Los grupos que defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos multiplican acciones de cabildeo en el Congreso para pedir a los senadores que introduzcan modificaciones al proyecto de ley de reforma migratoria que resolvieron comenzar a debatir el lunes.

Algunas de estas agrupaciones organizaron este martes un evento en salas del Congreso para pedir cambios al proyecto, menos de 24 horas despu?de que el Senado abriera formalmente el debate sobre una iniciativa de ley que es producto de un acuerdo de democratas y republicanos, con apoyo de la Casa Blanca.

Whereas, homeownership has been at the core of the American Dream, creating wealth, providing community stability and ensuring economic security for millions of Americans throughout the history of the United States; and

Whereas, approximately 3.4 million homeowners lost their homes in 2009, an additional 9 million homes are expected to be foreclosed by 2012 and an estimated 14 million home foreclosures will occur by 2014; and

Whereas, the current housing crisis has had a disproportionately destructive impact on Latino and black homeowners, reducing wealth, increasing joblessness and destabilizing communities of color; and

Whereas, the current housing crisis has caused an unprecedented loss of minority wealth of over $200 billion during the past three years, particularly in the West and Southwest regions of the country, and areas that have high rates of unemployment for blacks and Latinos, and leading directly to further job loss in the homebuilding and construction industries; and

Whereas, recent reports indicate that the housing crisis is still in an early phase and that the worst is still to come, with almost half of all U.S. homeowners expected by 2011 to be “under water” or owing more on their homes than they are worth; and

Whereas, the federal government’s efforts to ameliorate the current housing crisis has largely been ineffective, particularly those policies designed to modify home mortgages and help homeowners keep their homes;

1. Further, be it resolved, that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso believe that the Congress and the Administration should provide an additional $500 billion in stimulus funds to create more jobs, keep more families in their homes and reinvigorate the American economy, with the funding for this stimulus should be paid for by imposing a fee financial institutions that were bailed out by federal taxpayer money and through savings achieved by an immediate withdrawal of U.S. armed forces from Iraq; and


2. Further, be it resolved, that the organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso call for a foreclosure moratorium to go into effect for all homeowners who become delinquent with their mortgages due to loss of income, loss of employment, underemployment, or all homeowners who apply for a Make Home Affordable modification. Said moratorium will remain in effect until homeowners have either become employed, had a restoration of their income, are fully employed, or have been found ineligible for a Make Home Affordable modification. Homeowners found ineligible will be assisted in transitioning to affordable rental housing and other social services as necessary; and

3. Further, be it resolved, that the organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso will support and work to increase the number of U.S. Senate sponsors for S. 2969, The Homeowners Relief and Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2010 introduced by Sen. Bob Casey of PA. This bill will help to slow a second wave of foreclosures by providing $3 billion for loans up to 24 months for unemployed or underemployed homeowners who are at least three months behind on their mortgage payments and have received a notice that the holder of the mortgage intends to foreclose. This is the companion proposal to the one introduced by Congresswoman Maxine Waters in the House of Representatives that was included in H.R. 4173, The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, which passed the House of Representatives; and

4. Further, be it resolved, that the organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso call for a change in the bankruptcy law. This change would allow judges in bankruptcy court to modify mortgage loans including the reduction of principal and the refinancing of those notes at current prime rates. This change in the law would benefit approximately 600,000 families and would provide the legal coverage for servicers and incentive for private investors to modify mortgage notes held in mortgage-backed securities; and

5. Further, be it resolved, that the organizations represented by the delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso call for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the GSEs currently under conservatorship that hold nearly 20 percent of all the mortgage notes at risk of foreclosure, modify the 2 million mortgages they hold that are either delinquent, seriously delinquent, or in foreclosure. These modifications will include principal reduction in order to mark the value of the notes to current market values of the properties and rates will be set to prime thereby potentially avoiding the need to extend repayment periods to 40 years; and

6. Further, be it resolved, that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso call on Congress to enact financial reform legislation that directly addresses the excessive risks of financial institutions that was facilitated by deregulation, authorizes federal regulators to rein in and dismantle financial firms that are so large, inter-connected or risky that their collapse would put at risk the entire American economic system, and establishes strong and effective Consumer Financial Protection Agency.