Today (Tuesday) at 10:30 a.m.
Activists, farm workers gather at Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield office urging support for President Obama’s executive order
BAKERSFIELD—The United Farm Workers, UFW Foundation, immigration right activists and farm workers are peacefully gathering today (Tuesday) at 10:30 a.m. in front of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy district office urging him and other GOP members not to block President Obama’s executive action on immigration.
The Bakersfield action comes on the same day House Republicans are sponsoring committee hearings to criticize and attempt to dismantle the President’s administrative action offering relief from deportation to as many as five million immigrants. McCarthy and other House GOP leaders have repeatedly refused to schedule a vote on a bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate in June 2013 and would likely pass the House, thereby causing the President to use his legal authority by taking executive action.
By refusing to pass legislation and now focusing their efforts on trying to sabotage the President’s action, Republican leaders such as McCarthy risk compelling millions of immigrants to continue living in fear and exploitation, according to the UFW and UFW Foundation. House Republicans’ urge stricter border security, but recent data shows the overall rate of those entering the U.S. without proper documentation has significantly decreased over the last 10 years.
Farm worker Maria is a single mother of three daughters who would benefit from administrative relief and will be speaking at today’s event. Maria has lived in the U.S. for 17 years and recently wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to take an administrative action on immigration. The letter has been delivered to the President and to several of his Administration officials at personal meetings with the UFW. (See the letter below.)
Who: Farm workers, activists and supporters of the UFW, UFW Foundation and the Kern Coalition for Citizenship.
What: Gathering outside Rep. McCarthy’s office urging GOP leaders not to attempt to sabotage President Obama’s executive action on immigration.
When: 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 2, 2014.
Where: Outside Rep. McCarthy’s District Office, 4100 Empire Dr., Suite 150, Bakersfield 93309.
Dear President Obama,
My name is Maria and I’ve been in the U.S. for 17 years. I work in the fields harvesting table grapes. I’m from Earlimart, CA. It’s really sad for me that I haven’t been able to see my father in 17 years and my five siblings, whom have stayed in Mexico. It’s very necessary that immigration reform is passed because failing to pass immigration reform is affecting many families.
For example, I’m a single mother with three daughters and every day I awake up to keep fighting and working in the fields to keep my family moving forward. Yet, there’s always the fear that immigration (officials) will deport me. Please President Obama pass immigration reform.
Attentively, Maria
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