Pro-Immigrant Demonstration in DC

Molly Hennessy-Fiske, of the LA Times, reports on a demonstration in DC yesterday:

Immigrant advocates staged a protest at the Capitol on Saturday to demand changes to the latest immigration proposal before Congress.

Protesters said they held the gathering while lawmakers were on recess to ensure immigration would remain a top priority when the Senate reconvenes Monday.

"We wanted to send a message that people are watching. This is not one of those things that is going to go away. It's only going to get worse," said protest speaker Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union.

The afternoon protest on the Capitol's West Lawn drew about 5,000 people, fewer than expected.

Organizers said they received many phone calls from immigrants afraid to attend after recent workplace raids and a clash between police and immigration activists in Los Angeles last month.

Organizer Jaime Contreras, president of the National Capital Immigrant Coalition, said legalization provisions in the latest Senate immigration bill should be revised to make it easier for illegal immigrants to become permanent residents or citizens and to bring their families to the United States. Click here for the rest of the story.

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