Bakersfield, CA – Led by United Farm Workers National Vice President Erika Oropeza, an all-female delegation visited Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s office this morning to hand deliver heart-shaped cookies and letters asking him to “have a heart” and step up for a vote on immigration reform legislation that would allow new immigrants to adjust their legal status and eventually apply for citizenship.
"Families continue to be torn apart, with children and women suffering the most. Just in agriculture, which is the No. 1 industry in the Central Valley, women represent 40 to 60 percent of the labor force," Oropeza said.
"There is a comprehensive immigration bill currently stagnant in the House, and as House Majority Whip, Congressman McCarthy has the power to push his party’s leadership to schedule a vote. We’ll keep coming until we get his support," she added.
Bakersfield’s demonstration was in solidarity with 100 other women who risked arrest in an immigration reform civil disobedience action held in Washington D.C. earlier today. The D.C.’s women delegation included Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose). The event was organized by “We Belong Together,” an initiative of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, with the participation of women’s organizations, immigrant rights groups, children, and families across the country. The Bakersfield event was sponsored by the Kern Coalition for Citizenship.
‘Con La Union de Campesinos Tendremos Papeles'(With the United Farm Workers, we will get our papers) campaign: United Farm Workers, UFW Foundation, Campesina Radio Network, Cesar Chavez Foundation is mobilizing throughout the country urging House Republican leadership to make immigration reform a reality this year. This week, we’ll be reaching thousands in Phoenix through Hispanic Month celebrations to push for a vote on immigration reform legislation that includes a path to citizenship. To get involved visit our website at www.ufw.org or call a UFW office in your area.
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