Border Network for Human rights to have DC and Mexico City reps, expand in 2019

As the president continues to ask for a wall to end the shutdown immigration advocacy groups denounce the measure. One of those groups, the Border Network for Human Rights, announced Saturday they are shifting their focus for action in 2019.

The BNHR is one of our region’s main political organizers around immigration issues, they’re helped program protests answering President Trump’s actions, but their approach is set to chance this year.

Fernando Garcia, executive director with the Border Network for Human rights spoke Saturday about how the organization plans to change their actions this year. He said they’ll go from a reactive to a proactive approach, tackling issues to prevent them from developing further.

Garcia said they plan to have representatives in Washington DC and mexico city to work with lawmakers and explain the situation at the border. Garcia said the democrat controlled house of representatives gives them new options after two years he describes as difficult.

“We saw family separation, construction of the Border Wall, deployment of National Guard–so many things happening that essentially we’re paying defensive, organizing mobilizations, pushing back on SB4, but we believe that the composition of Congress opens the opportunity to be more proactive in bringing about the discussion of immigration reform,” Garcia said.

He also said members of Congress, Democrat and Republican, will be invited to the border by the group.

Garcia said they plan a protest for January 26 but have not yet decided where.