Central Americans Renew Call for Immigration Reform

Central American community leaders made a renewed effort Friday to get political leaders from both major parties to support an amendment to an immigration bill that would make it easier for more Central Americans to become legal residents.

The bill, now in the Senate, would amend the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act, which allows Nicaraguans and Cubans fleeing human rights violations to become legal immigrants, but does not do the same for Guatemalans, Salvadorans, Hondurans and Haitians.

The changes sought would affect more than 1 million people in the United States, more than half of them in Southern California, said Julio Villasenor, president of the Guatemalan Unity Information Agency.

“We think this is a good opportunity for Republicans and Democrats to join in a bipartisan effort to support a fair immigration,” said Carlos Vaquerano, executive director of the Salvadoran American Leadership and Education Fund.