Commonsense immigration reform at the national level must “offer a short and direct path to citizenship for all aspiring citizens already in the United States.” That was the first of six broad principles adopted by Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, a new organization of more than a dozen community groups that gathered in Northern Virginia last Saturday. A diverse assembly of more than 100 activists came together to plan for their campaign to convince members of Congress to support “true reform” of our immigration laws that respects the dignity of every individual, strengthens families and builds a stronger economy that protects workers' rights and meets the state’s needs for a trained workforce by providing access to education for all.

“A path to citizenship is not negotiable. That we will stick with all the way through,” declared Walter Tejada, chair of both the Arlington County Board and the National Association of Counties Immigration Task Force. Tejada addressed participants about the importance of community organizing to support comprehensive immigration reform and coordinated one of six breakout sessions to plan for systematic lobbying of Virginia’s U.S. House of Representatives delegation.

Attendees at the coalition’s founding meeting agreed to participate in a wide range of activities, including mobilizing Virginia residents to join the April 10 national march in Washington, D.C. Coalition members also will hold house parties to inform their neighbors about critical aspects of immigration reform, sponsor events to educate fellow members of their religious congregations and distribute informational material door to door. A speakers bureau will spread the word, including stories about how courageous young DREAMers have been working to improve their access to educational resources. In Congressional District 11, represented by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), concentrated effort will be made to mobilize young people. A communications committee will set up a listserv to track neighborhood activities across the state.

Initial sponsors of the coalition include the ACLU of Virginia, Centreville Immigration Forum (CIF), Just Neighbors, the Legal Aid Justice Center’s Immigrant Advocacy Program, the League of United Latin American Citizens Council 4609, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, Social Action Linking Together, the Tenants and Workers United worker center, Virginia Organizing, the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO), the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and Virginia New Majority. Plenary sessions at the meeting were led by Edgar Aranda-Yanoc, VACOLAO chair. The VACOLAO Facebook page contains an up-to-date record of their campaigns for immigrant rights.