Hundreds participate in civil disobedience to escalate pressure on house republicans to pass Immigration Reform

(BMLTV) November 6, 2013 -  More than 500 people from faith, labor, elected officials and community organizations, including many undocumented families,  joined the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) for a rally in front of the Chicago office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

 The rally was intended to  pressure the Republican leadership of the US House of Representatives to quickly pass immigration reform, and demand that President Obama halt deportations that are destroying our communities and families.

Hundreds engaged in civil disobedience by blocking Congress Parkway to bring attention to the nearly 2 million deportations executed by the Obama Administration.  Among the hundreds  engaging in civil disobedience included:  Aldermen: Daniel Solis, Ariel Reboyras, Proco Joe Moreno, Rick Munoz, Rey Colon. Commissioners Jesus Garcia and Bridget Gainer, SEIU Local 1 President Tom Balanoff, and undocumented families.

Hundreds of immigration reform activists engaged in civil disobedience by shutting down the intersection of Congress and Clark, Chicago.

photo: justin carlson 

Since Election Day 2012, immigrant communities and advocates have been pressing Congress to pass immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US. This past October 5, immigrant advocates escalated their efforts to win citizenship for all this year with major mobilizations in more than 140 cities across the country.  On October 12, Chicago's march for dignity, respect, and justice for immigrants drew more than 10,000 participants.

 Although the US Senate has passed bipartisan legislation last June, House Republican leaders, including Deputy Whip Peter Roskam of Illinois, continue to hide.  As the House keeps stalling, 1,100 immigrants are deported each day.  In Illinois alone, 56,108 children have lost a parent to deportation in the last six years. While Latino and Asian families are being destroyed, Congressman Roskam and his GOP leadership colleagues have been deaf to their pain and unwilling to offer any useful solutions.

  

Among the organizations that took part in the rally where SEIU Local 1, SEIU Healthcare, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago, Korean Resource and Cultural Center, CCC, FIRM, PICO, ICIRR, Union for Reformed Judaism, Red de Oracion Evangelical Pastors, United Methodist Congregations, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, UNITE HERE, FEDECMI, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, CTU, Pax-Christi - Dupage County, Palatine Dupage Democrats, Jobs for Justice, Teamsters, UFCW, United Electrical Workers.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a statewide coalition of more than 130 organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. 

For more information you can visit the organizations web site at:

www.icirr.org.


by: admin