Kennedy leads rally for immigration reform
By EVAN LEHMANN, Sun Washington Bureau



WASHINGTON -- The crowd surged when Sen. Edward Kennedy slipped into the room, yelling in unison, punching their fists into the air and bolting upright to twirl red shirts above their hair.

To the hundreds of foreign hotel workers gathered at the base of Capitol Hill in a historic train station yesterday, Kennedy is fighting for their future, their families and their struggle to shed the tumor of being illegal citizens.

Others see a different view: that undocumented workers disregard the law, are vexing health-care and education systems and encourage other immigrants to cross the border illegally.

On the eve of that fight, to begin today when the Senate Judiciary Committee opens debate on sweeping changes to the nation's immigration policies, Kennedy said he is continuing the effort of his brothers John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy in "knocking down the walls of discrimination."

The crowd roared.

"Are we going to win, my friends?" Kennedy yelled into the microphone. "Yeah!" the crowd exploded.

"I think we smell victory in the air!" Kennedy bellowed, met by screams of cheer.

Later, the crowd poured into Senate office buildings to press lawmakers in foreign accents to support legislation that if passed would grant visas to millions of undocumented immigrant workers in the United States.

Carlos Chacon, a 39-year-old Chelsea resident, has waited seven years for this moment -- when he last saw his wife and two sons in El Salvador.

He sends money every month, Chacon said, but can't visit without


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being barred from returning to Massachusetts, and his job at a Radisson Hotel. His family could move here without fear of deportation under the new rules, he said.

"I want to see my kids," Chacon said after the rally. "I only hear, only call. I want to touch their skin."

The bill offered by Kennedy, a Democrat, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would grant legal status to millions of undocumented workers for up to six years. They could then apply for permanent residency after paying $2,000 in fees, learning English and maintaining a crime-free record. They would also have to show they've paid taxes.

"It will make the United States of America a fairer, more just land," Kennedy told the crowd.

The McCain-Kennedy bill, which also calls for enhanced border enforcement and penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers, has captured a broad base of support, from business to religious organizations.

President Bush has bucked his base by supporting a guest worker program. But he has stopped short of backing a permanent residency provision -- a central element of McCain-Kennedy and a focus for undocumented workers.

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