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Peter O'Dowd files an in-depth report on divergent perspectives on this weekend's immigration rally in Washington DC.
Alicia Contreras, a 26 year old social worker from Arizona explains why she supports comprehensive immigration reform and why she is heading to Washington to participate in this weekend's march.
Ms. Contreras works part-time to keep at-risk kids out of gangs and off drugs. Many of those kids, she says, are from illegal immigrant families. She's going to Washington for them. "I want them to go to college. I want them to work for themselves."
Representative Russell Pearce (R-Arizona) won't be joining the marchers. He wants a different type of reform. He's gathering support for a law that would make it a crime for illegal immigrants to solicit work in public. Two years ago, one of his most controversial bills began putting sanctions on business owners who knowingly hire undocumented workers. Pearce says stronger laws make Arizona a safer place. A lot of voters here agree with him. He describes the activists at this weekend's rally in Washington as promoters of anarchy.
"These folks who march in complete disrespect for the law have no regard for the victims of crime and the damage and the cost to America. Shame on them. Shame on them. They're as un-American and as treasonous as anybody I know."
What's right for America is up for debate, but the attention drawn to the topic can only serve as a catalyst for reform that will improve a broken system that is in desperate need of repair.
Listen Now.
Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois) is determined to keep comprehensive immigration reform as the top priority for the Obama Administration. However, the recession, healthcare, as well as conflicts in Iraq and Afgahnistan have taken precedent.
Ira Mehlman, an immigration reform activist (Federation for American Immigration Reform or FAIR) doesn't think Congress is likely to move forward with amnesty legislation this year, despite the wishes of Guiterrez. He says the legislation will be similar to other amnesty bills from previous sessions of Congress aimed at legalizing the 12-million illegal aliens currently living in the United States. He expects more empty promises of enforcement and doubts Congress is going to move as quickly as Gutierrez and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wish.
"President Obama said this summer down in Mexico [that] this is not likely to come up until next year. A lot of Democrats don't want to have to go back to their constituents and say, 'Look, we didn't get the economy in shape, we didn't get healthcare done -- but hey, we granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.' That's not exactly what the constituents back home are looking for them to do in Washington," explains Mehlman. "And there's probably a lot of pressure from within Congress to delay this as long as possible." Listen to Gutierrez make his case with Jennifer Ludden of NPR here.
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