The Senate Gang of Eight who forged an immigration reform proposal that’s now been indefinitely been put on hold by the House will be honored by the National Council of La Raza tonight.
La Raza’s annual gala, to be held at the National Building Museum, will also honor the people who fasted outside the Capitol in order to pressure lawmakers to push a reform bill forward.
Sens. Michael Bennet (D–Colo.), Dick Durbin (D–Ill.), Jeff Flake (R–Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R–S.C.), John McCain (R–Ariz.), Robert Menendez (D–N.J.), Marco Rubio (R–Fla.) and Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) will be recognized for being “outspoken on issues that significantly impact the Latino community,” according to La Raza.
The eight senators introduced the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 that passed the upper chamber in June.
La Raza’s leader said President Obama might not be so feted, though.
“For the president, I think his legacy is at stake here,” Janet Murguía told Politico in advance of the dinner, where she plans to deliver a speech ripping Obama’s deportation policy. “We consider him the deportation president, or the deporter-in-chief.”
“We respectfully disagree with the president on his ability to stop unnecessary deportations,” she’ll say during the speech. “He can stop tearing families apart. He can stop throwing communities and businesses into chaos. He can stop turning a blind eye to the harm being done. He does have the power to stop this. Failure to act will be a shameful legacy for his presidency.”
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