Subject: Tens Of Thousands Call For Immigration Reform At Washington Rally

Tens Of Thousands Call For Immigration Reform At
Washington Rally

    Protesters carrying banners and U.S. flags mass on
    the National Mall. Organizers are trying to cast the
    issue as an element of economic recovery.

By Clement Tan And Don Lee
Los Angeles Times
March 21, 2010

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-immigration-march22-2010mar22,0,2577801.story

Washington

Tens of thousands of people began assembling in
Washington on Sunday to march for immigration reform, a
politically charged issue that has been pushed to a back
burner by the intense focus on healthcare.

Wearing colorful shirts and carrying banners and U.S.
flags, thousands filled two blocks on the National Mall,
chanting "si se puede" - "yes we can" - and "Obama
listen, remember your promise."

Among the marchers was Jose Barnell, 60, a janitor
originally from Mexico who said he crossed the border in
1970. A longtime resident of Chicago, he said he is now
legal, as are his children and grandchildren. He
traveled to Washington by bus to support immigration
reform.

"We play a bugle right before we enter a fight," he
said.

But many lawmakers, analysts and even activists are
dubious that any overhaul of the immigration system is
imminent. Sunday's march has been overshadowed by the
House vote on healthcare overhaul legislation, and other
domestic issues, such as the economy, weigh more heavily
in the political calculus of this midterm election year.

At the rally site, Ali Nooani, chairman of Reform
Immigration for America, which organized the march,
disagreed that immigration reform was all but dead in
2010.

"This is the only issue on the table that has a history
of bipartisan leadership," Nooani said, his voice almost
lost by the sounds of the growing crowds. "Fixing
immigration is fundamentally linked to the economy."

In a tactic that reflects the current economy, march
organizers have tried to cast the immigration debate as
part of economic recovery.

"What's important today is that jobs and immigration go
hand in hand," Marc Morial of the National Urban League
said on Sunday in a television interview. "When you've
got millions of undocumented workers working off the
books that affects the economy for everyone."

There are more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the
country, and efforts to fix the current immigration
system have failed in recent years. Liberals have sought
a path for citizenship for undocumented workers, while
conservatives have been just as adamant in opposing what
they have called plans for amnesty. Both sides support
efforts to secure the border with Mexico, but they
differ on what tactics to use.

A new proposal has been pushed by Sens. Charles E.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.). There is
no bill yet, but the White House has endorsed the
initial framework.

The plan would require biometric Social Security cards
to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; added
border security; a temporary-worker plan and some path
to legalization.

The immigration reform issue has been politically
difficult for the White House.

In a statement, President Obama praised Schumer and
Graham, saying he was pleased to see their "promising,
bipartisan framework, which can and should be the basis
for moving forward. It thoughtfully addresses the need
to shore up our borders and demands accountability from
both workers who are here illegally and employers who
game the system."

Latinos, in particular, have criticized the Obama
administration's record on enforcement as the number of
deportations of undocumented immigrants increased 5% --
to 387,790 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2009.
Nearly two-thirds of those removals involved non-
criminals.

"There are millions dramatically impacted because [the
policy is] not working," said Eun Sook Lee, executive
director of the National Korean American Service and
Education Consortium. The Los Angeles-based group is one
of dozens of community organizations from California
that sent 455 representatives to the march, Lee said.

Lee, 42, was born in South Korea, raised in Canada and
came to the United States in 1994 without immigration
papers. She said she is fortunate she was able to obtain
legal-residency status, but many others are struggling
with split families and limited opportunities to
contribute, even though they have worked hard and been
in the U.S. for many years.

That's the main reason Julio Salgado, 26, a senior at
Cal State Long Beach, said he joined the march.

He said he came to the United States when he was 11 and
graduated from Long Beach High School in 2001 -- with a
3.6 grade point average.

But because he does not have a green card or legal-
resident status, Salgado said he couldn't qualify for
federal student loans for college, making it tough for
him to continue his education. Even so, he said he will
be graduating this spring -- nine years after first
enrolling in community college.

"We've done everything we've been told to do as kids,
but I'm at a loss here," he said of his job prospects
upon graduating. "Going to D.C. is my own personal push
[on the Obama administration], but it's not just for me,
but other people and families in the same situation as
well."

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Staff writer Michael Muskal contributed from Los Angeles

Copyright c 2010, The Los Angeles Times

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Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
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