Glimmer of Hope

Earlier today, immigrant rights activists gathered outside Rep. Joe Heck's (R) Henderson office. They asked for Rep. Heck to stand up and push for a vote on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). And to everyone's surprise, Rep. Heck came down himself to meet with the activists in the parking lot.

He first spoke with Denice. She explained to Rep. Heck why she and Jacinto (her husband) can't visit his family.



He then heard Victoria's story. She was separated from her mother when she was eight. She hasn't seen her mother since, and she's constantly had to live in the shadows as a DREAMer.



He also heard from Chris and Juan. Both recently signed up for DACA. Juan and his father have even been able to start their own pool maintenance business since then. They were on hand to represent the very people Joe Heck and other House Republicans voted to deport in June.



What a difference two months can make. Since then, Rep. Heck has (again) changed his tune on CIR. He even prayed with the crowd today.



At least today, it seemed like there was renewed hope all around. Rep. Heck agreed to come down and engage DREAM Big Vegas. Everyone discussed without screaming. Everyone even prayed together.

So will this translate into the long awaited House passage of CIR? We shall see. But at least for now, a glimmer of hope survives.

One Heck of a Meeting

Today, we're seeing another office visit. Once again, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) was greeted by DREAM Big Vegas. And this time, they came ready to pray.

And that wasn't all. There was another twist. This time, Rep. Joe Heck came down to pray and speak with the activists.





Denice, Victoria, Chris, and Juan all shared their own personal stories with Rep. Heck. Denice's husband can no longer visit his family in Mexico. Neither can Victoria, as she was separated from her mother when she was only eight.

Chris and Juan then explained to Rep. Heck how DACA has allowed them to actually work and live their lives without (as much) fear. Maybe this is why he's been changing his tune on the DREAM Act?








(Stay tuned here for video coming soon.)

Astrid was not even expecting this. It was a pleasant surprise that Rep. Heck came out to speak with the activists. At least there was dialogue today.

Perhaps it can continue...

Allow a Floor Vote.

Even with Congress in recess, there's still plenty of chatter on the latest and greatest manufactured crisis. Apparently, some Congressional G-O-TEA acolytes hate Obamacare so much that they're willing to shut down the federal government and wreck the global economy in order to take health care away from millions of Americans. And now, we're seeing yet another battle in the ongoing Republican Party civil war.

But what if this latest battle leads to an unintended consequence? What if Ed Kilgore is right and the (old yet) new (again) haute faux health care "scandal" on the radical right opens just enough space for just enough House Republicans to cross over and pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR)?

And that's not all. A few more House Republicans are changing their tune on CIR. And we're even hearing renewed discussion on using a procedure meant to sidestep "leadership" attempts to block legislation that can otherwise pass the House.

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Earlier this year, Reps. Mark Amodei (R-?) and Joe Heck (R-??!!) signaled willingness to support CIR. Yet since then, they've voted in lockstep with the rest of the G-O-TEA to derail reform (and deport DREAMers!). But even now, they still want to look like they "support reform".

So will they sign a discharge petition to bring CIR legislation to the House floor? Will they encourage more of their Republican colleagues to step forward and demand a vote next week? Right now, House Republicans (and their "TEA" fueled base) are the only ones preventing immigration reform from happening.

However, that can change. They can allow for the reunification of families, as well as more economic growth and even more budget deficit reduction. All they have to do is allow a floor vote. Will they?


Right now, we're hearing a whole lot of chatter over a whole lot of unproductive activity. We don't need any more manufactured crises on Capitol Hill. We do, however, need comprehensive immigration reform. And all House Republicans have to do to change this dynamics is allow a floor vote.

It's Not Right... But It's OK.

Yesterday, we discussed the increasingly complicated and convoluted politics of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in Congress. Apparently, the House now has its own CIR deal floating around... And threatens to (further) undo the incredibly fragile Senate CIR deal. The CIR debate in Congress has been... Well, it's been awfully ridiculous lately.

Yet as that's been going down, many activists continue fighting for reform and to stop the deportations. And in fact, something quite amazing happened at The Center last night. DREAM Big Vegas, PLAN, and allies decided to help local DREAMers obtain DACA status. Oh, and they did so with a drag show!







There was plenty of fierce fashion, fabulous lip synchs, great original singing, and more. Oh, and DREAM Big raised enough money to fund two DACA applications! And during the intermission, the audience had a chance to listen to the stories of DREAMers who've only known life in America and just want a chance to succeed like the rest of us.

What made last night's event even more poignant was the demonstration of the intersection of Southern Nevada's Latin@ community and Southern Nevada's LGBTQ community. Believe it or not, both co-exist. Both cooperate. Oh yes, and many people are part of both communities!

This is actually another reason why 21st Century Know Nothing hopes of wedging the two communities against each other will ultimately prove to be futile. Especially as the plight of LGBTQ immigrants reaches the forefront, there's renewed purpose to make comprehensive immigration reform truly comprehensive. And besides, we know the 21st Century Know Nothings have never had the best interest of either community at heart anyway.

In fact, our long held suspicion was pretty much proven true last night. The Grio's Joy Reid broke the story of a Heritage letter (remember them?) circulating among Congressional Republicans and demanding that they essentially stop governing at all so they can circle the wagons around the latest haute faux scandals in hopes of weakening President Obama politically. Oh, yes. That's right. And many Republican Congresscritters already look to be taking their advice.

Clearly, they haven't met Raffi or Julius. Both have been living in this nation nearly their whole lives. Both have been educated in Southern Nevada schools. And both want to obtain the American Dream. Yet because their families came to America undocumented, they've had to live in fear and in constant limbo. Raffi now has DACA status. And while it's better than nothing, not even that is 100% guaranteed to prevent deportation. And they're being forced to raise money for DACA fees because Congress hasn't passed the DREAM Act.



Raffi & Julius and Ricardo & Blanca are among the many reasons why Congress should finally be moving on CIR. And so are undocumented workers who deserve freedom from exploitation. And so are LGBTQ families who deserve freedom from a life apart. These people are real people. They deserve better, and so do we.

Yet as usual, the 21st Century Know Nothings and the Republican Party that they have way too much power over can't get their act together. So they're ready to kill CIR and focus all their attention on bludgeoning President Obama with fictitious scandals. As Whitney would say, "It's not right, but it's OK."

Well, it's not all that OK. It's just that, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would say, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Something must change. Immigration reform must happen. And if Republicans don't join the solution, they'll soon understand firsthand why the 19th Century Know Nothings didn't last long.

It's not right, but it's OK. Got that, Senator Dean Heller (R-46%)?

Remember the DREAM.

Yesterday, we saw something amazing. We saw thousands of people filling Downtown Las Vegas and demanding comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Even while some Republicans in Congress are trying to kill the bipartisan Gang of 8 CIR bill, protesters in Las Vegas and elsewhere were cautioning Congress against watering down the key principles of CIR.

There were probably somewhere around 5,000 demonstrators in Downtown Las Vegas last night. Don't believe me? Look at the crowd.





And then, listen to Ricardo. He's served in the military. He's been doing well in Congress. Yet for so long, nine numbers have been holding him back. And now, one sheet of paper continues to hold him back.





Blanca from DREAM Big Vegas also made the stage. She was a star student at UNLV. She led a sorority, and her "sisters" loved her. She wants to accomplish so much, but those same nine numbers have been holding her back. And she's been in America since she was an infant.

Senator Harry Reid (D-Si Se Puede) spoke up for Blanca, Ricardo, and all other DREAMers last night when he addressed the crowd. We're a nation of immigrants. Immigrants made this nation what it is today. And the time is now to give these people a chance, just like our ancestors were given a chance.







While Senator Reid was speaking, a tiny handful of "tea party" hecklers were trying to interrupt him. As you can see above, he figured out a way to handle them. Now, we all await Senator Dean Heller's (R-46%) response. Will he side with the rage and xenophobia fueled few? Or will he actually step across that aisle and give people like Blanca & Ricardo a chance to fulfill their dreams?

¿Sí Se Puede?

So far, there's already been plenty of progress on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Negotiations have been underway for several weeks, and an actual bill may emerge as soon as next week. And public support for CIR only continues to grow. Yet despite all the positive developments, challenges remain. Now, it's just a matter of whether sustained "tea party" opposition to CIR is enough to kill the bill.

CIR supporters in Las Vegas didn't want to take any chances. So they took to Las Vegas Blvd. and demanded action. OFA Nevada took part, along with AFSCME, Dream Big Vegas, PLAN, and other CIR activists.





Former community organizer Mike Litt spoke. He organized for CIR in 2006, so he remembers the heated political atmosphere of that time. He also spoke of his own family's experience with immigration.



Rozita Lee also spoke. She's advocated civil rights both here in Nevada and nationally for some time. And her family also has experience on matters of immigration.



We've always been a nation of immigrants. And unless you are a Native American, your ancestors were immigrants. This is the story of America.

Yet for the past decade, it's been an epic struggle to do anything to fix the broken immigration system and address the plight of the approximately 12,000,000 undocumented immigrants in America today. The status quo is unsustainable. Many large employers just see undocumented immigrants as cheap labor to exploit. And our economy is hampered by the constant backlog, arduous process, and other needless delays that plague the current immigration system.

That's why Congress seems to be getting serious about doing something on comprehensive immigration reform... But can Congress finally deliver this time? Nevada's own Senator Dean Heller (R) has hinted at it, along with Reps. Mark Amodei (R-Carson City) and Joe Heck (R-Henderson). So will their fellow Republicans finally agree to a deal? That remains to be seen.

And that's why OFA, Dream Big Vegas, and other activists took to the street this week.