Key African-American leaders and groups are joining the Hispanic community in pushing for immigration reform, creating a unified front in the desire to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers.
A coalition that includes the NAACP, SEUI and groups that specifically focus on the needs of black immigrants will head to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a day of speeches and lobbying that will include visits to the “Gang of Eight,” the bi-partisan group of senators who are formally writing the immigration legislation.
“We’ve seen an attempt to reverse the gains made by the civil rights movement through the anti-immigrant movement, and now it’s time to put a decisive end to the regressive politics that only further disenfranchise and criminalize communities of color. The time for full citizenship for all is now,” said Opal Tometi, national coordinator of the Black Immigration Network, which is involved in the events on Wednesday.
The organizers specifically want to highlight the estimated 400,000 black immigrants (part of 11 million people overall, most of whom are Latino) who don’t currently have legal status and show that immigration policy is not purely an issue for Hispanics and Asians. The black immigrants face many of the same challenges as other groups and could benefit from the changes sought by President Obama and Democrats, who want to grant these immigrants legal status so they no longer would fear deportation and could eventually become American citizens.
The event illustrates the wide breadth of support for immigration reform among virtually all parts of the Democratic Party. But the challenge for it to pass remains congressional Republicans, many of whom cast the provisions Obama supports as rewarding illegal behavior and “amnesty.”