Women leaders rally at Congressman McCarthy’s district office, demanding he bring immigration reform to a vote
Action in Bakersfield seeks to fuel national immigration debate
by urging third most powerful House Republican to action
**Immigration experts, impacted women & families, and women’s organizational leaders available**
Bakersfield, CA − Women and families from California’s Central Valley, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area will converge in Bakersfield on Wednesday, Nov. 6, to demand that House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy take immediate action to bring a comprehensive immigration reform bill to a House vote.
Despite the will of his constituency and despite three members of his party moving forward to support a comprehensive bill (Jeff Denham, R-Calif.; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; and David Valadao, R-Calif.), McCarthy has failed to take action to move this bi-partisan issue forward.
Wednesday’s action seeks to change this. More than 100 people will take place in the protest, including immigrant women who bear the brunt of the failures of the current immigration system. The action kicks off three days of women-led coordinated actions in key Republican House member districts across the country. These actions constitute the escalation of women-led action for immigration reform, in which women across the country have been mobilizing for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and addresses the unique needs of women, children and families.
DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013
TIME: 12:30 PM PST
WHERE:Outside Rep. McCarthy’s Office, 4100 Empire Drive Suite 150 Bakersfield, CA 93309
WHO: Immigration activists, experts, and impacted women including:
· Lupe Larios, United Farm Workers of America
· Angelica Salas – Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
· Karina Muñiz- Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA)
· Aparna Shah- Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV)
VISUALS: Women with “Women Demand Immigration Reform!” T-shirts and signs, helium balloon banner with message “Women to Republicans: Fair Immigration Reform Now!” Women taking direct action in front of Congressman McCarthy’s office and delivering a pledge card to McCarthy.
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The UFW, UFW Foundation, Campesina Radio Network, and the Cesar Chavez Foundation have been actively involved in pushing for comprehensive immigration reform through its ‘Con La Union de Campesinos Tendremos Papeles’ (With the United Farm Workers, we will get our papers) nationwide campaign. Last month, the farm worker movement delivered more than 8,000 signed letters and postcards collected from those working in California agriculture to House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s district office in Bakersfield urging him to push for a House vote. More activities are being planned for the month of November. To get involved, visit our website at www.ufw.org or call a UFW office in your area.
We Belong Together is 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. It is a campaign to mobilize women in support of common-sense immigration reform that will keep families together and empower women. Immigration reform is central to the fight for women’s equality. Millions of immigrant women who are part of the fabric of our communities, workplaces, and schools are blocked from achieving their full potential because of a broken immigration system.