At Washington immigration reform rally, a new hope for integration
WASHINGTON | Miguel Guzman would like to start his own plumbing business.
"I have the knowledge and the skills," he said. "I know the market and I have a lot of customers."
But he has a big problem.
"Right now, I don't have a status," he said.
Guzman, his wife and their daughter were among the thousands of people who rallied Tuesday afternoon on the National Mall, calling for Congress to enact a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws.
Guzman grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has lived in the U.S. for about 14 years. Living in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., he advertises his skills on Craigslist. Occasionally, he has a project big enough to hire other workers.
His wife and daughter -- who were holding a sign at the Camino Americano rally reading "Do I look illegal to you?” -- are both American citizens, but Guzman said he's waiting for immigration reform before trying again to get his citizenship.
Some of his family and friends are in a similar situation.
"The ones who already live here still want to stay here," he said. "They want to be integrated, invest in the U.S., buy houses and cars and pay taxes."
Among the speakers at the rally was Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)*, who linked Tuesday's event to his role in the March on Washington alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Fifty years ago we marched for jobs and freedom," Lewis said. "We march again for comprehensive immigration reform."
The rally on the National Mall, which is otherwise closed due to the government shutdown, follows demonstrations in more than 150 U.S. cities over the weekend pressing for that reform, which could include a path to citizenship for around 11 million undocumented immigrants.
The Senate passed a bill in July that included such a measure plus some border-security upgrades, but House Speaker John Boehner has refused to put that measure up for a vote. House Democrats revived immigration reform efforts with another immigration reform proposal last week, but that effort faces similar headwinds in the Republican-controlled chamber.
After marching about a mile down the National Mall to the Capitol, hundreds of protestors sat and stood in the middle of First Street NW in a nonviolent protest. Every minute or so, a U.S. Capitol Police officer would lead away a protester in plastic handcuffs, drawing big cheers and chants of "Sí, se puede" from other demonstrators lining the streets.
Among the 200 people reportedly arrested were Lewis, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), and Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).
Watching the demonstrators being arrested was Luz Luna, who has been in the U.S. for 16 years. She said it took her five very hot days to cross the border from her native Mexico. After that, she didn't see her mother, father and the rest of her family for 15 years. Now, she’s hoping that immigration reform will allow her to become a citizen like her husband and children.
"If not today, we're going to at least try," she said of the demonstration to enact immigration reform. "We never stop."
Baltimore resident Elsa Bustas and her husband, Daniel, have both become U.S. citizens, but they attended the rally in hopes that the immigration process improved for other people. She hails from Ecuador and moved to the U.S. on a student visa when she was a girl. Her husband jumped the border from Mexico and later got a green card through his work. She's been a citizen for 18 years, and he became naturalized last year after their kids convinced him he should do so.
"It makes me feel good we can become U.S. citizens," said Bustas, who works as a medical interpreter, who translates between patients and doctors. "It gives us security."
Bustas said she understands some Americans' concerns about immigrants, but thinks that the U.S. would have certain standards for citizenship.
"They'll be selective, check out their records and see that they're good people," she said.
* An earlier version incorrectly listed Lewis' home state.
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