Protestors call for immigration reform

Last night U.S. president Barack Obama sashayed with Thalia, Gloria Estefan and other Latino celebs at the “Fiesta Latina” concert. Hours before the gala, however, he may have caught a glimpse of the thousands of protestors outside the White House calling for immigration reform.

At least 3000 marchers from around the country converged in Washington for the rally that was also organized in other cities by several immigrant advocacy groups. There was a notable Latino presence at the protest urging the president to stop his waffling on the issue of immigration and to enact meaningful change against the status quo. “There was no question about immigration status. We were all New Yorkers; we were all Americans,” said one protestor- an undocumented migrant from Colombia who helped in the post-9/11 clean-up effort- to the New York Times.

Several legislators also joined in Tuesday’s push for immigration reform:

'We need a bill that says if you come here to hurt our communities, we will not support you, but if you are here to work hard and to make a better life for your family, you will have the opportunity to earn your citizenship,' said Congressman Luis Gutierrez of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Organizations on the other side of the immigration debate did not keep their arms crossed either. "The message is clear. No matter how they are sold to the public, amnesties don't work," said a board member of the Center for Immigration Studies to the Washington Times over a recently conducted poll of over 1000 Mexican adults. Yet the survey found that most respondents would not migrate to the U.S. if they had “the means and opportunity” and the poll neglected to ask about other possible immigration deterrents such as erecting a border fence or enforcing existing immigration laws.

Online Sources- YouTube, UPI, Monsters & Critics, Washington Times, Center for Immigration Studies, New York Times
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