Latino immigrants, Muslim community allies to rally in D.C. for better immigration laws

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — In his first week in office, President Joe Biden has already signed five executive orders addressing immigration, including plans to reinforce the DACA program. Wednesday at noon, hundreds of Latino immigrants and allies from the Muslim community will gather at the Washington Monument.

Four years to the day that former President Donald Trump signed the Muslim ban executive order, this group today is demanding congress to work with the new administration and work on meaningful change. One in seven residents in D.C. is an immigrant and 25,000 of them are undocumented.

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DACA holder Fatima Coreas came to the country when she was 14 from El Salvador. She’s hoping Congress can fix a broken system that can benefit everyone.

“I’ve been able to do so many things, not just for me, but for my community. I have been fighting for immigration reform for almost a decade. To think that we are a step closer to obtaining a dream for many of us, it’s exciting,” says Coreas.

Across the country, rallies are taking place on this National Day of Action targeting Congress and the White House.

President Biden has already called for the end of the Muslim travel ban and the construction of the border wall.

Today will consist of an anchor action in Washington D.C., coupled with distributed actions nationwide and a social media takeover. The actions also coincide with the official introduction of the Roadmap to Freedom resolution by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, which provides a policy blueprint that organizations will measure Congressional and White House proposals.

Hundreds of immigrants and allies are being organized by different advocacy groups including: CAIR, CASA, CASA in Action, CPD, Faith in Action/Congregation Action Network, FIRM Action, Community Change Action, MPOWER Change, MRNY, NAKASEC, New York Immigration Coalition, No Muslim Ban Ever Campaign.

The event comes days after the certification of Georgia’s Senate elections, signaling the opportunity for Congressional leaders to pass a permanent solution for the 11 million undocumented who call the country home. After President Biden rolled back the Muslim and African bans, issued a moratorium on deportations and detention, and started reversing Trump’s interior enforcement machine, the groups seek to repair the broken immigration structure.

The groups support Rep. Jayapal’s Roadmap to Freedom Resolution, which will be introduced that day. It promotes full citizenship that is equitable, accessible, centers on family unity, and highlights key elements of the immigration system that must be reformed. The groups will ask other members of Congress to cosponsor the resolution and be advocates for immigration reform on the Hill.

“We all agree that we need a law, we need something that will permanently resolve this issue that we have been fighting for, for decades,” adds Coreas.