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Immigrant Moms Launch 24-Hr Vigil Outside DNC, Get Arrested in Act of Civil Disobedience

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President Obama promised executive action on immigration before the end of the summer, but now that he has delayed making an announcement, DREAMers and immigration reform advocates are calling Obama and the Democrats out for not following through on relief.

Today, DREAMers with DRM Action and undocumented moms (the Undocumoms) held a vigil outside the Democratic National Committee to remind the President of his broken promise on immigration.  The moms hailed from all over the country — New York, Arizona, Virginia, Maryland, and Connecticut — and at one point sat down in traffic before being arrested in an act of civil disobedience.

Said some of the Undocumoms today in a press statement:

 “I am here because I don’t want to be separated from my grandchildren, who are all citizens. The President should keep his promise and allow us to stay together as a family,” said Teresa Galindo, a 70 year-old Staten Island undocumented mother and grandmother who has been living in the U.S for 26 years.

 Mayra Canales, a legal permanent resident from Mesa, Arizona, came to Washington to fight her husband’s deportation. “My husband is currently seeking refuge in a church because he can be deported anytime. My son, who has autism, misses his father. The President broke his promise to us.”

“I am here because I want Obama to keep his promise. I am here because of my family, as we need to hold accountable the Democratic party for putting their politics over people” said Maria Elena Apodaca, and Undocumom from Phoenix, Arizona.  

View some of the photos from today’s event below: