USA-IMMIGRATION RALLY Immigration activists march around the White House demanding President Obama reform immigration

Record ID: 214805

  • Title: USA-IMMIGRATION RALLY Immigration activists march around the White House demanding President Obama reform immigration
  • Date: 7th November 2014
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C. (NOVEMBER 7, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS MARCHING AND CHANTING: 'OBAMA, LISTEN, WE'RE IN THE STRUGGLE' MARCHERS CHANTING 'YES WE CAN' MARCHERS FEET WALKING PAST WHITE HOUSE ACTIVISTS CARRYING U.S. FLAG BANNER PAST WHITE HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GUSTAVO TORRES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CASA DE VIRGINIA AND CASA OF MARYLAND, SAYING: "I don't have an
  • Embargoed: 22nd November 2014 12:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACRAYSLJCPCL6IYGM0Q6BMQTBB
  • Story Text: Just days after the Republican opposition party won control of the U.S. Senate and strengthened its grip on the House of Representatives, activists rallied in front of the White House on Friday (November 7) for President Barack Obama to take executive action on immigration that he had promised to take before the year ends.
    "I don't have any doubts that he (President Obama) is going to act," said Executive Director of CASA of Virginia and CASA of Maryland Gustavo Torres. "At this moment, our community is very upset, very sad about this situation. Every single day that the president waits to announce his executive order, more than 1,000 immigrants have been deported. Today, 1,000 members of our community are going to be deported because the president is not acting and that is the reason why we are here."
    Advocates have pressed the Obama administration to provide relief from the threat of deportation to more than 5 million of the 11 million undocumented immigrants that live in the U.S. but fear that in the wake of the election defeat, the plan could be reduced to 3 million or fewer, a significant drop.
    Republicans have vowed to pass legislation to prevent Obama from implementing the planned actions.
    Obama put off his reform plan last month because of concern that it would hurt Democrats running in the November elections but Salvador said time is of the essence for the president to take action.
    "We are here demanding the president use the power he has as president to sign the administrative relief for the millions of families that are waiting," he said.
    Immigration activists have said that the Department of Homeland Security briefed them about a scenario in which 2-3 million people were covered and one in which closer to 5 million were covered.
    The White House has said Obama had not made a decision yet and that final recommendations from Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson were pending.
    Activists said they have waited since Obama took office in 2009 for him to act on immigration reform promises and many feel he has broken those promises.
    Standing at the rally, Maria held a poster that read, 'No More Lies.' She was confident the president had been told how heart-wrenching the issue is to those whose families are affected.
    "We're here to support reform. I don't want to talk about families because he (Obama) knows all the families are suffering. I don't think that's something he doesn't already know," she said as a tear ran down her cheek.
    Torres said Central American and Mexican migrants are particularly driven not just by poverty, but by crime that is spurred by U.S. drug consumption and Washington must take responsibility for that.
    "This country's government has a very big responsibility because we have a serious drug problem here. The weapons with which our people in Central America and Mexico are being killed are imported from here to Central America. We must assume our share of the responsibility to ensure that we stop this crisis that our Central American and Mexican brothers and sisters are living through," he said.
    The president could remove the deportation threat for about 3 million undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country for 10 years and have children who are U.S. citizens.
    But activists want the parents of so-called Dreamers, children who have already been granted deportation relief, to be covered too.
    Twenty-year-old Monica, who arrived in the U.S. when she was 7 years old, is a Dreamer and says there is more to be done for the Dreamers and their families.
    "I know I'm capable of doing so much and I know I can be someone. I just need the opportunity. I want to be a translator and I want to work for the government and I know I'm capable of doing that, I just need him to do something," she said, pointing to the White House.
    Some 11 million undocumented immigrants reside in the United States. Obama has promised to implement broad reform of the U.S. system but has been unable to get Republican support in the House of Representatives for a new law.
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