By Sam Fitz:
The scorching heat and humid air didn’t stop the more than 1,000 protesters from exercising their First Amendment right earlier this afternoon outside of the United States Capitol. As immigrants and advocates from across the country marched around the Capitol lawn in support of immigration reform, Republican House members met inside the Capitol basement to discuss their steps forward on the issue. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were able to hear the roar of the crowd.
The event started at around 2:30 p.m. when the large group of families and immigrants entered the main meeting point on the Capital lawn. The thunderous crowd’s shouts easily overpowered the hip-hop that was being played on the speakers. Chants like “GOP, remember, we voted in November!” and “undocumented, unafraid!” were repeated over and over again.
“We are one step away from history if the House Republicans and leadership come up with common sense immigration reform with a path to citizenship. That is why we are here today,” Jaime Contreras, vice president of the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, proudly exclaimed to hundreds of supporters. Contreras later went on to add, “This issue is supported by a wide majority of the public. Why are Republican leaders not listening to the people?”
These points surfaced repeatedly throughout the rest of the rally. Gustavo Torres, the director of CASA in Action, said, “If Congress fails to deliver on this electoral mandate, we will let them know at the ballot box.” Paula Rivera, who was noted as a rising leader at CASA, reiterated this later on by proclaiming, “When we vote in 2014 and 2016, we will vote for the leaders who supported our communities!”
At a time when the conventional wisdom is declaring that immigration reform is dead, there was an astonishing sense of optimism and enthusiasm throughout tireless crowd. These families and aspiring citizens have shown the guts and resilience to stand up and demand respect for their hard work and their humanity. While there were dozens of different chants throughout the rally, three words that define the movement’s hope and commitment were repeated more than any others: “Si se puede!” or “Yes we can!”
