A group of Richmond-area religious leaders and immigrant advocates yesterday greeted a Florida caravan with signs that read "Reform Immigration For America," then sent them off to a rally in Washington today.
"You carry the message of the oppressed, of those who suffer injustice, of those who don't have a voice," the Rev. Shay W. Auerbach of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Richmond told the group during a rally at Ramsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Richmond. "You are their hope."
Virginia immigrant advocates join the Florida caravan and other groups from across the country in a demonstration seeking an overhaul of the current immigration system.
During today's rally, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Ill., will unveil the principles of a comprehensive immigration reform bill that he plans to introduce this fall. Other members of Congress also are expected to participate in a vigil at 3 p.m. on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
"We need a bill that says if you come here to hurt our communities, we will not support you; but if you are here to work hard and to make a better life for your family, you will have the opportunity to earn your citizenship," Gutierrez said in a statement. "We need a law that says it is un-American for a mother to be torn from her child, and it is unacceptable to undermine our workforce by driving the most vulnerable among us further into the shadows."
With President Barack Obama's stated commitment to immigration reform, advocates say they expect the issue to become a priority this fall, said Vilma Seymour, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Obama said recently that his administration will pursue immigration reform this year but expects that no action on legislation will happen before 2010.
Mario Ibarra, a Richmond-area resident for 17 years, yesterday went to Ramsey Memorial to support the plea for reform. Along with his daughter, he chanted in Spanish, "We want immigration reform now!"
He said he hopes for a law that would stop the separation of families because of immigration status. "It is very sad to see families being split," he said. "As a father, I wouldn't like that to happen to me."
Rev. Norma Aguilar, associate pastor at Ramsey Memorial, said the community has waited too long for action that would bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and would recognize their value to society.
"The immigrant community contributes a lot to this country, not only in labor, but also culture," Aguilar said. "As a minister, it is my hope and my prayer that God will touch the hearts of those involved in the process."
Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or llazo@timesdispatch.com.
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