About three dozen immigration activists are protesting outside an Obama campaign office in Denver tonight, while two more activists have staged a sit-in inside the office.
The activists want President Barack Obama to sign an executive order ending the deportation of young, undocumented immigrants who would be eligible for conditional permanent residency under the DREAM Act. The activists waved signs and marched in a circle in front of the office, at 77 W. 9th Ave. They said they planned to spend the night in front of the office.
The two activists staging the sit-in inside the campaign office — Javier Hernandez, from Denver, and Veronica Gomez, from California — say they are undocumented and could face deportation if arrested for their protest.
"If that's what it takes, that's what it takes," Gomez said.
"We decided it was time to escalate (the campaign) for an executive order that will end deportation for DREAMers," Hernandez said. "That's something (Obama) can do."
Gomez and Hernandez said they also plan to go on a hunger strike until Obama signs the demanded executive order.
In an e-mailed statement, the campaign re-iterated Obama's support of the act, while noting that Obama's Republican rival, Mitt Romney, has said he would veto the measure as it currently stands.
"Only the Latino vote will send Republicans the clear message that they must stop playing politics with immigration and join the President to advance sensible immigration proposals such as the DREAM Act," the Obama campaign statement said.
The president, though, has previously offended Hispanics by using the unpassed act as the centerpiece of a fund-raising pitch.
Obama has earlier said DREAM Act-eligible immigrants would not be a focus of deportation efforts. But the activists outside the campaign office tonight say that deportations have continued.
They want Obama to sign an executive order that would immediately halt all deportations of those eligible for the DREAM Act. That message has been gaining support across the country. Many of the activists participating in today's protest are part of the Campaign for an American Dream, whose members are walking across the country to generate support for immigration reform.
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