On Thursday afternoon, the immigration reform movement Fast for Families ended after 31 days of fasting on the National Mall by holding one final press conference.
Activists officially broke their fast with water and bread, and said that they would continue to push for a comprehensive immigration reform bill that stops mass deportations and includes a pathway to citizenship for more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, once Congress comes back from winter break.
Rudy Lopez, a faster with Fair Immigration Reform Movement, was carried up to the main platform where he was supported by core fasters including Eliseo Medina, DJ Yoon, Cristian Avila, Lisa Harper, Rev. Jim Wallis, and others. Lopez, like many in the main group of fasters, including Medina, fasted for 22 days.
“We fast not out of anger, but out of faith, hope, and love,” Medina said. He fasted for 22 days before passing the torch to a new group, which included Rep. Joseph Kennedy III. “We fast out of hope that we can touch the heart of Speaker Boehner so that he can reflect on the tragedy and the needless suffering and that he should act on his duty of a legislator and a Christian by allowing a vote on immigration reform,” added Medina.
Here is a video with House Democrats speaking at the press conference.
