ALMA — Latino voters representing Fort Smith and other Arkansas communities are traveling to Washington, D.C., to support stalled immigration reform efforts.

ALMA — Latino voters representing Fort Smith and other Arkansas communities are traveling to Washington, D.C., to support stalled immigration reform efforts.

More than 50 Arkansans are expected to rally with others across the country on the Supreme Court steps Monday as arguments are heard on a lawsuit blocking deferred action initiatives.

"It’s to lift up the voices of immigrant families and their allies who want to see the Supreme Court make the right decision in letting the implementation of this program go through," Arkansas United Community Coalition Executive Director Mireya Reith said Saturday. "We’ve been proud to be Arkansas’ immigrant advocacy group that lobbied directly our Congress and president to see these executive actions take place."

The executive programs, announced in November 2014 by the president, would allow some qualifying undocumented students and parents of citizens to receive temporary work permits.

"Since it’s been stalled with the court system, we’ve had a commitment to accompany the process each and every step of the way," Reith said. "We’re going to D.C. on this trip, and and if we have the opportunity, we’ll go back in June when the Supreme Court gets ready to give their announcement."

Programs in question are called Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, or DAPA, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

"Parents of U.S. citizens and U.S. residents that don’t have a criminal record would be able to get a work permit and be in the country without fear of being deported," Marideis Medina of Fort Smith said. "Right now, the Fort Smith and Fayetteville area, they’re getting a lot of immigrant community. A lot of people, they don’t have legal status. That’s something we definitely need in this area."

Reith added that the programs are "not amnesty."

"You have to have citizen children to apply," she said. "This is about keeping our Arkansas families together. It is an earned opportunity based on demonstrating at least five years in the country and no criminal record. With the students, they actually have to prove they’re in school, studying to improve themselves."

In addition to being the "right thing to do," Reith said, the specific immigration reform "would have a tremendous economic impact."

"In letting upward of 30,000-40,000 families come out of the shadows, get work permits, drivers’ licenses and Social Security, it enhances jobs that they have, the amount of the money they’re making in those jobs, and with that, the tax revenue and consumption base for our state," she said.

Fayetteville-area coalition organizer Humberto Marquez was among the Arkansas group traveling via bus to advocate for the reform programs.

"We’re pretty disappointed that Arkansas was one of the 26 states that filed a lawsuit against this," he said. "We know hundreds of families would benefit. Besides having the family value behind this, it would have a huge economic impact, as well."