Immigration Rallies: 200,000 in DC today, 2 million nationwide

By: Lowell
Published On: 4/10/2006 7:02:59 AM

According to a story in Bloomberg News:

As many as 2 million people may rally across the U.S. today against an immigration reform bill passed by the House of Representatives that would tighten the borders and impose stiffer penalties on illegal immigrants.

In DC, 200,000 are expected to gather at the Washington Monument at 4 p.m. today.  That will include, no doubt, a large contingent from Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, and other Northern Virginia communities.  In addition, people are being bused in from Culpeper  and, undoubtedly, other Virginia towns.  That's because immigrants live everywhere; in fact, we're a nation of immigrants.

Yesterday, around 4,000 demonstrated in Richmond's Monroe Park "to demand comprehensive immigration reform that includes an opportunity to pursue citizenship."
My own position on this issue is that we need to have rational immigration laws which take into account economic reality, provide a path to citizenship and not create a permanent underclass, integrate new immigrants into the American "melting pot" as rapidly as possible, while ensuring that our borders are secure from terrorists and criminals.  We also need to make certain that immigrants are not persecuted or harrassed in this country, simply for seeking a better life for themselves and their families. 

By the way, my great grandparents were all immigrants - poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free, come to think of it - coming from persecution and terrible conditions in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, etc.  Some of my wife's ancestors fled the potato famines and other troubles in Ireland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany.  Others were the Scots-Irish of whom James Webb writes so eloquently in "Born Fighting."  My wife's and my great grandparents were generally welcome into this country, although there certainly was hostility as well.  Still, all in all, the words of the Statue of Liberty rang trure.  I would hope we would treat this new wave of immigrants, largely from Latin America, no differently.

Comments



Future Democratic Voters! (Doug in Mount Vernon - 4/10/2006 6:44:46 PM)
I am listening to a young woman, Maritza Gamarra, from Hylton High School in Woodbridge, VA, speak at the Immigration Rally in DC.  She's saying that she and other Latino youth who will soon be registering to vote are paying attention to what the politicians are saying about her community.  She then urged every young Latino to register and vote as soon as they turn 18.

This is awesome.  These people are paying attention, are rightly horrified, and I'd be willing to wager, they'll soon be voting Democratic!