By: Pat Hernandez

Some two dozen people carrying signs that read GIVE US A VOTE ON CITIZENSHIP and TIME IS NOW, rallied outside Representative Poe’s office on North Post Oak. Melissa Miranda is with the group MI FAMILIA VOTA. She says they can only speculate on why no action has been taken a year after the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan immigration bill:

"You know it’s empty promises, we think it’s political games. It’s partisan gridlock, but we’re here to urge him to give Speaker Boehner a call, to tell him to stop ducking the issue," said Miranda. "79% of his district supports comprehensive immigration reform."

The Senate passed sweeping immigration reform last year, that she and many other supporters see as a pathway to citizenship for the thousands of undocumented immigrants here in Houston:

"It wouldn’t be amnesty, it’s not blanket amnesty. So there’s a lot of elements to the bill, and it’s the best bill that we got so far."

But Miranda says that Poe and the GOP lead House have yet to broadly debate the issue:

"He claims to be a supporter of immigration reform, but his actions have shown otherwise. So right now, his statements, every thing that he said are empty promises, and so that’s what they will remain empty promises."  

Efforts to get a comment from the Congressman were not successful, but Poe has said in the past that he does want immigration reform. The rally was similar to protests across the country.