In August 2011, the National Tequila Party Movement (woman led counter-movement to the extreme Tea Party Movement) hosted a Kansas Latin Get Out the Vote with the help of immigration reform community leaders who want to protect children and students via the DREAM Act.  Rep. Ponka-We helped the Tequila Party register brand new Latino voters.

Rep Ponka-We Victors is a Native American serving in the Kansas state legislature.  She is a sister to Mexican-Americans for life due to  her continued support for legal immigration reform.  This dynamic woman puts her money where her mouth is and knows immigrants help the farming and agricultural industry.  She believes all [wo]men are created equal.  (I would like to see this woman run for Governor some day).

For those of you who may not know who Kris Kobach is — he is the author of Arizona’s Draconian SB1070 law.  He has helped suppress voting rights for the elderly, the disabled and minorities. We were glad to see Ponka-We Victors courage and compassion for children and students rise to the occasion today when she put Kobach in his place.

More importantly, Kris Kobach has hurt the business and agricultural community in Kansas with his restrictionist and protectionist views with regard to our economy.  Kobach is putting the agricultural and business community in a pickle that reminds us of the Dixiecrats of yore.

A coalition of business groups will propose Kansas start a new program to help some illegal immigrants remain in the state so they can hold down jobs in agriculture and other industries with labor shortages, coalition representatives disclosed Tuesday.

Kris Kobach’s views are affecting large Kansas dairies and feedlots, too.

Here is what Ponka-We Victors communicated to Kobach.

From CJ Online:

The Legislature’s annual attempt to repeal a statute allowing in-state tuition for Kansas students without legal residency drew an emotional crowd to a House committee Wednesday.

Students who have lived in the United States most of their lives got choked up as they described the academic lifeline in-state tuition has provided to improve their lives. A counselor who works with such students in Wichita high schools shed tears as she showed legislators a scrapbook of success stories. Murmurs of unrest were heard in the gallery as one House member asked about the prevalence of illegal immigrants from gangs and drug cartels in American prisons.

But nothing drew a bigger reaction than when Rep. Ponka We-Victors, D-Wichita, wrapped up a series of questions to the bill’s chief proponent, Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

“I think it’s funny Mr. Kobach, because when you mention illegal immigrant, I think of all of you,” said Victors, the Legislature’s lone American Indian member.

The heavily pro-immigrant gallery burst into cheers and applause — a rare reaction in normally staid hearings.

Way to go, Rep. Ponka-We Victors!  For reminding people the basics of American history.

You can support this fierce woman legislator at www.votevictors.com

Arizona Humanitarian Concert and Music CD Launching April 5, 2013, in Support of Earned and Legal Immigration Reform

3-11-13
For Immediate Release
[email protected]

Shirl Mora James, President – Civil Rights and Immigration Lawyer

Phoenix, AZ — We are happy to announce the launch of a humanitarian music CD that pushes for earned and legal immigration.  We believe in communicating through art and music.  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once penned: “Music is the universal language of mankind — poetry their universal pastime and delight.”  Many of us have fond memories when it comes to lyrics we identify with in songs sung by the likes of Bob Marley, Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, Rage Against the Machine, Pink Floyd and so forth. How is it that a John Lennon or Marvin Gaye song has everlasting global and sustaining reach when they sing of peace or war?  We have come to the absolute conclusion that musicians and great writers are the ones who come up with memorably coined phrases and quotes leaving a lasting global ripple effect.

The Tequila CD consists of music created by new emerging Latino artists and poets across the country.  Throughout 2011 & 2012 the National Tequila Party Movement visited universities and cities in an effort to help get out the Latino vote pushing support for pro immigrant politicians.  We hosted tequila party rallies (countering the extremist tea party movement) in states such as Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, Nevada, Texas, Florida, New York, Indiana, Michigan, and more.  New emerging Latino artists performed at our tequila rallies and created songs with regard to the immigration movement.

A portion of our CD sales will go to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students since they have to approximately $575.00 for documentation fees + attorney fees, and the other portion of our CD sales will go to Mexican-American artists who helped contribute their talents to this important message.

Our goal is to communicate through music with regard to the humanitarian aspect of immigration.  Mexicans and other immigrants are not asking for a handout – they are seeking earned legal immigration reform.  Chicanos and American citizens are here to push the American Dream, and we know that when our Nation continues to be a Beacon and a light to the Globe – blessings come our way.

The launch of our Tequila CD will take place on April 5, 2012.  We will be having a concert to promote our CD in the heart of where the draconian anti-immigrant law originated.

Date:  Friday, April 5, 2013

Time:  7:00 pm

Location:The Lot -  1005 North Second Street, Phoenix, AZ.

For more information, contact:  DeeDee Garcia Blase – (480) 200-3748

Music taps into emotions of the human spirit and it also connects it to a memory.  The world is ready for new and emerging talented lyricists and musicians who are able to express ideas that embrace love, life, and positive political messages. Musicians who have a sincere concern for the direction of our nation ought to rise up — because the time is now for their message to be received by others in the most memorable medium possible.

They say Spanish is the language of love and it is wonderful to hear the fusion of English and Spanish music challenging hate and bigotry.

Artist of Tequila CD -- El Moises of Phoenix, Arizona

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they have adopted common sense policies that ensure our immigration laws are enforced in a way that best enhances public safety, border security and the integrity of the immigration system. As part of this approach, ICE has adopted clear priorities that call for the agency’s enforcement resources to be focused on the identification and removal of those that have broken criminal laws, recently crossed our border, repeatedly violated immigration law or are fugitives from immigration court. … In FY 2012, ICE removed 409,849 individuals. Ninety-six percent of these removals fell into one of ICE’s enforcement priorities, a record high.

Shirl Mora James, Civil Rights and Immigration Attorney and President of SOMOS INDEPENDENTS (formerly the Tequila Party a woman-led counter movement to the Tea Party) states:

The Obama Administration needs to ensure that all ICE field offices follow their current directives to focus on high priority removals.  Apparently there needs to be improvement in Arizona, or there would not have been an issue with regard to Erika Andiola and the detention of her mother and brother recently.  The good news is that the current directive did ultimately work in Arizona because her mother and brother have been released.   It is apparent that the Obama administration has redirected their resources to ensure the national security of our country.  (See graph and charts below).