Video included at source

Tour aiming to change immigration policy stops in Dallas

06:59 PM CDT on Saturday, March 14, 2009
By MONIKA DIAZ / WFAA-TV
Video March 14th, 2009
Monika Diaz reports.

DALLAS - A town hall meeting at a church in Dallas attracted thousands of people on Saturday.

It's all part of a tour that aims to change immigration policy and help those families whose loved ones have been deported.

One by one, U.S. citizens shared their stories.

"I am a proud U.S. citizen," said one.

"She will wake up every night asking for her dad and it's hard to produce because he's not here," said Marisela Martinez, a mother of two, without her husband.

An 18-year-old girl without her mother also spoke.

"My brother was scared when immigration came to the house. He ran to the window and immigration took my mother," said Emma Hervert.

It was a call for change from families separated by U.S. immigration laws.

More than 1,000 people packed the church on West Moreland in Dallas for a rally organized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The event is part of 21-city tour across some of the nation's churches, pushing for immigration reform.

WFAA-TV

More than 1,000 people attended the meeting. "We are going to use the church to champion our cause," said one speaker.

Leading the tour, is Illinois congressman, Luis Gutierrez.

He wants the president to take action.

"Our broken immigration system has destroyed enough families. It has caused enough harm and suffering," he said.

"Let's bring about the legislation that keeps these families together," he added.

Across from the church, a small group of protesters, voiced their concerns.

They are against any proposal to legalize undocumented immigrants.

"They are blaming America for protecting our borders and therefore splitting up families, as if it wasn't their responsibility," said protester Michael Whitehead.

The tour's next stop will be tomorrow in Mission, Texas and it's already motivating one group to fight back.

AmericanWorker.org is running ads on television criticizing Gutierrez and his push for immigration reform.

According to the group, the country's number one priority right now is the economy and putting the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work.

E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com.

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