CHICAGO - Illinois Immigration forum organized ‘Walk for Equality’ to Senator Durbin's office requesting the Senator to support Unanimous Consent agreement of S.386/HR.1044.
Illinois Immigration forum, a coalition of various Indo-American organizations in Illinois with the help of local community organized a community rally from City hall to Federal building in support of the bi-partisan Lee-Harris legislation S.386/HR.1044 – Fairness for High-skilled Immigrants act of 2019. Thousands of concerned immigrants from all across the state participated to appeal their Senator to support and champion the only legislation that could provide a pathway to their future.
Concerned constituents from all across the state of Illinois and suburbs traveled to Chicago in buses. Several families came along with their children to show solidarity and hundreds more from downtown joined them at City Hall to start their ‘Walk for Equality’
According to reports, Senator Durbin is proposing and requesting to add more number of green cards. However the affected applicants feel that this will never happen because the President Trump is opposed to adding any more such visas.
The demonstrators were seen wearing T-shirts, holding American flags, rally signs and banners reading Walk for EQUALITY, Separate is Not Equal, Help our children, End National Origin Discrimination, Support Green Card Equality, Please don't force our children to Self-Deport, Don't block Pass S.386, Pass HR.1044.
Many of them signed a letter to Senator Durbin requesting his support for the one cause they all believe in.
The huge procession started walking the streets towards Senator Durbin’s office which took about 30 minutes to reach. They were heard shouting slogans: “Treat us equal, not Separate, Pass 386, We love USA.”
Many more constituents joined the group outside the Federal building that houses Senator Durbin’s office. The group spent more than an hour shouting slogans and waving American flags, rally signs and banners.
A few from the group then talked to media conveying their painful stories.
The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act creates a fair and equitable, “first come, first serve” system for receiving employment-based green cards, putting an end to the discriminatory quota system that has left over 1 million Indian high-skilled workers in the United States with a decades-long line while individuals from other countries face no wait time at all to receive a green card.
The companion bill H.R.1044 passed the house with overwhelming bi-partisan support in July 2019. All 18 representatives from Illinois voted YES on the bill. Senator Lee of Utah is trying to bring S.386 on Senate floor through Unanimous consent but the bill is currently objected by Senator Durbin of Illinois.
According to reports, Senator Durbin is proposing and requesting to add more number of green cards. However the affected applicants feel that this will never happen because the President Trump is opposed to adding any more such visas.
The Republicans in the Senate have supported this bill and there are no known objections from any of the other Democratic Senator, the agitators state.