Thousands rally in May Day effort for immigration reform
By SOPHIA TAREEN
Associated Press
May 2, 2008
Page 2 of 2
Hugo Orozzo, a 17-year-old high school senior, was among hundreds who marched through the streets of southwest Detroit. He was born in the U.S., but his father was born in Mexico and some other family members are originally from Mexico.
''It is going to help my family and friends,'' Orozzo said of the effort. He carried a preprinted sign that read: ''Stop raids and deportations that separate families!'' in both English and Spanish.
In Miami, 75 people marched to the regional immigration offices from the Little Haiti neighborhood. Among them was Elvira Carbajal, who came from Mexico more than a decade ago and is a U.S. citizen but said many of her family members are not.
''They are going to grow up with this anger of the government for the loss of their parents, parents who were simply trying to give them a better life,'' she said.
In San Francisco, protesters Marta Acuchi and her husband Jose, from Michoacan, Mexico, closed their child daycare center to march with about 400 others.
''We need to fix the legal situation of immigrants,'' she said. ''Even if it's not this year legislators are seeing we're still here, we're still marching, we're still knocking on their door.''
And in Milwaukee, factory worker Miguel Tesillos, 29, was among hundreds who lined sidewalks waiting for the march to begin.
''Our people, we pay taxes, we pay the same as a citizen,'' said Tesillos, who has a Green Card. ''Maybe the new president can see this point, and do something for us.''
But activists say they know it will be a challenge to push their issues to the political forefront.
Immigration reform did not resonate with voters in primary elections who overwhelmingly listed the economy as their top concern. Immigration legislation has stalled and been defeated in the Senate, and presidential candidates have not extensively addressed the issues.
Democratic presidential rivals Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton supported a 2006 bill, sponsored by Republican candidate John McCain, that offered illegal immigrants legal status on conditions such as learning English. All three also have supported a border fence.
In Chicago, 17-year-old Celeste Rodarte marched with a group of her friends from the city's West Side. She said her parents came to the United States more than 20 years ago and became citizens last year.
''I know a lot of people who don't have papers and I want to help them out,'' Rodarte said.
Seventh-grader Vicente Campos of Milwaukee was granted an excused absence from school to attend the march. He said he was concerned by stories of immigration officials separating parents and children.
''Immigrants come here to support their families in Mexico,'' said Campos, 13. ''They're not all here to do crimes.''
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Associated Press Writers Caryn Rousseau in Chicago, David Runk in Detroit, Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee, Arthur H. Rotstein in Tucson, Ariz., Joseph B. Frazier in Salem, Ore., Mike Graczyk in Houston, Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami, Juliana Barbassa in San Francisco and Jacquelyn Martin in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.
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