WASHINGTON: Twenty immigration reform activists ended a fourth week of fasting just steps from the US Capitol building as they received support from top Democratic lawmakers.
About 200 people who participated in different stages of the hunger strike since November 12 ended it and the last 20 remained in tents pitched on the Mall, the grassy esplanade in the heart of the US capital city.
On a sunny, but chilly afternoon, several hundred activists marched and chanted from the Capitol, the seat of the US Congress, to pay tribute to the strikers sitting in a tent several yards away.
“What do we want? #ImmigrationReform. When do we want it? Now! #timeisnow” tweeted the Justice and Witness Ministries, which supported the effort.
The Alliance for Citizenship, a national coalition of pro-reform groups, urged supporters to call Republican House Speaker John Boehner and House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor to demand reform of the country’s beleaguered immigration system.
Rudy Lopez, 43, was among activists who fasted for 22 days, according to strike supporters Faith in Public Life.
Organizers said the strike would continue in different states.
The hunger striker’s efforts were recognized early on by leading Democratic members of the House of Representatives, where immigration has stalled in the face of opposition from the Republican majority after passage by the Democratically-held Senate.
“We thank you for your sacrifice,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
“We are forever in your debt.”
And Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid tweeted that he met with activists to “express my commitment to keep fighting until immigration reform reaches the finish line.”
The strikers even got a visit from President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle last month.
From the steps of the Capitol, Democratic leaders made a final call for Boehner to put the HR15 immigration bill to a vote on the House floor. -AFP
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