A three-term California congressman is facing an uproar from within his own party as a newly formed anti-Trump group called The Resistance plans to stage a protest outside his office on Thursday afternoon.
Rep. Ami Bera (D.), who has represented a swing district in California since 2013, will have his commitment to protecting minority groups challenged by the group, according to a report in the local Elk Grove News.
Bera has been a vocal opponent of President Trump's policies—his office points out that he co-sponsored a bill to overturn Trump's immigration executive order—but many in his district question whether he can be trusted to be their voice in Washington, D.C.
"We are putting his office on notice that these are issues that are really important to us and we are not going away and this is something that is really important to us," said Jaclyn Moreno, who founded The Resistance.
The group's demonstration is being organized through MoveOn.org, which has been targeting both Democratic and Republican legislators with protests.
"Democrats and Republicans alike need to hear from us before this parade of greed and hate is confirmed to a Cabinet that will attack working people, civil liberties, and the environment, while benefiting fellow billionaires and corporations," says MoveOn.org.
Concern in Bera's district is rooted partially in his vote for the SAFE Act, a bill that strengthened background checks for Syrians and Iraqis seeking refugee status in the United States. He was also one of the few Democrats who supported legislation to cut of some funding to sanctuary cities.
Neither bill became law, but they are still seen by Bera's activist constituents as reasons to doubt the congressman's commitment to fighting Trump's immigration policies.
"Ami Bera has a voting record in the past where he has voted against funding for sanctuary cities and where he has made it more difficult for certain groups coming from Iraq and other countries," Moreno said. "We want to let him know that we expect him to protect all vulnerable communities."
"We are putting his office on notice that these are issue that are really important to us and we are not going away and this is something that is really important to us," she said.
Moreno's group showed up to a town hall Bera held last week, according to the Sacramento Bee. The stated goal at the meeting was to "keep [Bera] progressive as we move toward this hateful new administration."
Bera told the Washington Free Beacon that he views the demonstration as "a good thing."
"Just as I was uplifted by the level of engagement at our overflowing town hall last Saturday, I am energized by how many of our neighbors today are coming together to stand up for our American values," Bera said. "People are engaged right now, and that is a good thing."
"The president’s recent executive order affecting refugees and immigrants does not reflect who we are as a nation, and this week I was proud to sponsor the SOLVE Act to block this un-American policy," he said.
Bera's seat in Congress is far from secure. All three of Bera's victories in the northern California district have been by thin margins, and the campaigns were not without controversy.
Bera's father, Babulal Bera, was sentenced to just over a year in federal prison for orchestrating a money laundering scheme that funneled at least $260,000 to his son's campaign. The congressman denied any knowledge of his father's scheme.