Immigration Advocates Protest After Meeting With Sen. Johnson

Advocates say they remain concerned about Sen. Ron Johnson’s views on immigration legislation. A street protest followed a meeting with the Republican senator Thursday.

Eighteen protesters locked arms and sat down on a busy Milwaukee street for about a half hour to highlight concerns about Johnson’s opposition to parts of a Senate immigration bill. Police made no arrests and re-routed traffic. Francisca Meraz was one of the protesters. She’s says she’s a U.S. citizen, but has numerous relatives who are here without proper documents. She says unless Johnson gets behind a quicker path to citizenship, her extended family could be separated:

“But I still live in fear that the 22 cousins that I have that are children of my nine undocumented aunts and uncles are going to lose their parents someday.”

Johnson says the current Senate bill has major shortcomings that must be amended to gain his vote. He says U.S. borders are currently far from secure, and the United States needs to reform a failed immigration system. Reuters reports that a key architect of the Senate bill, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, is also now saying the measure needs changes.