A broad coalition of advocacy groups is launching a multipronged campaign aimed at pressuring the Republican-led House to pass comprehensive immigration reform before the August recess.
The Center for Community Change, a grass-roots organization based in Washington, said Tuesday that it is investing north of $1 million in an effort that includes paid radio ads, voter registration drives for the 2014 midterm election, and town hall events. The Service Employees International Union, which launched a seven-figure ad buy in advance of the Senate immigration debate, said it will continue its radio, TV and online ad campaign on immigration reform.
And the Florida Immigrant Coalition will boost its efforts, including phone-banking and naturalizing immigrants, meant at increasing pressure on lawmakers from the critical swing state. Mi Familia Vota is also part of the campaign.
The coalition’s bottom line: The bill passed by the House has to be comprehensive, and it has to include a pathway to citizenship.
“Even though today [only] 38 members of the Republican caucus have a significant Latino presence, those 38 are enough for them to lose the majority in the House,” SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina told reporters. “And this will keep getting worse with each two-year election cycle.”
The Center for Community Change is focusing on seven House GOP leaders or committee heads and four House Republicans in potential swing districts with a prominent Latino population, said Deepak Bhargava, the group’s executive director.
Leadership targets include: Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). The other four House Republicans are: House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), Rep. Dan Webster (R-Fla.) and Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.)
The Senate passed a landmark immigration reform bill last week. Attention now turns to the House, where members have been working quietly on various bills, but Boehner and GOP leaders haven’t decided how they will proceed.
I am glad advocates are being smart about this in lobbying the appropriate House Republicans.
