STERLING, Va. (MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2018) _ Immigrant rights activists will hold a vigil at 6 p.m. Tuesday to demand Congresswoman Barbara Comstock support bills that would protect young undocumented immigrants known as dreamers and beneficiaries of Temporary Protective Status (TPS).

“Comstock has said she supports those with DACA but now it’s time to back those words with action. If she really supports immigrants, she needs to put her name on those bills,” said Luis Angel Aguilar, policy specialist with CASA’s Virginia office. “We want her take a clear stance on the issues that directly affect the immigrant community,” .

As budget deadline looms, there is still time to fix the status of undocumented youth and TPS holders  before the holidays. The lives of more than a million people, who have been working and contributing to Virginia’s economy hangs in the balance if Congress refuses to act now.

Aurea Galvan, Mason DREAMers leader says, “I have been trying to meet with Congresswoman Comstock for months now to get her to support a clean DREAM Act. As a DACA recipient and constituent of the 10th district, I need her to act to protect me and my friends. We won’t stop making our voices heard until she stands with immigrants and listens to what her constituents are calling on her to do.”

In Virginia, according to a study by the Center for American Progress, $1.2 billion would be lost from state GDP annually without Salvadoran workers who hold TPS.

Furthermore, it would hit the restaurant industry hardest. According to the same study, 24.2 percent of Salvadoran workers with TPS work in accommodation and food services; 23.5 percent work in construction; and 17.6 percent work in administrative and support and waste management services.

“We all want to know – where is Rep. Comstock? She refuses to meet with advocates and her constituents about the DREAM Act and TPS. She claims to support immigrants by attending cultural events. What is needed more is her commitment to promote substantive policy proposals that would significantly improve our lives,” said Sookyung Oh, D.C. Area Director of NAKASEC.

WHO:  CASA, NAKASEC, Mason DREAMers, SEIU 32BJ, VACIR, Legal Aid Justice Center, Faith in Public Life, DMV Sanctuary

WHAT: Vigil outside of Congresswoman Barbara Comstock’s Sterling, Va. Office

WHEN:  6:00 PM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2017 – TOMORROW

WHERE: Sterling Office of Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, 21430 Cedar Dr., Sterling, VA 20164