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CREATED Mar. 24, 2014

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Over the next few weeks, people across the country will be fasting to show their hunger for immigration reform.

On Monday, a demonstration was held outside republican Congressman Joe Heck's Las Vegas office.

Only four people stood, holding signs, calling for a comprehensive immigration reform bill. But they said they represent only a portion of the 40 people in the valley who pledged to fast for 24 hours to make a point.

"We want to see a pathway to citizenship for those who are already here. Again, those folks are in the shadows, they're afraid to become productive members of the society," said Rob Telles.

Telles said it's that fear that brought out only a few people on Monday, but he said many others support change.

He pointed to last week's meeting at North Las Vegas City Hall,where about 200 people packed the room at a hearing before democratic Congressman Steven Horsford, focused on comprehensive immigration reform.

The group didn't just stand in the parking lot on Monday, they tried to take their message to Congressman Heck, visiting his office upstairs. But hewasn't in.

Behind closed doors, staff did meet with the group.

"I think we were able to get what our viewpoints were on the table," said Emily Ross with Fast for Families by Immigration Reform for Nevada.

Originally posted here:

Immigration reform demonstration held at Joe Heck's office

Politics 2014 Election

A new survey could ease Republican fears that proceeding with immigration reform would alienate GOP voters.

The poll, conducted by Texas Republican firm Baselice & Associates and paid for by the Michael Bloomberg-sponsored pro-reform group Partnership for a New American Economy, found that there is no measurable drop in voter turnout when comparing the immigration positions of three Texas congressional Republicans. The poll focused on three districts with GOP incumbents: Rep. Sam Johnson, who is supportive of immigration reform, Rep. Lamar Smith, who is against it, and Rep. Kevin Brady, who is on the fence. Support of or opposition to immigration reform didnt impact voter support at the polls, according to the survey.

The results cut against Republican concerns that passing immigration reform will keep their base voters away from the polls this fall, and indicates that the economy and the health care reform law are the key issues driving voters.

What we saw in the polling was that Texas Republican primary voters werent motivated to go to the polls on the issue of immigration reformfor or against. They were far more motivated to vote on Obamacare, said John Feinblatt, who chairs the Partnership for a New American Economy. But when they were asked their views on immigration reform very specifically, they were overwhelmingly supportive. This strikes directly at the myth that conservative GOP primary voters are anti-immigration reform,

But despite the findings, it remains incredibly unlikely that lawmakers will proceed with immigration reform before the midterm elections. House Republicans have declined to take up the comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate last year. Immigration reform was the sole policy recommendation from the authors of the Republican Partys so-called autopsy after the GOPs humbling 2012 defeats. The authors argued passage was needed to maintain the long-term viability of the GOP.

The full poll results are below:

Originally posted here:

Poll: Immigration Reform Wont Hurt Republicans

WASHINGTON, March 25 (UPI) -- House Democrats called on Speaker John Boehner to pass an immigration overhaul that has been languishing in the House since October, because they've run out of patience.

"Two hundred seventy two days," said Democratic Caucus Chair Xavier Becerra of California. "That's how long it's been since the Senate passed on a bipartisan basis its immigration reform bill."

"Throughout that entire time, House Republican leadership has not permitted one single vote on a common-sense solution to immigration reform," he said. "Not one vote."

Becerra, who also appeared with Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada, Joseph Crowley of New York and Judy Chu of California, said they would be circulating a discharge petition, in order to circumvent Boehner and force consideration of the measure.

"This is big, because we constantly hear those detractors of immigration reform say it's not good for our economy, it's not good for American workers, it's not a good deal for this country," Becerra said. "Their cheap talk is not good for this country, because they're keeping us from having $200 billion in deficit reduction, which we could use."

Becerra pointed to a letter from the Congressional Budget Office, sent Tuesday to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, that found the bill -- the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act -- would loosen the bottleneck on legal immigration and provide a pathway to legal status for immigrants already in the country. It also would reduce federal budget deficits by $200 billion by 2024, and $900 billion in the decade after that.

"We have the votes," said Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev. "Now we just need a vote."

HR 15

Continued here:

House Dems urge vote on immigration overhaul

Alice Hernandez, an Elkhart resident, has been waiting 10 years for her husband to have the opportunity to come back to the United States. She's been taking on raising her 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and being the sole breadwinner of her family alone, while her husband waits in Mexico. "Financially, it would be a lot different. I wouldn't be worried about losing my home, putting food on the table, not worried about retirement," she says.

The immigration reform group, "Fast for Families" visited the office of Representative Jackie Walorski Monday, in hopes for her to bring about a vote on immigration reform. The group has usually met in Washington D.C. where they protest and fast outside the offices of congresspersons.

"Fast for Families" has decided to take it one step further, in hopes to raise awareness and bring about a vote sooner. The group departed from Los Angeles on February 24. They have two routes a northern and southern route. South Bend is one of the stops on the northern route.

Group member Susana Sandoval says she's been working with mothers and children who have been separated from their families because of immigration laws. The Hernandez family is one of those she is helping. "It's a form of violence. There are over 1,000 people that are being deported on a daily basis. We're asking for that first step forward. We're asking congressmen to take that one step forward in order to help keep America one family. Regardless of their party affiliation, people should be able to raise their family."

The group marched outside Walorski's office and had a news conference in front of their tour bus. Several immigrants shared their story of how proud they were to be a U.S. citizen, and how other immigrants are looking to be granted that same luxury. Rep. Walorski was not at her office, in fact her press secretary Brendon DelToro tells FOX28 she was on a flight to Washington D.C. as the event was taking place. The group delivered 500 petitions from across the country, and the local area, to her office.

South Bend Deputy Mayor Mark Neal was there to meet the protestors, and told them, "South Bend is the sister city to Mishawaka. We are in Mishawaka. South Bend stands behind all that you stand for, and myself and Mayor Pete Buttigieg believe this is an important issue everyone needs to be aware of." Sandoval spoke for "Fast for Families" and asked Mayor Neal to participate in the group's weekly fast. Each Wednesday, participants give up one or more meals in honor of families going through the troubles of immigration laws.

Rep. Walorski was not available for a phone interview, but DelToro released a statement saying, "When the House considers legislation related to immigration, Congresswoman Walorski will take a careful look at each bill that is offered. As always, she encourages Second District Hoosiers to contact our office to convey their opinions on this issue."

Tune into FOX28 News at 10PM to hear more from the spokespeople of "Fast for Families" and a full statement from Rep. Jackie Walorski.

See more here:

Immigration reform group rallies at Rep. Walorski's district office

Area members of the Texas Farmers' Bureau were in Washington last week to speak on behalf of immigration reform.

Bureau State Director Russell Boening, who runs a dairy farm just south of San Antonio, said recent shortages in labor have forced his hand.

I need Congress to act to fix the broken immigration system the sooner, the better, Boening said at the nation's capital. After years of avoiding the issue, some (politicians) in Congress now say they support reform just not this year. That might make sense politically, but it's disastrous for my business."

While proposed legislation such as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act has been on the national radar the last few years, no major national or Texas policy changes have since been made been made on an issue that has dominated political debate for much of the last decade, according to farm bureau officials.

In a phone interview later that day, Boening explained that increased deportations, the draw of oil jobs from Eagle Ford and the fluctuations of the farming industry have all contributed to a labor shortage of immigrant workers living in south San Antonio and surrounding counties such as Atascosa and Wilson.

Farmers employ many people, legal immigrants and those with work visas, who do jobs (other) Americans can't or don't want to do, the Floresville dairy farmer said. So for us, immigration reform has to fix things like border security, but it also has to (ensure) programs like the work visa remain protected.

Boening said he's talked with politicians at all levels of government about immigration reform, and while the talks have been mostly positive, no one has committed to anything substantial.

Everybody tells me, 'we need to do something', Boening noted. But what does that mean? When are we going to do it? How far are we going to go?

U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, who represents part of San Antonio, said in a statement that he also supports the work visa program.

I have had many conversations with agriculture groups in Texas, including the Farm Bureau, about reforming our broken immigration system to include a guest worker plan for farm workers, Cuellar wrote. As a state that relies heavily on agriculture, Texas would benefit greatly from legislative reform that creates a stable visa system for farm workers.

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Texas Farm Bureau pushes immigration reform in Washington