Thread: Immigration reform movement looks to children left behind

Immigration reform movement looks to evangelicals, children left behind by deported parents

President Barack Obama's administration urged to make reform a priority

By Dahleen Glanton | Tribune correspondent
10:05 PM CST, March 5, 2009

NORCROSS, Ga. — On a recent afternoon, 15-year-old Marlon Parras stood on a stage in front of 3,000 people and talked about the hardships he and his 13-year-old sister, Emiely, have faced since their parents were deported to Guatemala.

He wept as he spoke softly of their parents' decision to leave the children, both American citizens, with relatives and church members so they could continue their education in suburban Atlanta.

"This is not a family," Parras told the crowd that rose to its feet during his emotional testimony. "This is not fair."

Two years after a sweeping Immigration reform bill failed in Congress, Latino leaders have revitalized the effort, positioning children who were left behind when their parents were deported as the new face of the movement. The campaign is designed to place pressure on President Barack Obama to make comprehensive Immigration reform a priority.

Immigration issues Borrowing a page from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Latinos have taken their cause to churches, drawing upon the growing population of evangelical Latinos who are strong advocates of family values. While Hispanics overwhelmingly remain Roman Catholics, nearly one in six in the U.S. identify as evangelicals, the second largest religious group in the Latino community, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

"We know there's a huge economic crisis confronting America, so there is a vigorous response to it. So are health care and foreclosures. We want to make sure President Barack Obama understands that while all these things are urgent and need his attention, we want him to keep his promise to address comprehensive Immigration reform during the first year of his first term," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who has organized rallies in 17 cities, including Chicago and Joliet. "Our families are the cornerstone of our society, and we want to protect those families."

Packing a large evangelical church in suburban Atlanta, the mostly Latino audience shouted "Amen" and waved as ministers preached about how God would protect them. For more than three hours, they prayed, sang spirituals in Spanish and listened to the testimonies of families torn apart at the hands of federal Immigration agents.

The stories are designed to tug at the heartstrings of Americans and focus attention on what community leaders said is the most tragic consequence of the federal government's crackdown on illegal Immigration—the breakup of families, a problem they said impacts up to 5 million children, most of whom were born in the U.S. and automatically are citizens.

Immigration reform has always been a controversial and divisive issue in America, and during tough economic times, opponents said, it could be difficult to gain public support for legislation that could provide legal citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants.

Still, sharing the stage with Rep. John Lewis, (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon, Gutierrez brought the movement deep into conservative Republican territory, where many residents support efforts to secure the borders rather than granting widespread citizenship to illegal immigrants. Georgia has one of the fastest growing illegal immigrant populations in the nation, rising to about 490,000 in 2008 from 228,000 in 2000, according to state estimates.

But Latino leaders are hoping that concern and empathy for broken families will galvanize the Latino community and draw the support of other Americans.

Organizers are gathering thousands of petitions and plan a huge rally in Washington in July.

"When you have a 15-year-old American citizen speak very emotionally and eloquently about his pain, most Americans will say, 'We didn't know the system was that broken,' " said Gutierrez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Immigration Task Force, which is promoting the movement. "Americans do support the basic premise that children should not be held accountable for the actions of adults."

Latinos turned out for Obama 2 to 1 in the 2008 election, according to exit polls, and helped him capture key battleground states such as New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Florida. Now, they want him to honor his campaign promise.

"We understand that Mr. Obama is in a difficult position and he is trying to be a reformer," said Rev. Miguel Rivera, president of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, which represents 20,000 churches in 34 states. "Latinos supported him because they were extremely disappointed with Republicans and the ultra conservative right wing evangelical movement. So it is important that he make Immigration reform a priority."

It would be difficult to get an Immigration bill through Congress at a time when big spending bills are causing controversy, according to Michael Franc, vice president for government relations for the conservative Heritage Foundation. It is a subject, Franc said, that is divisive among Democrats as well as Republicans.

"There was a schism on the Democratic side during the last Immigration debate, but because the Republicans were so vocal in their opposition, no one noticed the Democrats' reluctance," Franc said.

When people are out of work and struggling to keep their own families together, there is less sympathy for illegal immigrants, he said. A tight job market and the competition for jobs provided in the stimulus package could also influence public perceptions about Immigration.

dglanton@tribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... 7490.story

Typical sob story from the Trib. The parents made the choice to leave their children behind. I sincerely doubt that any government agency in the U.S. prevented the children going to their parents' home country. I also seriously doubt that the parents' country denied entry to the children.

Comments in the article are angry. My favorite: "Why not just spay and neuter illegals whenever they show up at the emergency room for that free health care? This would help to prevent any future anchor babies." Kind of harsh but it reflects the anger that Americans - even in sanctuary cities like Chicago - are feeling over this issue.

so much for family values, they dont cherish their kids enough to take them with em.

the 14th amendment is not for illegals. it was for slaves and slaves only

from what im reading on this story, people are mad at the story, guiterrez and the paper for posting it and being so pro illegal.
unfortunately, the posts by readers are all the OPPOSITE.

go post a reply, you dont need to sign in or register

I have to wonder how many of these story's are made up!

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-148572.html

SAME STORY but different paper

POOR LATINOS, TAKE THEIR KIDS WITH AND GET H*LL OUT.

THEY CAME HERE DELIBERATLY DROP KID AFTER KID AND WANT PITY.

I DON'T HAVE PITY FOR THESE PEOPLE PERIOD

"Americans do support the basic premise that children should not be held accountable for the actions of adults."

Heck fire, what group are you talking to Luis? Whites have gotten the flack for generations because a few had slaves, and we have been paying whether we had an ancestor who had one or not. We have gotten the flack for the KKK, simply because of color. Your people (not literally his people coz he's from Puerto Rico but) are feeling justified to invade this country because they didn't like the deal Mexico made ions ago and claim it's still their land. Unless you live in a vacume, all your choices effect the people around you. You scream rights, but with rights come responsibility and illegal immigrants were not drug here against their will and forced to do anything they didn't sign up for. They took a risk and lost and are now using their kids as a shield. I can guarentee you if a citizen killed one of your people you wouldn't give two hoots if it ment a family was seperated because of jail time. Where's your concern for "the family" of all those who have lost loved ones due to illegal crime? Those kids can go home with their parents. Nobody is keeping them against their will. The problem is the parents who simply just didn't think things through or consider what it might mean to their family for breaking the law when they got caught.

Sure blame us here in the USA for YOUR illegal parents doing this to you!
They need to take responsibility for their ILLEGAL actions!

Quit whining, you have stolen a gift of America's and you don't even know it.

SHUT -UP!!!

If all illegal aliens went home and took their anchor babies with them their families wouldn't get broken up. Problem solved.