This year, we joined in actions around the state advocating for commonsense immigration reform that offered a path to citizenship for the more than 11 million people living in America right now who are yearning to realize their own “American Dream.”
Immigration reform is an issue close to us. We see first-hand the struggles of our coworkers who have had to try and navigate the flawed and cruel system currently in place. A system that divides families and keeps people in limbo for decades.
Marie Youyoute, a CNA at Golden Living Center in Rosemont, is one of those people. Her mother left Haiti to work in America when Marie was very young and was separated from her family for 20 years. Hear Marie’s story in our video.
This summer, an immigration reform bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support, but the measure has stalled in the House. On November 12th, a handful of activists, including former SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina, occupied the Mall of America and fasted for 31 days in an effort to move members of Congress to act on immigration reform. Their story was followed by major news media outlets and recorded on their own website, Fast4Families.org.
The fasters were visited by political and social leaders, members of congress and even President Obama and the First Lady. In a Nov. 25th speech, President Obama mentioned the fasters and the need for immigration reform.
“Right now, I’m seeing brave advocates who have been fasting for two weeks in the shadow of the Capitol, sacrificing themselves to get Congress to act,” he said. “I want to say to Eliseo Medina, my friend from SEIU, and the other fasters who are there as we speak, I want them to know — we hear you. We’re with you. The whole country hears you.”
On Thursday, Dec. 12th, Congress went on recess without having addressed immigration reform. On Friday, the fasters concluded their action, but implored our leaders and all of America to continue efforts to reform our broken immigration system.
“I feel very fortunate that we touched the hearts of America,” Eliseo Medina said. “I think we managed to unify all sectors of our community. Even though Congress left town without doing comprehensive immigration reform, I think there is no doubt that they have to do something now. When they come back in January, they will have to … continue the act of creating a just immigration system.”
In 2014, we will take up the mantle of immigration reform and continue to push our leaders in Washington to enact this much-needed reform and bring 11 million people struggling in the margins of our society into the full embrace of citizenship.