"WASHINGTON -- About 40 immigrant-rights activists and leaders walked onto the street in front of a House office building Thursday, sat down and refused to leave in protest of Republicans' refusal to take up a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The protesters were later arrested by Capitol police after about half an hour of blocking traffic on Independence Avenue, near Cannon House Office Building, the Capitol and the Library of Congress. The street was lined with allies shouting "si se puede," or "yes, we can," and calling for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Immigration reform advocates have vowed to spend August pushing Republicans to take up a bill with a path to citizenship, but many GOP members have said they oppose it. One of the advocates' main pitches is the importance of the Latino vote, which Republicans lost badly in the last presidential election, in part because of their opposition of immigration reform. "GOP, do you want our vote?" read one sign held by protesters. Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) showed up before the protest to voice their support, but left before the arrests." - Huffington Post
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