Los Angeles, CA – On May 29, members and supporters of the Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC) held a picket and protest in front of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Los Angeles office. SCIC opposes major elements of the current U.S. Senate immigration proposal. They presented the following demands to Sen. Feinstein:

—Oppose the inclusion of a ten-year waiting period to apply for legal residency, and the three additional years of application process for citizenship;

—Oppose increasing border militarization;

—Oppose creating a mandatory E-Verify for employment; and

—Oppose expanding temporary worker programs.

The SCIC views these provisions as punitive and as efforts to sneak in ‘guest worker’ programs, under a new name. In contrast to the senate proposal, California immigrant rights leaders demand, “Legalization for all; oppose expanding guest worker programs and bring an end to the ICE deportations, now.”

The rally included members of Bayan USA, Centro CSO, UdB and Arise Youth.

A delegation, including longtime Chicano activist Carlos Montes, entered the office to deliver a message to the senator, who was not to be found. The senator’s staff handed out an old press release in which Feinstein takes credit for the inclusion of an agricultural workers’ program with a five-year limit. This primarily benefits the large agribusiness corporations that make massive profits from mostly Mexican farmworkers in the hot California fields.

SCIC is calling on people to continue the struggle and have your voices heard by joining a protest during President Barack Obama’s Los Angeles visit on June 7.

#LosAngelesCA #immigrantRights #SouthernCaliforniaImmigrationCoalition #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #legalizationForAll #SenatorFeinstein