On Tuesday August 29, 2006 FLOC members and supporters as well and NW Ohio growers took over a
Town Hall meeting called by Congressman Paul Gillmor and challenged the Congressman on his vote for
the infamous antiimmigrant HR 4437.
One by one, FLOC members, supporters and growers stood up and questioned the Congressman on his
vote. Different aspects of the bill were raised by different participants. Did he know that growers in his
District had to disc their fields because of lack of enough workers this harvest season? Why is Congress
creating this chaos, with fields spoiling and families breaking apart, such as the tragic case of Elvira
Arellano and her son in Chicago? Why is he trying to criminalize employers? Where is Congress, where
are the Minutemen, when cucumbers need to be picked? Why is Gillmor only listening to the voices of
intolerance and racism to make decisions on immigration reform?
Participation of the group forced Congressman Gillmor to recognize at the meeting that HR4437 was not
the right bill to address the current reality, and for the first time he spoke about the need for a
comprehensive approach to immigration reform. Unfortunately, this is after his vote for HR4437, an
enforcement only approach. However, his answer may be in indication that the House may now be more
willing to consider a different approach to immigration reform, certainly a victory for the millions of
supporters of just immigration reform who took to the streets in March, April and May Day. FLOC delivered a letter to the Congressman requesting his office to work with farm workers and growers on this issue.
CALL FOR A MORATORIUM ON ALL RAIDS AND DEPORTATIONS
Immigrant supporters are calling for a Moratorium on all raids and deportations until Congress acts to
resolve the issue of immigration reform in a comprehensive way that protects the rights of immigrant
workers and their families.