Source: AILA Leadership Blog
By The AILA Media Advocacy Committee
Several weeks ago on Sunday, March 21, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Washington D.C. to advocate for a change in our immigration laws. And then, on Saturday, March 27, thousands more demonstrated in Los Angeles in solidarity with the Washington D.C. demonstration. Other marches are planned in cities across the country for April 10, 2010, including Seattle, Washington and Las Vegas, Nevada and as well as another broadly sponsored demonstration in Los Angeles scheduled for May 1. The purpose of the demonstrations are to continue to highlight the need for immigration reform, especially a pathway to legalization for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. who contribute to our economy, but are forced to live in the shadows of our society.
In addition to broad contingents from various immigrant communities, the demonstrators have included substantial numbers from faith based coalitions across the country, as well as from civil rights organizations. The demonstrations have been organized to remind President Obama that he promised to fix our broken immigration system within the first year of his administration and that this promise must be kept. The demonstrations also voiced concerns over President Obama’s record breaking deportation removals in the fiscal year 2009, and the ICE leadership’s quota goals of 400,000 removals this year. Despite ICE’s quasi-retraction, enforcement is clearly at the forefront of this administration, placing millions of immigrant families in danger.
Right now Congress appears deadlocked on this issue. The House of Representatives has stated it will not entertain reform until the Senate passes a bill. The Senate is looking for a second Republican to sponsor the Schumer/Graham proposed bill.
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