Activists in Georgia and across the nation are fasting in support of the passage of immigration overhaul legislation, hoping to ratchet up the pressure on Congress to act before the end of this month.
Son Ah Yun, of Smyrna, and others are drinking only water and going without food for 48 hours. Among other things, they are pushing for a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the U.S. A naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in South Korea, Yun started fasting Monday and plans to finish Wednesday. She said she has kept herself busy so she won’t think about eating.
“As an immigrant myself I really believe in this issue,” said Yun, a campaign organizer for the Center for Community Change, a Washington-based group that helps poor people organize and improve their communities. “We are not just talking about other people’s families. We are talking about my family.”
John Litland a Marietta resident and member of the Dustin Inman Society — which supports the enforcement of federal immigration laws — said the fasting “in essence is supporting breaking our laws.” Immigrants, he said, should come to the U.S. legally as did his Austrian-born wife, a green card-holder.
“The tactic they should be taking is going to their representatives and getting [the government] to enforce the current laws,” he said. “Why do we need new laws if we have existing laws and nobody is enforcing them?”
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