Local Residents Join Thousands Asking for Immigration Reform

Updated: 9:50 AM Mar 22, 2010

Frustrated with the pace of action to overhaul the country's immigration system, an estimated 40 local residents joined tens of thousands of demonstrators who descended on the nation's capital Sunday, waving American flags and holding homemade signs.

Posted: 6:53 PM Mar 21, 2010
Reporter: Carlos Vergara
Email Address: carlos.vergara@newsplex.com

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March 21, 2010

President Barack Obama, who promised to make overhauling the immigration system a top priority in his first year, sought to reassure those at the rally with a video message presented on giant screens at the National Mall.

The president said he was committed to working with Congress this year on a comprehensive bill to fix a "broken immigration system."

Obama said problems include families being torn apart, employers gaming the system and police officers struggling to keep communities safe.

The president, whose comments were released as he worked to get last-minute votes on a health care overhaul, said he would do everything in his power to forge a bipartisan consensus on immigration reform.

Today's rally, which comes on the day when lawmakers are eying a key vote on health care doesn't detract organizers, who say the time has come to get the president to follow through on his campaign promise to revamp immigration policy, and stop unneeded raids and round-ups.

"This was planned for months" says Lou Hart, who boarded a bus bound for our nation's capital at 9:30 Sunday morning.

Timothy Freilich, a local immigration reform advocate says the timing is fine, and adds that once health care finished up, the president needs to take up immigration reform.

Meantime in Washington, demonstrators were disappointed immigration reform hasn't come sooner.

Adolfo Recinas, 38, held one end of a large banner reading "Latinos for Legalization and Immigration Reform." Recinas said his message to Congress was: "Don't make any more excuses."

"I'm illegal and I got a business. I pay taxes," said the Prince Georges County resident who moved to the U.S. some 23 years ago and now lives northeast of D.C.

There are about 12 million undocumented immigrants. March organizers said people traveled from around the country in hopes the rally will re-energize the legislative effort to create a mechanism for them to gain legal status.

"It is hard because most people are worried about health care reform and stuff," said Manuel Bettran, a 21-year-old college student from Chicago who came by bus.

Bettran said his parents overstayed their visas in the U.S. but were able to take advantage of an amnesty in the 1980s to become citizens.

"Fortunately, they were able to become citizens during the last amnesty but I know many people that weren't that lucky," said the American-born Bettran, adding that his brother was never able to gain legal status and had to leave the U.S.

Latest Comments

Posted by: The Dude Location: Greene County on Mar 22, 2010 at 09:24 AM

It is so simple, really: Enforce and Fund the current immigration laws; Arrest and deport them all; Jail time for all employers; and just for fun; one million land mines on the the border! By removing the 15-20 million pieces of vermin infecting our country, that will mean jobs for Americans, especially the poor and low-skilled.

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