Thread: CA - Immigrant Activists Putting Pressure On Bilbray

Thursday, October 25, 2012
By Adrian Florido
kpbs

SAN DIEGO — Immigrant rights activists are putting pressure on Congressman Brian Bilbray, who is running for re-election in the newly minted 52nd Congressional District, which covers coastal and northern parts of San Diego County.

About a dozen young adults, some of them undocumented, stood outside Bilbray’s office in Solana Beach on Thursday afternoon, demanding he support the DREAM Act, which would legalize many young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children.

As chairman of the powerful Immigration Reform Caucus, Bilbray has taken hard anti-immigrant stances. He’s in a tight re-election race against Democratic challenger Scott Peters, who has said he supports the DREAM Act.

“Bilbray took a leadership role in an anti-immigrant forum. We would like to see leaders from San Diego in favor of leading immigration reform," said Victor Ravago, a member of the DREAM Action Coalition.

Still, he said that while he welcomes Peters’ support for the DREAM Act, Ravago would like him to clarify his vague stance on other immigration issues.

Most of the young adults who showed up Thursday said they were more concerned with getting Bilbray to change his stance on immigration issues than with necessarily voting him out of office.

A Bilbray spokesman highlighted the fact that Peters has not made his stance on immigration issues very clear.

This week, however a different immigrants’ coalition, called America's Voice, started running Spanish-language radio ads in San Diego attacking Bilbray and supporting Peters.

Immigrant Activists Putting Pressure On Bilbray | KPBS.org

About a dozen young adults, some of them undocumented, stood outside Bilbray’s office in Solana Beach on Thursday afternoon, demanding he support the DREAM Act, which would legalize many young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children.

Illegal, undocumented young adults have no right to voice their opinions on American politics. I don't care if Obama gave them DACA or not; this is not their country, they have no voice on anything that happens in this country. California has spoiled them.

They thought because California passed the Dream Act they were all going to have a free ride at our colleges. Now they are all whining on their blogs because they are being told by California colleges "sorry their is no money in our budget". Sorry kids, your families of illegal's have helped to suck us dry.

They are rushing in to get their California DL and can't understand why they are failing their, Behind the wheel test, I mean after all they have been driving all these years illegally. I have no respect for these lying, stealing Dreamers and I want them all deported.l

In the meantime, the Mexican Constitution prohibits political activities by foreigners