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Hundreds gather to celebrate bill, push for immigration reform
Community members speak out about why they believe change is needed now
Dec. 15, 2009
SEATTLE -
Hundreds gathered at Seattle's Victor Steinbrueck Park this morning for a rally
and celebration to show support for today's introduction of Rep. Luis
Gutierrez's comprehensive immigration reform bill. Replete with a Santa, elves,
holiday music and Christmas trees, participants shared their wish for reform on
holiday ornaments. Supporters young and old came to the rally from across Washington
State, including Mt. Vernon and Cashmere, to support the legislation and urge
family unity for the holidays.
Asked why
they want immigration reform, people had a wide range of answers: "I want families to be able to stay together
and build the future of the Americas," one participant wrote on his ornament. Elementary-school
student Cesar Vargas told the crowd, "I am here to fight for my brothers since
for nine years I haven't seen them. I think that everybody - even though we are
different cultures and different continents and different states - we are all
here, today, in the United States, to fight for the people that we love." Others
said, "I want my family of three kids to be together with their dad. Please
give us the gift of unity," "Nine years without my brother and sister is
inhumane," and "Our current system does not work. I support immigration reform
so that everyone will be afforded equal rights and opportunities."
As the
Seattle celebration kicked off, OneAmerica Executive Director Pramila Jayapal
joined a packed room in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. for a news
conference introducing the legislation. The new bill, titled "Comprehensive Immigration Reform for
America's Security and Prosperity Act" (CIR A.S.A.P.), has already received
82 co-sponsors and includes the following core components:
Providing a fair pathway to earned legalization
that honors the hard work of immigrants and our tradition as a nation of
laws;
Promoting and respecting family unity to keep
spouses together and children with their parents; Protecting opportunity for education and service
through an expanded DREAM Act;
Protecting the due process right of all;
Enhancing our national security by focusing our
enforcement and security measures on serious criminals, drug runners and
terrorists;
Promoting Immigrant integration.
For a more
complete summary of the bill, see the Immigration Policy Center's summary of the bill.
The festive Seattle rally ended with participants taking action to get the
reform bill rolling by calling 1-866-974-8813 to tell the White House to keep
its promise and act to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
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