On Thursday, October 24, a group of leaders from Virginia Organizing, Casa in Action, and ACLU of Virginia were escorted by police out of U.S. Representative and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s Richmond office after his staff refused to schedule a constituent meeting with Representative Cantor to discuss immigration reform.

 

The staff asked the group to leave when the office was closing for the day. The leaders refused because Representative Cantor’s staff would not provide a meeting date, time, and place. Shortly after, the office staff contacted the police and the group was escorted out. No arrests were made.

“Our government, especially Representative Cantor, needs to listen to what the people want with comprehensive immigration reform,” said Sandra A. Cook, Virginia Organizing Chairperson. “How can he listen if he refuses to even meet with directly affected people on this issue?”

 

While the group participated in the act of civil disobedience, a peaceful rally was held outside Representative Cantor’s office to support comprehensive immigration reform and ask for a vote on citizenship.

 

“Comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship is the most important issue for Congress right now,” said rally participant and Virginia Organizing State Governing Board member Jay Johnson. “Virginia Organizing’s goal is to tell Representative Cantor that we want him to lead on this issue. We hope to tell him in person, but he still has not agreed to meet with us.”

 

Virginia Organizing supports a comprehensive immigration reform plan with a path to citizenship and legal protections for immigrants and their families. For photos, please click here.