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<p class=style3 style='text-align:justify'><strong><b><font size=2
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
color:windowtext;font-weight:normal'>
September 25,
2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><strong><b><font
size=5 color=red face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:16.0pt;
color:red'>CISPES ACTION ALERT <u>UPDATE</u></span></font></b></strong><font
size=5 color=red><span style='font-size:16.0pt;color:red'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=5
face=Arial><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'>Join Union Leaders and Elected Officials by Taking Action NOW
to Demand that the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> Government Stop Denying
Visas to Opposition Voices!</span></font></b><b><font face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Go <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=267&Itemid=27">here</a>
for more background and information about how to respond<font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>;</span></font></span></font></b><b><font size=2><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-weight:bold'> go <a
href="https://chavez.mayfirst.org/cispes/">here</a> to help CISPES tell
Bush that Salvadoran Unionists Are Not Terrorists!</span></font></b><b><font
face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Since last week CISPES has been mobilizing people
to stop the Bush Administration’s latest abuse of immigration law
which would prevent foreigners from voicing opposition to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> policy. <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On September 20, in an effort to keep us from
hearing the truth about the growing opposition to the disastrous U.S.
economic program in El Salvador the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador denied
union leader Maria de los Angeles Pleitez Carcamo a visa to come on a
speaking tour of the U.S. </span></b>Check out the coverage of the
CISPES alert:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><a
href="http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/907/68/">http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/907/68/</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><a
href="http://www.tribunahispanausa.com/detallesdelanoticia.php?noticia=2163">http://www.tribunahispanausa.com/detallesdelanoticia.php?noticia=2163</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><b><i><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold;
font-style:italic'>Maria Pleitez: Threat to US Security or to Bush’s
Privatization Policies</span></font></i></b><b><i><font size=2><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>?</span></font></i></b><b><i><font
size=2 color=navy><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:
bold;font-style:italic'><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Pleitez is scheduled to participate in CISPES's
"We Are Not Terrorists, Organizing is Democracy!" tour from Oct
16-31. During the tour Pleitez will talk about her union's work to
stop the privatization of the public health care system and the increasing
repression that social movement and union leaders are suffering from the
Salvadoran government.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Embassy officials made the blatant political
nature of the visa refusal clear. Pleitez presented the U.S.
Consulate in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">San Salvador</st1:City></st1:place>
with an impressive array of documents, including proof of work, family
ties, and over a dozen letters of invitation from Congressional
Representatives and community groups. <b><span style='font-weight:
bold'>But the Embassy wanted to know about her political
affiliations. </span></b>The <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>
consular representative questioned Pleitez about her ties to CISPES and her
union work and concluded the interview by referring to the importance of <st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> security as the reason for her not
being allowed to travel in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Union leaders from the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
and elected officials have responded to the visa denial for the Salvadoran
unionist.</span></font></b><font size=2><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>
On September 24 the many officials and CISPES supporters who had written
the Consulate received a letter of response from Consul General Carl S.
Cockburn asserting that “It would be entirely irresponsible for
anyone to attach a political explanation to this matter, in the same manner
that it would be dishonest of an applicant to attribute to one of our
consular officers political comments that the officer would never
make.” <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>CISPES subsequently
responded to Mr. Cockburn and reiterated our belief that the rejection of
Pleitez’s visa was in fact political in nature.</span></b> <font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=268&Itemid=27">Click
here to see a copy of the CISPES response to the US Embassy</a></span></font>.<font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-weight:bold'>And <font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>t</span></font>ake action <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=267&Itemid=27">NOW
to continue demanding that the U.S. Consulate grant Ms. Pleitez a visa
immediately!</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>And finally, don’t forget to support the
important work <a href="https://chavez.mayfirst.org/cispes/">CISPES does to
bring the powerful voices of social movement leaders like Maria Pleitez to
the U.S<font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>.!</span></font> </a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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</span></font><span class=style21><font size=2 color=white><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>© 2007 CISPES - The Committee in Solidarity
with the People of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place></span></font></span><font
size=2 color=white><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:white'><br>
</span></font><span class=style21><font size=1 color=white><span
style='font-size:9.0pt'>CISPES National Office | ph. 202-521-2510 | 1525 <st1:City
w:st="on">Newton</st1:City> <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">St. NW</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Wash.</st1:State></st1:place> DC 20010 | <st1:PersonName
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