Regional
(2010-06-23)
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DENVER, CO
(KUNC) -
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will headline a meeting of Latino elected officials from around the country Thursday in Denver. The Secretary's visit comes as Colorado Latino activists continue to push for comprehensive immigration reform.
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Napolitano will speak Thursday morning at the annual conference for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. The Los Angeles-based group's executive director Arturo Vargas says the meeting comes amid a challenging time for Latinos, and he says Latino voters in western states are more mobilized than ever.
"I think immigration has surfaced to the top of everybody's agenda with the crisis occurring in Arizona, with the passage of that law which we believe is unconstitutional," Vargas says.
The association will release a poll Friday sampling the pulse of Latino voters in four key states with four key races this fall - California, Florida, Texas and Colorado. Vargas says preliminary results show that immigration reform is tops on the list for most, and that turnout may be just as high in 2010 as it was in 2008.
Latino voters helped get Democrats elected in the West two years ago, though it's hard to predict whether they'll be the party of choice this year.
Democratic Governor Bill Ritter touched on the issue during a news conference staged to kick off the annual meeting Wednesday.
"What an important voice it is for all of America, that the Latino community understand their own power, and their own ability to move this country in a good and positive direction," Ritter said.
Ritter and other leaders will take part in a health care town hall. Secretary Napolitano is expected to speak on immigration and the Obama Administration's recent request to Congress for more border security. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis will also speak Friday, before the conference wraps up.
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