Rally in Marivue Park, AZ
Reports are still coming in from all across the country about the amazing events held last week. From Alaska to Florida, from California to New Jersey, from Virginia to Colorado, people everywhere are uniting to show the world that immigration reform can’t wait. Here are some of the highlights.
California could reap an economic boon worth $16 billion by legalizing its 1.8 million undocumented adult Latino immigrants, according to a USC study released today.
The economic benefits would come as newly legalized immigrants earned higher wages, spent more consumer dollars, paid more taxes and helped create jobs, according to the study by the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration.
“People keep using our economic condition as an excuse to not do comprehensive immigration reform,” said Manuel Pastor, one of the study’s authors. “It’s just the opposite: What we need to do to right our economy and move forward is create a path to legalization.”
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The study was released at a kickoff rally in Los Angeles to renew lobbying efforts for legalization, more worker and family visas and other elements of comprehensive immigration reform. Amid balloons, posters and lively cheers, several labor, religious and immigrant rights leaders spoke in favor of reform.
In their push to change the nation’s immigration laws, local Hispanics welcomed new allies Thursday.
Representatives from the Asian-American, African-American, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim communities swelled a rally called to push for comprehensive immigration reform.
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The rally to kick off the local campaign for immigration reform drew dozens of young people from Lake and Ashtabula counties, including a teen girl who revealed a dilemma she said she shares with many others at Ashtabula’s Lakeside High School.
Though a high-achieving student, she cannot apply to colleges because her parents brought her into the country illegally at age 5.
“We have the potential, we just need that Social Security number, that green card that they ask us for,” she said, her voice breaking. “We can make it with your help.”
Max Blachman, an aide to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, drew applause when he said he would support reforms that offered “earned citizenship” to illegal immigrants.
In Florida, people gathered for a Fast for Our Families event.
Immigration Impact put together a roundup of some more events here. And you can find all the media coverage of last week’s events here.
Categories: Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Uncategorized
