Video at the source link.
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Posted: 11/06/2013
Last Updated: 7 hours ago
Anne Stegen
turnto23.com

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Women leaders converged at Congressman Kevin McCarthy's office Wednesday, protesting for his support of a bipartisan immigration reform bill.

Organizers said 100 women participated in the protest, kicking off a national women-led movement in support of H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.

The women camped at McCarthy's office for nearly 12 hours and were eventually locked inside the Congressman's office with Bakersfield police monitoring the door.

At around 11 p.m. the Congressman decided to meet with the women to speak on the issue.

In a statement released by the United Farm Workers, leader Lupe Larios said that the women did not get the answers they were looking for from the congressman.

"We appreciate Congressman McCarthy taking time to come meet with us, but he said that with only 13 days remaining in the 2013 congressional session, it is not realistic to address immigration reform. As one of his constituents and voter, we don't want to hear more excuses as to why it can't be done this year," Larios said.

The bill, introduced by Congressman Joe Garcia (D-FL), is similar to the Senate immigration bill which was passed last June and contains a path to citizenship for immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Protestors still hope McCarthy will join three other congressmen, Jeff Denham, R-Calif.; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; and David Valadao, R-Calif., in support of the bill.

Women at the rally included immigrant women who said they suffer under the current immigration system and came from all over the state.

http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-n...l-hr-15-110613