MAY 1st IMMIGRATION RALLY

Downtown Los Angeles became a sea of joyous and hopeful people on May Day this year. In a stunning turnout of people of all backgrounds, ages, and affiliations Broadway Street from Temple to Olympic resounded with song, chants, and spirited encouragement for all immigrants in our country.

I was struck by the hope-filled yearnings of so many people to have Congress pass a comprehensive immigration reform law to alleviate the fears and apprehensions of so many people living and working here without proper legal status. The sentiments were the same from all speakers addressing the assembled group: immigrants do not come to our country to rob and plunder our resources. We applaud government efforts to apprehend all those involved in criminal activity, such as drug and human traffikers--but they represent a tiny fraction of undocumented peoples living in our country.

Walking along the streets with these thousands of people enabled me to listen once again to their stories. And these stories all follow a similar pattern: either children are brought to this country by parents seeking a better future for them, or they are adults looking for a more secure life for themselves and their families--all the while contributing to building up our communities and nation.

The recent anti-immigrant law passed in Arizona galvenized everyone on May Day to unite all of our efforts to respect the dignity and rights of all immigrants, and to work for legislative reform which would better secure our borders, unite separated families, supply temporary workers as needed and through a just system, and to call from the shadows the millions of people here who need a path forward which would lead to a secure legal status now and citizenship in the future.


Absent was vitriolis and hateful rhetoric. Rather, all speakers raised up the human dignity and needed protections for everyone living in, and contributing to, the well-being of our country. In fact, joyful and upbeat hearts brought a carnival atmosphere to the massive rally. A sea of American flags of all sizes and shapes was evident everywhere, held up with pride by people of all size and shade of color.

I would refer you to the recent website which enables you to meet and hear the stories of real immigrants living in our midst:

www.facesofimmigrants.org

Above all, let us continue to lift up in our prayer all immigrants in our country and to work towards full immigration reform which will remove the stigma of "illegal" from countless brothers and sisters.

IMMIGRATION RALLY -- WASHINGTON, DC

On Sunday March 21, some 200,000 people gathered in Washington DC for a Rally in favor of immigration reform legislation.

This Rally was historic because it occurred during the final hours of debate about health care reform. Yet, these thousands of people came to the Capitol Mall to show their support for all of our immigrant brothers and sisters who are seeking a legal path to legal residency here in our country.

It was impressive to see people from almost all the States of the Union here to urge President Obama and the Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform.

Health care reform passed on Sunday night, and brought millions of people out of the shadows of living without health care coverage. We have reached out to them precisely to include them fully into American life and protections.

Now we need to do the same thing with our millions of immigrants who are living in the shadows of our society but without protections and guarantees--because they do not yet possess legal status. We need to devote ourselves to bring about a comprehensive bill which will bring them into full participation in the life of our country.

I am encouraged by the words and promises of President Obama and the Senate leadership:


January 27, 2010

In his State of the Union speech to Congress January 27, President Obama reaffirmed his Administration’s commitment to immigration reform, calling on Congress to “continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.” In comments made subsequent to the President’s speech, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) restated his commitment to moving immigration reform this year: “It is something we are committed to do. And we will do it as soon as we can.” Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) offered that he was making “good progress” in negotiating a bipartisan bill with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

For further information and ways you can participate, please visit the website for Justice for Immigrants: www.justiceforimmigrants.org

I am hopeful that all of us who are Catholics can move together towards an immigration reform that will bring respect, hope, and a new future for the millions who work so hard to make our country so great.

God's blessings be upon all of us!

Photos: CNS/Nancy Wiechec