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Tens of Thousands of Protesters Gather to Press for US Immigration Reform
WASHINGTON - Protesters from around the country gathered here Sunday for a march expected to draw tens of thousands of people to push Congress to move on a long-delayed immigration reform.
Thousands of immigrant rights advocates pack the National Mall during an immigration reform rally in Washington, on Sunday, March 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Organizers hope the "March for America" will put immigration reform, which failed in Congress in 2006 and 2007, back on the agenda after a year dominated by health care reform, the economy and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The question for our leaders is what they will do starting Monday, March 22 to deliver on the promise of reform. We have heard promises before," said Clarissa Martinez of the Hispanic organization La Raza on Friday, at a news conference previewing the march.
President Barack Obama promised to reform immigration laws during his campaign for the presidency, but a crush of other priorities has set back efforts to legalize immigrants and offering a path to citizenship.
Just last week, however, two senators outlined a bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform legislation, drawing immediate praise from Obama.
The bill from Democratic Senator Charles Schumer and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham would lay the path to legalization for an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, reinforce border controls and create a process to admit temporary workers and produce biometric Social Security cards.
Undocumented immigrants would also have to pass background checks and demonstrate they are proficient in English before they can earn lawful permanent residence and eventually citizenship.
Obama called on the senators to turn their plan into legislation, urging Congress to act "at the earliest possible opportunity."
Mary Giovagnoli, director of the Immigration Policy Center, said of the latest effort: "We encourage the president and Senators Schumer and Graham to go beyond words and produce legislation.
The White House however has acknowledged that it does not yet have the votes to advance a new bill.
But ahead of key mid-term elections in November, the issue has been drawing more attention.
In the 2008 elections Obama won 67 percent of the vote of the record 10 million Hispanics who went to the polls.
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9 Comments so far
Show All10 million hispanics went to the polls. That is; 10 million American citizens of hispanic origin voted. Why is it their concern how immigration policy?
Maybe because they have relatives, or know people who are undocumented and therefore hunted down by the government and aren't entitled to the same rights as other tax paying US citizens are.
Seriously. Is Common Dreams now being swamped with right wing idiots permanently? Or is this just a temporary trend?
Thanks, Damien...you saved me a lot of typing.
Try to stay in any other country in the world and see if they will let you stay getting benefits, education, and other people's jobs. You will be listed as illegal and arrested if not there legally. Get real you are fooling no one.
There are at least 30 million illegals since the last amnesty. La Raza is a invader bringing in illegals to take American jobs. They should be declared harmful to our democracy. They ignore our laws wanting it all for themselves.
We were promised reforms and action to keep them out if we accepted the last amnesty. The numbers were larger than they told us too...just like now. They are a security concern since they bring drugs, crime, and don't give a crap about other Americans. They don't want to be "one".
We even gave Mexico our jobs under NAFTA to keep them at home. That was a huge failure since the jobs then went even cheaper to China. No one wins under a lawless system. Our jails are full of them.
RW nuts join other Americans (even citizen born Hispanics) who oppose the huge flow of illegals into our country. They are illegal and arrogant. We aren't bending to give our country to them. We have laws and they should be obeyed. If you don't like them go back to your own country. Someone else from Scotland or another country is waiting to come here legally.
What kind of new citizens do we want who think we are wrong demanding they obey our laws? It is a bad start. We can do better.
It was a lot easier in England and France than here.
"Maybe because they have relatives, or know people who are undocumented and therefore hunted down by the government and aren't entitled to the same rights as other tax paying US citizens are."
Drop the 'other', you mean as tax paying US citizens are.
And the weird part? I am very much a liberal. Its strange how a few vocal individuals take upon themselves to label others.
10s of thousands who support Amnesty compared to 100s of millions who are against it, Once again the DC self interested politicians side with the lawless corporate drive for cheap labor. We pay for their health care, education, etc. They become slaves.
Do the math...if you dare.
As long as they cannot be legal, this continues.
The reason they can be used as cheap labor at home and here is that military force prevents them from striking. Most of that force is generated by the US.
When people think immigration they immediately think hispanic or mexican but an immigrant is anyone who is not an american citizen. The problem with immigration reform in the U.S is that it is really a racist mechanism to keep out hispanics if it were actually immigration reform and a method to give immigrants a chance at becoming citizens I believe many would take it. If we begin to truly keep out immigrants our economy will be affected to a far worst level then what it is today. Just imagine taking hope completely away from an individual and making them criminals by their mere presence the results would be catastrophic. I understand we Americans are faced with one of the worst economic situations since The Great Depression, but turning on the weak ones will only make matters much worst. Lets all think about this before we jump because this decision might come with fundamental changes to our basic American Fabric. BTW I am still proud of being an American who is willing to challenge the establishment regardless of wealth. Our only options are to organize and mobilize.