by Erick Galindo
Luis Gutiérrez
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Thousands of Latinos came from throughout the United States Oct. 13 to add their voices to the national clamor for immigration reform. “We came to fight for the reform President Obama promised us and nothing has happened since he’s been in office,” Newark, N.J., construction worker Jose Gregorio expressed his concern to Weekly Report.
Gregorio, from Honduras, in the United States on a work permit, has been in the process of securing his permanent residence visa.
Despite a series of delays, Gregorio remains hopeful that he will be approved and even that immigration reform is forth coming.
Busloads of activists came to the nation’s capital from as far away as California, joining hundreds more who live in surrounding areas to meet with members of Congress. The pre-dominantly Hispanic crowd rallied on the west lawn of the Capitol in support of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-III.), who shared with them the basics of a bill he plans to introduce to the House.
While jumping the gun on the White House, which has charged Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) with preparing an Administration bill, Gutierrez did not set a date for his, stating that health care and energy reform must come first.
Also hailed by the crowd was Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) who delivered his pep talk in Spanish. As co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Grijalva is expected to be influential in the debate. Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.) was also on hand to offer her support.
But Gutierrez was the star of the show as members of the crowd compared him to President John Kennedy.
He said that learning English would be required under his bill, but that it would provide a path to citizenship that did not include huge penalties or require immigrants to return to their home countries for a period of time. “We’re going to learn English so well, we will be able to write novels and poetry,” he told the receptive crowd in English and Spanish.
The bill would also require background screenings and ensure border security.
Gutierrez also said that the current U.S. policy splits families who have U.S.-born relatives and asked for a moratorium of rids and firings while the country waits for reform. Hispanic Link.
