Thousands Pack National Mall to Demand Immigration Reform

While lawmakers fiercely debated health care reform before a historic vote in the Capitol on Sunday, thousands of people rallied on the National Mall outside to demand that Washington put immigration reform on the front burner.

Entire families turned out, including young children and parents with strollers. Others came with church, school, or community activist groups. As the crowd marched past the Capitol at the end of the rally, they were joined by several drummers and a marching band. Many demonstrators also held hand-lettered signs and chanted "Si, se puede" (Yes, we can) and "Obama, escucha, estamos en la lucha" (Obama, listen, we are struggling) as they stood or marched in the afternoon sun.

Organizers expected up to 100,000 at the "March for America," but they estimated at least twice that many came to hear political, religious, and community leaders, including Cardinal Roger Mahony of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) took a break from the health care debate to address the crowd as well, calling immigration reform an issue that "cannot be delayed because of the fears of politicians."

"We've been patient long enough," Gutierrez told the crowd. "We've listened quietly, we've asked politely. We've turned the other cheek so many times our heads are spinning." On Sunday, Gutierrez was planning to vote yes on the health care reform bill, but up until just a few days ago, he said that he would need to see movement on immigration reform before deciding on health care reform.

"We need to get [the president] to focus on [immigration reform]," he told reporters on Sunday. "That's why we're here today."

In an op-ed for the Washington Post on Friday, Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), proposed a plan in which undocumented immigrants would be eligible to apply for citizenship after admitting they broke a law and paying a fine and back taxes. The senators also proposed a new biometric Social Security card that employers would be required to check before hiring.

In a video message to the crowd Sunday, Barack Obama said, "I have always pledged to be your partner as we work to fix our broken immigration system -- and that's a commitment that I reaffirm today." The president went on to plug the plan laid out by Schumer and Graham, saying it would "protect our borders and enforce the law while offering a path to citizenship for hard-working people who register, pay taxes, pay a fine, and agree to play by the rules."

Both Menendez and Gutierrez expressed some early support for the Schumer/Graham proposal. Menendez told Politics Daily the proposal was "a good foundation," but also expressed a reservation, saying, "Maybe they didn't get to say everything in the op-ed, but I didn't hear anything about family reunification" in the proposal. Gutierrez said the senators' proposal was "a step in the right direction to get the process restarted in the Senate. It's on the right path."


An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are in the United States. Among the young people in the crowd, passing the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act was frequently cited as a priority. The legislation would allow high school students who came to the country as minors to stay and attend college or serve in the military.

Cynthia Perez, a junior in high school in New Haven, Conn., said she came to the United States when she was 5. "I haven't been back to Mexico since, and I want the opportunity to study here." She is hoping to get citizenship before she graduates, but notes that her family -- with the exception of her younger sister who was born in the United States -- has been trying for the last six years.

"The president gave a speech to high school and middle-school students about studying and preparing for our futures, but how can we expect to have a good future without [citizenship] papers?"

But the issue that came up the most on Sunday was the potential for families to be separated under current immigration laws, under which some family members have citizenship and some don't. It's an issue that's very familiar to Edgar Nieble.

Nieble recently was certified to become a police officer in Colorado and has lived in the United States for almost 20 years -- since he was 7 -- along with his parents and older sisters. "We applied [for citizenship] as a family," he said. "My mother and sisters, they got approved. But, for some reason, my father and I didn't."

And Nieble's family is not alone.

Rodney Garcia, a doctor in New York, and Janus Pauliks, a Lutheran pastor from Latvia, were celebrating their sixth anniversary together by coming to the rally. "I'm legally employed, with a visa," said Pauliks. "But under current policies I'm still eligible for deportation at any time."

Melissa McGuire-Maniau, a veteran of the Air Force, was at the rally with two daughters, aged 3 and 11, and her husband, who is facing deportation to Mexico, after coming to the United States more than 25 years ago as a minor. "I'm hoping that people will see the magnitude of the suffering," she said. "I'm not opposed to enforcing the law, but it needs to be brought up to date."

"I'm just one person among millions, "McGuire-Maniau added. "My case is no different than anyone else's."