Regional Bus Tour for Immigration Reform to Hold Actions in Hood River and Hermiston Today

Regional Bus Tour for Immigration Reform to Hold Actions in Hood River and Hermiston Today

Madras, Ore.— Today, the March for ONE Oregon Bus Tour heads to Hood River for lunch at noon with local immigration reform supporters and then will travel to Hermiston for a Rally and March at 5:30pm. 

Yesterday, the 5 day regional Bus Tour kicked-off in Bend with letter-writing followed by a march and a rally with a hundred community members lead by Rural Organizing Project, Causa Oregon, PCUN Farmworkers Union, and the United Farmworkers. 70 letters were hand delivered to the office of Congressman Greg Walden (OR-R) urging him to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform with legalization for 11 Million Undocumented Immigrants and a path to citizenship.  

After the march, the group gathered at Trinity Episcopal Church for a performance by Aztec Dancers and send-off prayers given by local Pastor Ron Werner and a member of the Muslim Faith Community.  Among the speakers were two DREAMers who recently qualified for Obama’s deferred action program, Kathy Paterno, Rural Organizing Project’s board chair, and Causa Oregon’s Executive Director Francisco Lopez.

Following the rally, families boarded the bus and traveled to Madras for a community gathering at St. Patricks Catholic Church with 150 people making calls into Congressman Walden's offices. Many of those making calls reported voicemail was full. 

Select Photos from Day 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/78143566@N04/sets/72157632931197678/

In response to the Bus Tour, Congressman Walden had this to say: "Our federal immigration system is broken, and fixing it is certainly a priority in the congress. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House have been working on a plan to update our immigration laws for over a year, and I look forward to reviewing their work. As this process moves forward, I value input from Oregonians of all points of view, and I look forward to continuing a dialogue on this complicated issue."

During the 5 day tour, riders will also connect with allies from Idaho and Washington State in stops in those states. A range of activities are planned for each stop along the route including rallies, press conferences, vigils, sharing stories, and meeting new allies.

Real-time updates including photos for the March for ONE Oregon Bus Tour can be found at the Tour's Tumblr Page at: www.oregonbustour.tumblr.com and at twitter page hashtag: #m1or 

Coverage from yesterday's action and comment from Congressman Walden in response to the Bus Tour can be found here: http://www.ktvz.com/news/Latino-activists-board-bus-to-spread-message/-/413192/19195482/-/opbpaqz/-/index.html

For more details on the Oregon route, please see the schedule below:

"March for ONE Oregon" Bus Tour Schedule

March 5th

March for ONE Oregon Tour Rally and Send-off
10am Rally/Letter Writing at Social Justice Center
155 NE Irving, Bend
11:30am March to Trinity Episcopal Church
231 NW Idaho Ave, Bend

Bus Tour Send-off at 12 Noon
MADRAS, OREGON 5pm
Dinner to Keep Families Together * Dinner Provided
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church: 341 SW “J” Street, Madras

March 6th [TODAY]

HOOD RIVER, OREGON 12pm
Strengthening Our ONE Community * Lunch Provided
Riverside Community Church: 317 State St, Hood River

HERMISTON, OREGON 5:30pm
Celebration for Unity and Immigration Reform * Dinner Provided
March beginning at 5:30pm Hermiston City Hall
Dinner at 6:30pm El Chaparral Shopping Center: 305 SW 11th St, Hermiston

March 7th

LA GRANDE, OREGON 12:30pm
Uniting for Home Grown Prosperity through Immigration Reform
Rally at Congressman Walden’s office: 1211 Washington Avenue, La Grande

ONTARIO, OREGON 5pm
March and Dinner to build Welcoming Communities * Dinner Provided
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church: 829 SW 2nd Ave, Ontario

March 8th

NAMPA, IDAHO 12pm
Northwest Immigration Reform Bus Tour Stop * Lunch Provided
Hispanic Cultural Center: 315 Stampede Drive

BURLEY, IDAHO 7pm
Northwest Immigration Reform Bus Tour Stop * Dinner Provided
Location TBA

March 9th
WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON 1pm
Northwest Immigration Reform Bus Tour Stop
Jefferson Park, S 9th Ave and Malcolm Street, Walla Walla

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