Activist ruins Boehner’s breakfast

An immigration reform activist interrupted Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at his favorite breakfast spot on Thursday to complain about a lack of movement on immigration reform.

It’s the second time in the last several months that Boehner has been bothered at his breakfast spot.

A video of the encounter was posted on YouTube afterward.

{mosads}“Speaker Boehner, I just want to ask you why you want to break the dream of the Dreamers, of the students,” activist Veronica Zavaleta said in interrupting Boehner’s breakfast at Pete’s Diner.

She complained that a House bill approved Wednesday could result in the deportation of “Dreamers,” people brought illegally to the United States as children.

“Can you please express your opinion about that? One second. Just one second. I really want to know why you have broken the dream of the Dreamers?” Zavaleta said to Boehner.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that is not very nice,” Boehner replied.

“This is not the time or the place,” his bodyguard interjected.

“You are a father, he is a father, I am a Mom. You’re not going to answer my question? Why are you not going to answer my question? Why do you refuse to talk about that? I want all the things possible,” said Zavaleta, a member of the Tennessee Immigration and Refugee Rights Coalition in Nashville. 

On Wednesday, the House passed legislation that allows Congress to sue the president if he does not enforce the law. Many Republicans are angry with President Obama’s use of executive action, which they say goes beyond his authority. On immigration, Obama has taken action to prevent the deportation of Dreamers.

Zavaleta argues the House-passed measure, which the Senate likely won’t take up, would force the administration to resume deportations of Dreamers.

Zavaleta’s son is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient who she says is working toward a college degree.

In November, a pair of young female immigration reform advocates also confronted Boehner at Pete’s Diner, asking why he won’t move forward on immigration reform legislation. 

Later that day, Boehner told reporters the House would work on the issue using a piecemeal approach instead of working on a comprehensive bill.