LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Immigrant rights activists and Latino community leaders from across Southern California today announced the Initiative for Corporate Accountability and Immigration Rights (iCAIR), a new coalition aimed at holding media corporations responsible for supporting anti-immigration politicians while profiting from the Latino community.

The new iCAIR coalition was announced during a press conference in Los Angeles to coincide with the National Day of Action to Defend DAPA as May 19 was meant to be the day that immigrants would be eligible to apply for temporary protection from deportation through the new DAPA program; however, they can no longer do so because DAPA has been blocked because of lawsuits filed by 26 states against President Obama’s executive order.

“Today, we stand unified as a Latino community and call upon AT&T, DIRECTV and Comcast to end their support of DC politicians that are openly against immigration justice while still pandering to the Latino community as a customer base,” said Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of iCAIR and Latino community leader in Los Angeles. “These corporations should be held accountable for what is truly offensive to the Latino community by taking our money as customers but then funding anti-immigrant politicians behind closed doors. We urge these media companies to live out their public diversity commitments by ending this monetary support immediately.”

Media companies like AT&T, DIRECTV and Comcast that claim to be companies that value diversity and their Latino customers and employees and yet they fund and support politicians that are actively anti-immigrant and oppose immigration reform measures like DACA/DAPA. iCAIR was created to call attention to the blatant anti-immigrant efforts of these companies and move them to treat their Latino customers fairly by ending its monetary support of politicians that support racist and discriminatory actions.

The iCAIR coalition members include Hermandad Mexicana Transnacional, Frencte Civico Zacatecano, Alianza Hondureña de Los Angeles, Club Unidos Por Copala, Alianza Binacional Bracero Proa, Casa Nicaragua, Hermandad Community Centers, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Latinos Unidos LA Foundation, and Vamos Unidos USA.

For more information or to partner with iCAIR, contact us at [email protected].

FOR INFORMATION:
Juan Jose Gutierrez
213-276-4735
[email protected]