Immigrants rights groups have made a major pushfor the DREAM Act, with rallies around the country and scores of calls to senators. Now that a Republican filibuster killed chancesof the DREAM Act as part of the defense authorization bill, some immigration reform advocates plan to mobilize against candidates who opposed the DREAM Act to keep them out of office in November. Fair Immigration Reform Movement partners said on a conference call today they plan to use the DREAM Act filibuster to campaign against Republican candidates.
“Yesterday’s vote was really unprecedented, and it effectively was a filibuster of immigration reform,” Rudy Lopez of Campaign for Community Change said. “That’s how the community sees it, and they’re not happy about it.”
The groups plan to canvass a number of states across the country — including Iowa, Nevada, Illinois, Colorado and Florida — to talk to voters about the need for immigration reform and encourage Latino voters to vote for progressive candidates.
“The position of Republicans on issues most dear to immigrants have gone from a disappointment to a disgrace,” said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
The mobilization will include a media campaign, an online outreach effort and “hundreds of thousands” of live phone calls and mailers.