For Immediate Release: February 24, 2024
Media Contact: Carliana Harris, [email protected]
Pictures and Videos of event here
ATLANTA, GEORGIA- CASA, the national immigration advocacy organization, hosted a Community Day of Action at the Georgia State Capitol on February 22, 2024. The event aimed to shed light on three crucial priorities: Driver Permits for all, housing and tenant rights, and Medicaid expansion.
One of the focal points of the event was SB 478, the Freedom to Drive Act, which the Sponsor of the Bill,Senator Nabila Islam, advocates passionately. “This isn’t just legislation,” Islam emphasized. “It’s about giving our immigrant neighbors the keys to unlock their full potential, allowing them to drive, work, and live with dignity.”
Maria Torres, a CASA member, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the vital importance of driver permits for individuals like herself who often work multiple jobs to make ends meet. “As an immigrant, having a driver’s license is vital, especially for people who have 2 to 3 jobs. For us, it is necessary to have many jobs because of the cost of living. We also need a driver’s license, because mass transit is not always convenient. For people who work late at night, safety is another issue while waiting for mass transit. We immigrants work hard and contribute to the economy of this country. We just want reliable transportation to work and live.”
Senator Jason Esteves, Co-Sponsor of the Freedom to Drive Act Bill, underscored its significance in unlocking opportunities for immigrant communities. “What the Freedom to Drive Act does is unlock potential for the immigrant community, regardless of your status in this country, to live and drive, which is ultimately what we all want for our families,” Esteves stated.
The lobby day also shed light on the pressing issue of housing rights, with members like Yolanda López sharing personal experiences. López, originally from Acapulco, Mexico, and residing in Dekalb County for the past eight years, spoke passionately about the challenges faced by tenants. “I come to raise my voice as a tenant for fair housing,” López said. She recounted a distressing experience where her family endured extreme heat due to a malfunctioning air conditioning unit in their apartment, highlighting the urgent need for legislation to protect tenants from such conditions.
Another issue important to the attendees was the urgent need for accessible healthcare. Access to healthcare is a huge hurdle faced by immigrant communities. Maria Lopez, a resident of the United States for 23 years, shared her personal struggle with mental health issues due to lack of access to medical insurance. “I come from Mexico and have been in the United States for 23 years and have experienced mental health problems without access to health insurance,” López stated. “We are living in difficult times and are seeing price increases for drugs, medical studies and treatments.” She underscored the vital importance of health, both physical and mental, for immigrants to thrive. “We come as undocumented immigrants, but we come to work and to have a better life. In order to have that better life, we have to be able to work and be in good health! Both physical health and mental health.”
CASA members engaged with representatives at the Georgia State Capitol, advocating for policies that address these critical issues affecting immigrant communities. The Community Day of Action served as a platform for dialogue and advocacy, amplifying the voices of those often marginalized in policy discussions.
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With over 155,000 lifetime members across 46 US states, CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in the working-class: Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities. CASA creates change with its powerbuilding model blending human services, community organizing, and advocacy in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of members. www.wearecasa.org