Camino Americano/March for Dignity and Respect 2013: Los Tigres del Norte Bring the Music to Washington
Mexican music legends Los Tigres del Norte have struck a chord when it comes to their music and their support for immigration reform.
The band is scheduled to perform today at the National Mall in Washington, DC, as a highlight of the event 'Camino Americano: March for Dignity and Respect,' the march for immigration reform that will hopefully attract some 50,000 people, People En Español reports.
Los Tigres del Norte, who will be honored for their leadership and social activism at the Billboard Mexican Music Awards on Wednesday, Oct. 9, is a quintet made up of siblings Jorge, Luis, Hernan and Eduardo Hernandez, and cousin Oscar Lara.
Besides its commitment to immigration reform, the band tackles other issues that impact its fans from drug trafficking to politics. In addition, they have also created Los Tigres del Norte Foundation for "the preservation and support of traditional Mexican and Mexican-American music forms."
Mexican-American singer-songwriter and actress Lila Downs will also perform during the 'Camino Americano: March for Dignity and Respect' and House House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, and activist Julian Bond are scheduled to give speeches.
What other political figures will be in attendance?
Besides Pelosi, veteran, immigration reform trailblazers, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, and Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, Fox News Latino reports.
The demonstration is expected to feature "stories of suffering and strength and demand passage of commonsense immigration reform," according to OctoberImmigration.org .
"The event serves to continue the broad movement's plans of escalation for the month of October to ensure Congress votes and approves immigration reform before the end of this year," said a statement by The United Farmworkers, one of several organizations involved with the rally, according to Fox News Latino. "Two hundred of the attendees - local and national leaders, impacted immigrants, and civil rights, labor, and faith leaders - have decided to take the rally one step further by engaging in civil disobedience, which puts them at risk of arrest."
"A comprehensive bill passed in June in the Senate, but the House has addressed the issue in fits and starts. Conservative members in the House say they will not rubber stamp the Senate bill, and they vow not to pass any measure that would provide 'amnesty' to people who are here illegally," Fox News explains. "The Senate bill, drafted by a bipartisan group called 'The Gang of Eight,' at its core tightens immigration enforcement, expands visa programs for foreign workers, and provides a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who meet a strict set of criteria."