Immigrant advocates plan walk from Miami to Washington
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BY HERALD STAFF
dadenews@MiamiHerald.com
A coalition of local immigrant advocacy groups will take part next month in a 2,000-mile walk from Miami to Washington, D.C., to urge passage of legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to become legalized U.S. residents and citizens.

Called the ``Trail of DREAMS,'' the organizations are trying to build momentum for the latest immigration reform bill that was introduced this week in Congress.

Organizers said the walk, to begin Jan. 1, is a project of Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER), a Miami-based organization affiliated with the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

Among those expected to join the walk are undocumented immigrants who would benefit from passage of the legislation.

The groups have scheduled a news conference Friday to talk about their plans.

The lobbying effort follows the introduction of the first comprehensive immigration reform bill in the current Congress. The bill is sponsored by a group of Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.

Prospects for passage remain as uncertain as ever.

Provisions in the Gutierrez legislation -- Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 -- are somewhat similar to those in prior bills.

Undocumented immigrants in the United States prior to Dec. 15 would be encouraged to come forward and register with the government in exchange for a future path to residency and citizenship.

Certain immigrants in deportation proceedings, facing removal or ordered to depart would be able to apply for legalization under Gutierrez's bill. Applicants would pay a $500 fine -- lower than the thousands of dollars sought in prior bills -- and must have clean criminal records. If approved, applicants would receive a six-year visa, which eventually could be replaced by a green card -- the path to possible citizenship.

The bill also incorporates provisions of the DREAM Act, separate legislation filed earlier that would provide green cards to children of undocumented parents who are in high school or college and were brought to the United States as minors.

Similar bills in recent years have failed because of fierce opposition by conservative and anti-immigrant forces. Whether the political climate has changed is difficult to say, but most experts say debate on immigration reform will be as emotional and polarizing as the healthcare reform debate.

President Obama has signaled he will push immigration reform, but not until healthcare reform is out of the way.

Long-standing opponents have vehemently criticized Gutierrez's bill.

``The bill proposes to reduce illegal immigration by making all illegal immigrants legal,'' Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, a longtime legalization opponent, said in a statement.

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