SALINAS, Calif - Some 15,000 people marched in east Salinas on Sunday, united in their message for immigration reform.
Margarita Lopez's parents have been working in the country illegally for the past 10 years.
"I'm scared I won't see them ever again or all the hard work they did is worth nothing," says Lopez.
The Gilroy teen's now afraid one day, immigration officials will take them away.
"Many families get separated and I don't want to be one of those families," says Lopez.
But that's the reality and that's why thousands of people marched today to call for a change.
United Farm Workers 2nd Vice President Efren Barajas says, 13 million people are in the U.S. without documents and 150,000 are farm workers from the Central Coast.
"They contribute to the economy," says Barajas. "They contribute to this country and again, we just think it's fair they get the documents at this point."
Demonstrators reached this point following a campaign pledge more than a year ago from President Obama.
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Posted by Jeanette Pantoja
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Children are Watching
ReplyDeleteby stopdainsanity2
When I entered kindergarten – I was put into a class for the mentally retarded. Because my skin was brown my teacher assumed I did not speak English and required special bilingual support which was not available at the time. Yes – I was a Mexican-American citizen child AND I spoke English.
It literally took 2 weeks for my parents to force the school to place me in the mainstream kindergarten class — even though I could respond to questions in English. At the time if was easier for frustrated- overworked teachers (not bad people) to send me to the special needs class – no questions asked – based on my skin color. Although the error was corrected, as a child I never lost the feeling I was not welcomed and somehow my rights as a citizen were not equal to those of white americans. Be careful – children are watching.