This happened yesterday: Eliseo Medina, a prominent immigrant rights activist involved with Fast4Families and former SEIU International Secretary, arrested in the Miami offices of Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart:
This is a local Miami report about what happened:
Diaz-Balart’s Twitter profile responded to the news with two tweets:
I’m still committed to #immigration reform. My office had nothing to do with @SEIU_Eliseo arrest + is working to get him out #fast4families — Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 22, 2014
Bipartisanship is necessary to find a solution to #immigration reform. #fast4families — Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 22, 2014
The tweets were met with some skepticism, given that Diaz Balart voted for a bill that would reject deferred action for DREAMers (DACA):
@MarioDB then join us in April to call @BarackObama to stop deportations since Congress can get #immigration done this year @SEIU_Eliseo
— DRM Action Coalition (@DRMAction) March 22, 2014
@MarioDB you are a total disappointing . @SEIU_Eliseo
— darinka (@magnetsuccess) March 22, 2014
@MarioDB @SEIU_Eliseo oh please you have everything to do with it,if you were on the frontline for #ImmigrationReform this would not happen — brima bah (@brimamassie) March 22, 2014
Late last night, Medina’s Twitter profile shared the following about his release:
Went 2 Cong Diaz Balart re:CIR moral crisis.Found clsd doors & arrest.Released 2nite& greeted by Lots ppl.Heart full. pic.twitter.com/3oEdJH4lKX — Eliseo Medina (@SEIU_Eliseo) March 22, 2014
Medina’s Twitter also added this:
Saddened & disappointed that we cannot have a rational conversation re:CIR.GOP–conversation,not arrests ,is how we find common ground.
— Eliseo Medina (@SEIU_Eliseo) March 22, 2014
Medina also shared the following statement:
“Yesterday, I went with the community to visit Congressman Diaz-Balart and exercise our constitutional right to address an injustice, but the doors were closed and the police were called. I was arrested as constituents were chased off the property.
“I am disappointed that a Latino member of Congress and avowed supporter of commonsense immigration reform allowed this to happen. We encourage Congressman Diaz-Balart to do everything in his power to call on Speaker Boehner to schedule a vote on immigration reform that will end the suffering in immigrant communities.
“This broken immigration system is causing untold pain and suffering in our community and in our country. While disappointed, I am undeterred in my conviction that we need to fix this broken immigration system. We will continue to fast, act and pray until the House Republican conference has a discussion and vote on immigration reform. Immigrants, Latinos and the American people deserve no less.”
