http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... s0311.html

Migrant-reform runners visit

Daniel González
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 11, 2006 12:00 AM


Twelve runners on a 3,000-mile trek across the country will pass through Phoenix this weekend on a journey aimed at generating support for immigration reform that would benefit day laborers and immigrant workers.

Organizers of the Day Laborer Run for Peace and Dignity hope to call attention to the contributions of immigrant workers at a time when day laborers, many undocumented, find themselves under attack here and in cities and towns across the country.

"The purpose of the run is to create just immigration reform," said Salvador Reza, one of the organizers and a participant. He runs the Macehualli Work Center on 25th Street south of Bell Road, the only organized day-labor site in Phoenix.

Phoenix police recently began charging some day laborers with trespassing in front of the Home Depot on Thomas Road near 36th Street after complaints from business owners and demonstrations by members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an anti-illegal immigration group.

After arriving in Phoenix this afternoon, the runners on Sunday will visit several Home Depots in Phoenix where day laborers congregate, including the one on Thomas.

Reza said the runners are expecting several thousand supporters.

On Monday, runners will meet with lawmakers at the Capitol, and then "take a message" to Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, who has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration since assuming taking office last year.

"The message is we are human beings, not criminals," Reza said.

The runners began in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 4 and will finish in New York City on May 1, International Workers Day.