FELLSMERE — Nearly 50 people turned out to the Fellsmere Farmworkers Association meeting Tuesday night to hear from a group of volunteers who are beating the drum for immigration reform in Congress.
The meeting, held in both English and Spanish to accommodate the audience, centered around six people who are the last volunteers to travel to the various Congressional districts around Florida spreading the word about how others can get involved and put pressure on the politicians.
Jorge Galicia recounted his reasons for getting involved in the “caravan” as the volunteers call it. A better job had opened up where he was working – a job for which he was qualified – but he was ultimately passed over because he “didn’t have certain numbers.”
The lack of those numbers – for Social Security – keep Galicia and other undocumented workers from many opportunities in the nation, the traveling volunteers told the crowd.
And for those who would tell them to just go through the process of citizenship – they would say it’s not that simple.
Roxana Mendez’s father has been in the U.S. for 20 years and has tried to get his necessary papers. He’s still undocumented. She has been in the country for eight years – she, too, is undocumented.
The volunteers want meaningful immigration reform – reform that would streamline and smooth out the path to citizenship, reform that would prevent families from being split up with some being allowed to stay and others deported, reform that would address working conditions and pay.
“It’s been a problem for a many years,” Valentin Barajas said of the federal government’s unwillingness to tackle immigration reform. “There have been lots of excuses.”
Barajas called on the audience to make phone calls to their Congressional representatives, pushing them to get something done or else nothing will be done.
“We need more people to join the caravan,” he said.
Yolanda Gomez, a member of the Farmworkers Association, said she would be joining the caravan for a week starting Wednesday. She, and the others, will meet with other community groups in other districts, sharing their immigration stories and calling others to action.
She helped coordinate the caravan’s stop at Fellsmere’s Community Center to meet with the group.
Anyone interested in learning more about the caravan, volunteering to be a part of it or finding out how to get involved are encouraged to call Gomez at (772) 528-8462.
To contact U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, who represents Indian River County, call (772) 778-3534 or visit http://posey.house.gov/contact/