Several immigration activists are fasting on the National Mall in order to protest the inaction of the House on the immigration reform bill. President Obama and the First Lady visited these activists on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
President Obama appreciated their efforts and said that his administration is proud of them. He is sure of getting immigration reform done this year and he told them that there is still time in the legislative calendar for the House to pass the reform legislation.
House Speaker John Boehner is not willing to bring the bill, that is backed by the Senate, to the floor of the House for a vote. The members of the House and Boehner are in favor of a piecemeal approach and they do not want to approve a comprehensive bill.
Organizers of Fast for Families have also requested the citizens of the United States to urge the House Speaker to back the Senate bill. It is evident that the bill that has been passed by the Senate, and that has White House support, would legalize the undocumented immigrants and stiffen border security.
These activists have planned to fast for 40 days. Many others in the country have also joined them and have committed to fast, for a few hours or days, for immigration reform. Conservative Republicans are still against the immigration reform bill with a path to U.S. citizenship. They do not want to reward those who broke the country’s laws and grant them amnesty.
Vice President Joe Biden also visited the activists in the last week and prayed with them. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Labor, Tom Perez, Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Muñoz and Senior Advisor, Valerie Jarrett are the other members of the Obama administration who visited the activists who are fasting for immigration reform.