California’s ‘Keeping Families Together’ bus tour, calling for immigration reform, makes its final stop in Bakersfield
Families, local leaders and immigrant advocates call on Rep. Kevin McCarthy to support immigration reform legislation.
Bakersfield, CA − The California "Keeping Families Together" bus tour – which is part of a nationwide campaign urging lawmakers to enact a new immigration process that includes a roadmap to citizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants – is making its final stop Wednesday in Bakersfield.
Two concurrent bus tours will be traveling across the Golden State covering hundreds of miles and stopping to meet with local residents, elected officials, and special guests, such as Dolores Huerta and NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez. The northern California delegation of the tour, which started in San Jose on Sunday, and the Southern California group, which departed Monday from Los Angeles, will culminate the tour when they meet for a rally on Wednesday, March 6, in Bakersfield starting at 1 p.m. in Yokuts Park, 4200 Empire Dr.
After the rally, a coalition of local labor leaders, immigration advocates, families of undocumented immigrants, farm workers and other community members will be visiting U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House majority whip, at his Bakersfield office to ask for his support.
"We need Congressman Kevin McCarthy to lead the effort within the GOP for a new and just immigration process that works for America. Farm workers who feed our nation and many others have earned the right to be considered for citizenship," said Diana Tellefson, United Farm Workers national vice president and UFW Foundation executive director. Over half of the approximately 2 million seasonal workers on U.S. farms and ranches lack authorized immigration status.
WHAT: California’s "Keeping Families Together" bus tour makes final stop in Bakersfield.
WHEN: Wednesday, March 4, 2013 at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Yokuts Park, 4200 Empire Dr., Bakersfield, CA, 93301
WHO: Immigrant families, union workers, DREAM students, faith community leaders, and immigrant advocates and supporters. Speaking at the event will be:
Diana Tellefson Torres, Executive Director of the UFW Foundation,
Bishop Marvin Prichett, Interfaith Blessing
Pastor Saul Gonzalez, Asst. Superintendent for Delano Unified Schools
Angelica Salas, Executive Director at CHIRLA
Dolores Huerta, Dolores Huerta Foundation
NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez
Roberto De La Cruz, SEIU International
"Keeping Families Together" is a national effort in 19 states and 90 cities, involving more than 100 Congressional districts, 38 U.S. Senators, and 582 families impacted by the broken immigration system. The tour will travel 20,000 miles and end March 13 in Washington, DC where 150 families, representing the 1,500 immigrants deported daily, will meet with Senators and House Members. The campaign is sponsored by Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and local coalitions like the Kern Coalition for Citizenship in California. The Kern County Coalition for Citizenship is comprised by United Farm Workers of America, UFW Foundation, La Campesina 92.5, CWA, CA Partnership, SEIU 521, Mi Familia Vota Education Fund, Dolores Huerta Foundation, CSUB United Now for Immigrant Rights (UNIR), CSUB MECHA, Unidad Popular Benito Juarez (UPBJ), SEIU International, California Faculty Association – Bakersfield Chapter, CHIRLA, Center for Community Change (CCC).
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