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In June, the U.S. Senate passed an immigration reform bill. It wasn’t perfect, but it would put millions of undocumented people on the path to legalization. After it passed, a wave of excitement swept through our movement. Although the House has failed to take up the bill so far, our movement hasn’t stopped. It has continued to grow.
During the Congressional recess, the immigration reform movement participated in local Town Hall meetings held by Congress members. We held rallies and press conferences to push Republican Congress members to commit to vote “yes” when it comes to the floor of the House of Representatives.
Back to Business
At the same time our movement was gaining steam, we hit a bump in the road to Capitol Hill. Washington got consumed with international issues.
Now is the time to get back to business and work on pressing national issues–issues that directly affect working families right here at home. The Republican leadership needs to allow the immigration reform bill to come to the House floor. America deserves a vote.
‘Dignity and Respect’
Commonsense immigration reform is not just about bringing 11 million undocumented people out of the shadows. It’s also about economic justice.
Passing immigration reform would help working families in our ongoing struggle to have more good paying jobs. It would allow more people to be engaged openly in their communities and in the political process. Immigration reform wouldn’t just help undocumented immigrants–it would help us all.
Next up is the Oct. 5 National Day of Dignity and Respect. This will be a huge outpouring of support for immigration reform across the country. So far, 90 cities have signed on to participate by holding marches, rallies and other actions. In Los Angeles, the heart of our movement, the goal is to get 20,000 people into the streets demanding a vote on commonsense immigration reform. You can help us meet that goal.
Download a flyer about Oct. 5 and give it to your co-workers.
SEIU 721 members have been at the forefront of this fight from the beginning. But as much as we’ve already done, we need to do more. Workers have a big stake in this because we care about working conditions and lifting wages for all people. If our goal is to raise everyone up, then we will not fail.
–Oscar Valladares
LA County Department of Mental Health Worker,
SEIU 721 Executive Board Member
and Chair of SEIU 721’s Latino Caucus