Long Beach congregations hold health care & immigration reform forum

September 02, 2009

On September 1, 200 Long Beach residents gathered at St. Anthony's Catholic Church Hall, a member of Greater Long Beach Interfaith Community Organization (ICO) to participate in a community forum on health care & immigration reform.

Community members like Ramon Mendoza gave testimony about the need for health reform legislation this year.  Mendoza pays over $900 a month on health premiums and out-of-pocket expenses to fight cancer.  Reina Mansilla came to share that she has never received health insurance from her employer even though for the last seven years she has worked as a long-term custodian for the Long Beach Unified School District.  People wanted to know how their representatives were going to keep the health care reform effort moving forward this fall.

Immigration testimony was shared about people being threatened and exploited by labor contractors and the heartbreak for a mother to see her son complete high school here in Long Beach but unable to get employment because of legal status.   Neary Nuth told of risking her life to get her son out of Cambodia in the 1980's only to see him facing deportation back to Cambodia for minor offenses as a teenager here in Long Beach.  People wanted to know what was being done in Washington DC to fix our broken immigration system.

Photographs from the ICO action are available at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/longbeachico/show/