USA: Latin celebrities weigh in on immigration policy reform in America at the ALMA Awards

Record ID: 202867

  • Title: USA: Latin celebrities weigh in on immigration policy reform in America at the ALMA Awards
  • Date: 11th May 2006
  • Summary: CLOSE UP OF ACTRESS MARCIA CROSS ON RED CARPET
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA4N4YIKXVEN6VMV5NA3WPWSWJ6
  • Story Text: The national debate on immigration policy was on the minds of many celebrities in Los Angeles, California on Sunday (May 7) at the 2006 ALMA (American Latino Media Arts) Awards. The National Council of La Raza, the country's largest Hispanic advocacy organization, created the ALMA Awards in 1995 to honour Hispanic performers and promote positive images of Hispanics in entertainment.
    The show's host and producer, "Desperate Housewives star, Eva Longoria wore a white ribbon to show her support for immigration reform.
    "I think that America is defined by immigrants that is who we are, that is how it has always been. I am looking forward to finding a conclusion to how we are going to handle the immigration laws. I think we should always honour those that work with their hands because it is those people that make this nation a great nation," Longoria told Reuters.
    Fifteen award were handed out including a special honour to actor Andy Garcia, famous for such movies as "The Untouchables", and "Ocean's Eleven " Garcia took home the Anthony Quinn Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures.
    "I am a specifically a political exile and an immigrant to this country and my parents brought me here and we came here to make a positive...obviously for me was to be able to live freely in a free society. We came here to make a positive contribution to this country and all immigrants do that. This country has been built upon that kind of a statement by the immigrant communities that came from all over the world. For us as a country to ever deny that process or not embrace that process to me would be a sad thing," Garcia said backstage after accepting his award.
    Marc Anthony, who was seated next to his wife Jennifer Lopez, received the Celia Cruz Award for Excellence in Music for such hits as Grammy-nominated "You Sang to Me".
    "You know 55 year ago my mom and my dad came to this country from Puerto Rico and they were considered immigrants (audience clapping) and let me tell you something they did one hell of job raising my brothers and my sisters and all I have to say is that I would not change it for anything in the world. Who I am and this beautiful race I belong to," he said as he accepted the award on stage.
    Anthony also praised his wife, who sat in the audience with tears in her eyes. "I want to say, without further ado I want to thank my beautiful glorious bride. I love you so much. I love you so much. I wrote everyone one of those songs for you. You know that I love you," Anthony told teary eyed Lopez from the stage. Sunday's ALMA's, which means "soul" in Spanish, will air June 5 on ABC.
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