Rally For Citizenship 2013: Immigration Reform Hits Washington D.C. Streets As Thousands Rally

Starting at 3 pm EST on Wednesday, tens of thousands of proponents of immigration reform will rally outside of the Capitol building in Washington D.C. for immigration reform that includes pathways to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented workers currently living in the United States. Inside the Capitol, lawmakers prepare the biggest immigration bill of our generation.

The bill potentially includes a 13 year path to citizenship, a 10 year process for workers to receive a green card, a new visa program, and new border security measures. The bill is spearheaded by the bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” which includes senators John McCain, Marco Rubio, Dick Durbin, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Schumer, Michael Bennet, Robert Menendez, and Jeff Flake.

Speakers at the rally include local politicians, congressmen, musicians, poets, representatives from various immigration-related NGOs, and Benjamin Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP, who will give the keynote speech highlighting the intersection of civil rights and immigrant rights. See the full schedule here.

Follow the action and chime in on Twitter at #A10 and #TimeIsNow. I will be covering the event for @PolicyMic from the handle @JackFischl, starting around 5pm.

For more on the bill and what its proponents hope to accomplish, check out these articles from CBS News, Politico, and the Wall Street Journal.