FRESNO, Calif. – Protesters gathered on the corner of Herndon and Armstrong avenues in Clovis last week outside the district office of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The rally in Clovis was one of three being held to pressure McCarthy to pass immigration reform legislation awaiting approval in the House of Representatives. Protests were also held the same day outside McCarthy’s offices in Bakersfield and Washington, D.C.
“We want a bipartisan bill that will not only help people who qualify [to] legalize their status, but we also want to make sure that no people are left out,” said Giselle Gasca, an organizer with the social justice organization Poder Latinx.
The bill, H.R. 1511, would expand the Registry Act of 1929, a law that established a process for immigrants to apply for a green card. The revision aims to provide permanent residency to undocumented people who have resided in the U.S. for at least 7 years.
The program hasn’t been updated in 37 years, according to Rep. Zoe Lofgren, one of the authors of the bill.
The protesters said they planned to submit a petition outlining the importance of the legislation and its potential impacts on the national economy. But according to Gasca, the group was unable to set up a meeting with McCarthy’s offices in mid-August.
“You would think that with the House in recess right now, [McCarthy] would be speaking with his constituents,” said Gasca. “You’d think he’d be taking meetings. But we haven’t heard a word from his office.”
At their Friday rally, the group slipped their petition and a poster under the locked office door.
According to the protest organizers, the groups in Bakersfield and Washington were also unable to enter McCarthy’s offices to submit the petition.
McCarthy’s office did not respond to KVPR’s request for comment.
This story is part of the Central Valley News Collaborative, which is supported by the Central Valley Community Foundation with technology and training support by Microsoft Corp.
