Hunger strikers from “Fast for Families” stood on the steps of the State Capitol Friday (March 14) as part of a national tour to urge Congress to support immigration reform legislation. Calling on GOP Rep. John Kline to help persuade Speaker of the House John Boehner to allow the Senate immigration reform bill to be voted on in the House, the hunger strikers stood with local politicians, community leaders and activists to push for change.
According to Rudy Lopez, who (along with the other hunger strikers), didn’t eat for 22 days last Fall in the nation’s Capital, the hunger strike was aimed at lifting up the urgency of immigration reform. Right now, the majority of Americans support immigration reform, according to Lopez. “If a vote were called, it would pass the House,” he said. However, Boehner has refused to bring the issue to a vote, so the activists hope to persuade other members of Congress to “impress Boehner to take action,” he said.
Though recent executive actions by President Obama are encouraging, Lopez said they aren’t complete and are only temporary. “If Congress doesn’t act, the President has a responsibility to act,” he said. At the same time, “We’d like Congress to act comprehensively.”
According to Lopez, Boehner has talked about wanting to take immigration step by step, “but every step-by-step process starts with the first step,” Lopez said.
Read more here: http://theuptake.org/2014/03/19/hunger-strikers-pass-immigration-reform-now/
