In February, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) suggested he could vote for a comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) bill. But earlier this month, he essentially voted to kill CIR by voting to pass an amendment to deport DREAMers. What a turn of events in the matter of just four months.
So this morning, local immigrant rights activists rallied outside Heck's new Henderson adjacent office to demand a 180 on CIR. And that's not all. Some special guests arrived with a special message for Rep. Heck.
One was Carla Hernandez. She's a DREAMer who's starting college and studying to become a physical therapist. She almost exclusively speaks English and only knows of life in Southern Nevada. Why did Joe Heck just vote to deport her?
Another guest was Aurora Aguilar. She herself emigrated from Cuba, while her husband came from Mexico. But because he crossed the border after tiring of the long lines and high costs (of "doing it the legal way"), he was deported. And as of now, ICE is barring him from living with his own family and watching his own children grow up.
However, we didn't just see CIR supporters gather outside Rep. Heck's office. Local "tea party" outfits also showed up to decry any type of CIR. And true to 21st Century Know Nothing form, they decried the myth of "amnesty".
The G-O-TEA base was out in full force this morning. And all Heck's staffers could tell both sides was to fill comment forms and view his latest video explaining his
Meanwhile, everyone continues to wait for Congress' next move on CIR. It just looks like both sides aren't waiting quietly.
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