By Ted Bordelon
Wire Managing Editor
For the second time in two weeks, a group of 12 protesters gathered outside of Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick’s office in Langhorne last Thursday to deliver 50 “Vote for Citizenship Now” postcards to the congressman.
The event was organized by Keystone Progress, a Pennsylvania advocacy organization.
“We have a very confusing immigration system that’s clearly broken and needs to be fixed,” Robin Stelly, a community organizer working for Keystone Progress, said.
She said that the postcards were signed by Bucks County residents and constituents of Fitzpatrick’s who were not pleased with the congressman’s record on immigration.
In particular, Stelly said the rally was meant to criticize Fitzpatrick for his June vote concerning the DREAM Act, a federal provision that was intended to protect young undocumented persons from deportation and provide them with work permits.
Fitzpatrick voted with the majority of the Republican-controlled House to block the implementation of President Obama’s 2012 executive order that stopped the deportation of so-called DREAM Act individuals.
The vote was largely symbolic, as the president has threatened to veto deportation legislation on budgetary grounds.
“Before we can determine the most compassionate and fair course of action for immigration reform, we need to know who is here already,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement provided to the Wire. “Ultimately, the American Dream should be available to everybody who plays by the rules. But, it is clear that the rules aren’t working anymore and they need to be fixed.”
A DREAM-Act individual was supposed to speak at the small protest, but backed out immediately before the event, according to Stelly.
“The dreamer that didn’t show up didn’t do so because he was concerned about his safety,” Stelly said. “It goes to show that these people are living their lives in fear.”
She said that Keystone Progress will continue to deliver postcards throughout the congressional recess.
