Minnesota AFL-CIO Joins “Fast for Families” In Call for National Days of Fasting

As activists participating in the “Fast for Families” in Washington, DC called on the American people to join in “National Days to Act, Fast & Pray,” the Minnesota AFL-CIO today announced its support for events scheduled this week to send a clear message to Speaker John Boehner that the time is now to pass commonsense immigration reform with a path to citizenship.

Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson said, “As families gather this holiday season, we remember the all too many families torn apart by our broken immigration system. Speaker John Boehner and his House Republican caucus are the final obstacle between a broken status quo and a healed country. Minnesota’s labor movement will not stop fighting until our immigration system is reformed and the deportation crisis is over.”

We honor the three core “Fast for Families” fasters in Washington, D.C. – SEIU’s Eliseo Medina, DREAMer and Mi Familia Vota’s Cristian Avila and the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium’s Dae Joong Yoon– who have been abstaining from all food since November 12 and have vowed to fast until they can no longer sustain. Their efforts, along with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference’s Rev. Samuel Rodriguez’s 40-day fast, have gained international attention and inspired thousands to fast for immigration reform across the country.

Across the country, the labor movement calls with one voice for Speaker Boehner and the House of Representatives to do their job and pass commonsense immigration reform.