Sen. John Cornyn was too busy setting immigration policy that would impact millions of Texans to meet with those Texans today.
After sending requests for a meeting to both the D.C. and Harlingen offices of Sen. John Cornyn, #Texas4CIR Caravan riders were disappointed in the Rio Grande Valley today. More than 150 people converged on the Harlingen District Office of Sen. Cornyn to deliver a message.
“We are deeply disappointed that both of our senators have never met with Texas communities to talk about immigration,” said Martha Sanchez of La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), and a member of Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance. “And we are not taking no for an answer anymore.”
Members of the Equal Voice Network in the Rio Grade Valley staged a People’s Debate outside Cornyn’s office. One after the other, families impacted by a broken immigration system and a militarized border made their arguments for reform–and were answered by the silence of an empty podium, representing Cornyn’s and Cruz’s failure to meet in person with Texans.
The 150 people then went upstairs to ask Cornyn’s staff why he refused a meeting with Texans. “The answer they gave us was that he is just too busy writing bills that would militarize the border and block millions of undocumented Texans from ever starting on the pathway to citizenship,” said Dina Nunez of Movimiento del Valle por los Derechos Humanos, and a member of RITA.
Caravan riders have already requested meetings with Cornyn and Cruz in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Austin. We remain hopeful that the senators will answer to Texans in person. For now, their silence is overwhelming.
#Texas4CIR Caravan Background:
The #Texas4CIR Caravan is a two-week long caravan that will visit 16 Texas cities and involve thousands of Texans, showing how intense support for immigration reform is in the state. Follow the caravan on twitter using the hashtag #Texas4CIR and on the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance Facebook page.
