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First lady recognizes immigration fasters

First lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday recognized the group of activists fasting for immigration reform on the National Mall.

Obama wrote the tweet herself.

The first lady is just the latest figure from the White House to have recognized the fasters. Vice President Biden met with the activists last week.

During remarks Monday in San Francisco, President Obama also gave a shout-out to the “Fast4Families” advocates who have been fasting for two weeks now.

“I want to say to Eliseo Medina, my friend from SEIU, and the other fasters who are there as we speak, I want them to know we hear you. We’re with you. The whole country hears you,” Obama said.

Biden made a surprise visit to the group on the Mall Friday.

“As my father would say, come hell or high water, we’re going to win this,” Biden said during the visit, according to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president, and Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, have also stopped by the fasters recently.

The activists are fasting in an effort to pressure lawmakers to pass legislation that would overhaul the immigration system. Many Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), have paid them visits, too.

President Obama wanted Congress to pass a reform bill by the end of this year, and says the issue now lies in House Republicans’ hands.