, among others:

Officials

U.S. Rep Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
Arizona State Rep. Charlene Fernandez
Arizona State Sen. Rosanna Gabaldon
Arizona State Se. Martin Quezada
Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso Mark J. Seitz
Commissioner of El Paso David Stout
Former Texas State Sen. Jose Rodriguez
Consul Emeritus of Honduras Tony Banegas
Sheriff David Hathaway of Santa Cruz County, AZ
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)-Invited

Organizations
Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance (RITA)
La Unión Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
Human Rights Watch
ACLU of Texas
Texas Civil Rights Project
Washington Office on Latin America
Rice University’ Baker Institute for Public Policy
Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC)

WHERE: Register for the online event here.

WHEN: Friday, July 23 from 9 AM to 3 PM (MT)

On Friday, July 23, border stakeholders will convene at the New Ellis Island (NEI) Virtual Policy Summit to explore the challenges at the southern U.S. border and discuss concrete and meaningful solutions to build a roadmap of welcoming for the entire nation.

The solutions-based event organized by the Border Network for Human Rights will include several panel discussions led by border residents and experts tackling a diverse array of topics, including creating a welcoming and orderly border, increasing law enforcement transparency and accountability, promoting economic opportunity and growth at the border, and combating policies designed to prevent border communities from thriving.

“In a moment where the voices of border residents are being drowned out or ignored by many politicians and lawmakers who prefer to use our communities and struggles as pawns in their political game, the New Ellis Island Virtual Border Policy Summit provides a much-needed platform to elevate policy solutions from the border, for the border, and discuss strategies to build a more compassionate and humane border and immigration system,” said Fernando Garcia, executive director of BNHR. “Last month on Juneteenth, BNHR united Black, Brown, and immigrant communities throughout the border region at the 8th edition of our ‘Hugs Not Walls‘ event which brought families together on the Rio Grande who have been separated by inhumane and unjust immigration laws. This week’s summit is an opportunity to find real policy and administrative solutions to end the suffering of those same families and thousands more, and underscore the urgent need for changes to our draconian and outdated immigration laws.”

Press will have an opportunity to ask questions at the culmination of each panel through moderated Q & A sessions. Registration for the New Ellis Island Virtual Border Policy Summit is free and open to the public. The event will also be live-streamed to BNHR Facebook and Twitter pages.