May, 30 2013, 10:22am EDT
Immigrant Families To Rally for Citizenship at Senator Ron Johnson's Milwaukee Office
Students and Families Host Press Event Calling on Senator Johnson to support Senate Immigration Bill
WASHINGTON
During the Congressional recess, as legislators seek input on immigration reform prior to voting on the Senate Bill 744, immigrant families and their supporters will gather in Milwaukee to urge Senator Ron Johnson to support a broad and affordable path to citizenship.
Families will share their stories about the devastating impact of separation, and call on Senator Johnson to endorse historic Senate legislation to support legalization with a path to citizenship and create legal avenues to address our outdated immigration system.
Speakers will include individuals who currently have pending deportations, and US citizen families who have been separated from loved ones. One speaker is Jennifer Nava, a seventeen year-old Milwaukee honor student whose brother was deported.
"All I want is my brother by my side. I wish Senator Johnson and our other legislators would realize how terrible it is to be separated from our families. We need the relief that this bill offers, and we are calling on the Senator to help us achieve that, and to end these cruel policies."
WHAT: Press Conference and Rally for Family Unity
WHO: Voces de la Frontera, Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Wisconsin immigrant families, allies
WHEN: Thursday May 30th, 4:00 pm
WHERE: 517 E. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee
Voces de la Frontera is Wisconsin's leading immigrant rights group - a grassroots organization that believes power comes from below and that people can overcome injustice to build a better world.
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The House voted 219-199 for Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act (FANFSA), which won support from 96 Democrats and 123 Republicans, including the lead sponsor, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio). Named for the constitutional amendment that protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, H.R. 4639 would close what campaigners call the data broker loophole.
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The House notably included an amendment forcing a wide range of individuals and businesses to cooperate with government spying operations but rejected an amendment that would have added a warrant requirement to the bill, which the Senate could vote on as soon as Thursday.
Noting those decisions on the FISA reauthorization legislation, Ruddock stressed that "today's vote is a victory but follows a recent loss and ongoing threat as that Section 702 bill moves to the Senate this week too."
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Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Project on Surveillance Oversight, also praised the House's FANFSA passage on Wednesday.
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Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at ACLU, similarly said Wednesday that "the bipartisan passage of this bill is a flashing warning sign to the government that if it wants our data, it must get a warrant."
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