Reformer Corner: Noella Oberlin
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An Immigrant Turned Immigration Reform Activist
Proving that sometimes we do need immigrants to get jobs done in America, Noella Oberlin, an immigrant from New Zealand, has emerged as one of the leaders of the immigration reform movement in her adopted state of Tennessee.
Noella has recently formed Tennessee Federation for Immigration Reform and Enforcement (TFIRE), inspired by her own immigrant experience and her anger over millions of illegal aliens demanding to be rewarded for breaking the law.
But even before founding TFIRE, Noella waged a sometimes lonely campaign to ensure that the immigration laws that she — and millions of other proud Americans followed in order to become citizens of this country — were upheld by federal, state and local government officials.
Noella has fought hard in Tennessee to win approval of tough state enforcement measures, similar to those passed in other states, by meeting with lawmakers in Nashville, the state capital. Twice, the Tennessee legislature passed state-based enforcement measures, only to see them vetoed by Gov. Phil Bredeson. Undeterred, Noella and TFIRE will be back this year to rally public support for a state bill modeled after Arizona’s Proposition 200.
Noella came to the United States in 1971. A U.S. Air Force veteran, she proudly wore her uniform as she became a citizen in 1975. Like millions of other Americans native born and legal immigrants she watched in dismay as law-abiding, hard-working people lost jobs as a result of illegal immigration while government officials turned a blind eye to countless abuses of our immigration system.
Together with others in Tennessee and across the nation, Noella is determined to make a difference in this important struggle for true immigration reform. Proving that sometimes we do need immigrants to get jobs done in America, Noella Oberlin, an immigrant from New Zealand, has emerged as one of the leaders of the immigration reform movement in her adopted state of Tennessee.
2/08
