It’s the third week of August recess, and advocates across the country are continuing to drive momentum for immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. Twenty-four House Republicans have now come out in support of citizenship, largely due to constituent pressure at the grassroots level. Not only are supporters of immigration reform winning August, but the opposition is losing, as Molly Ball at the Atlantic wrote this week.
In the last seven days in grassroots action for immigration reform across the country, we’ve seen:
- The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice prayed with Rep. Spencer Bachus (AL-06) just before the Alabama Republican (!) gave a stirring defense of immigration reform at a town hall
- The PICO Network and Organize New Mexico delivered petitions to Rep. Steve Pearce (NM-02) at a town hall in new Mexico
- Promise Arizona and others rallied outside a joint town hall held by Reps. Paul Gosar (AZ-04), Matt Salmon (AZ-05), David Schweikert (AZ-06), and Trent Franks (AZ-08)
- Virginia Organizing demonstrated outside of a Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-06) town hall, where the House Judiciary Chair revealed that he does not support citizenship in immigration reform, even for DREAMers
- The Midwest License to DREAM tour from Voces de la Frontera traveled to Green Bay, Fond Du Lac, and Pewaukee
- Meanwhile, the PICO California pilgrimage to Bakersfield traveled through Madera, California, while the United Farm Workers went back to Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (CA-22) district to ask for his support on immigration reform
- Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith leaders gathered in Staten Island with Make the Road New York to show that all kinds of Americans (88% of them, in fact) support immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship
- In Dallas, Texas, advocates held a prayer vigil asking Reps. Pete Sessions (TX-32) and Joe Barton (TX-06) to lead on immigration reform
- Elsewhere, advocates pressured Reps. Peter Roskam (IL-06), Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08), and Ted Poe (TX-02) to support immigration reform and citizenship
- Advocates also thanked Reps. John Carter (TX-31) and Joe Heck (NV-03) for their support of a pathway to citizenship.
- DREAMers and immigration reform advocates in Arizona and New York also held a series of civil disobediences this week, including one in which DREAMers stared down a bus carrying scheduled deportees for two hours in the middle of the night, before the bus was forced to retreat. Sixteen activists in Arizona and New York were arrested and eventually released. You can view those powerful pictures here.
View photos from the last week in immigration reform across the country below. Also view pictures from this summer in immigration reform here.
