Washington, Oct 26 (IANS/EFE) Hispanic leaders from a dozen US states have delivered an ultimatum to the Democratic Party, threatening to back an independent candidate in the 2016 presidential election, if Obama administration does not halt deportations of undocumented migrants.
The Chicago-based organisation Pueblo Sin Fronteras/Familia Latina Unida headed the protest outside the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in Washington, giving the party a Nov 27 deadline to reverse course.
"We've come to demand that Democrats provide deportation relief prior to Nov 27, Thanksgiving Day, because we'll already be at the polling stations gathering signatures Nov 4 (during the midterm elections) to launch our own Latino candidate, who will be Luis Gutierrez," Emma Lozano, a Familia Latina Unida founder and coordinador, told Efe.
Immigrant-advocacy groups have been pushing for a comprehensive immigration overhaul for years. Over the past year, Republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked a Senate-approved bipartisan bill to bolster border security and provide a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented migrants.
President Barack Obama pledged to take executive action to sidestep the gridlock, but he postponed those measures until after the November midterm elections at the request of some sitting Democratic lawmakers whose seats in the lower house were in jeopardy.
Obama's delays in halting deportations are seen as a betrayal by the Hispanic community.
The immigration activists pledged to organise mass marches Nov 28 -- Black Friday, the beginning of the Christmas shopping season if the White House does not heed their demand.
--IANS/EFE
bb/
