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PORT ISABEL
Immigration Protest Held in Port Isabel

Sep 27, 2006 03:59 PM PDT

Reported by Jennifer Cavazos

These protesters are made up of immigrants and supporters and all have one thing in common - they want their voices heard.

They held a march Wednesday morning in Port Isabel chanting and waving signs in protest of building a fence along the border and demanding respect from their local law enforcement.

"All these people want rights here...rights in the state and rights in the federal and we need immigration reform," says Humberto Hernandez, protestor and local organizer.

Those who were holding the American flag with pride feel immigration reform is not where it should be.

And building a fence is not the solution to the immigration problems.

"They want to build a wall between our communities here in borders. And for a lot of us we have families on both sides of the border. This is one community, certainly from different countries but definitely one community," said Nathan Selzer with Valley Movement for Human Rights.

Selzer says immigrants play a big role in the Laguna area, working in hotels and restaurants.

Some supporters came out because they say immigrants truly want to make a better life for themselves and their family.

Emiliano Diaz de Leon was among the protestors.

"For me it's important to speak out and demand that and to fight for that and to stand in solidarity with them."

"If you don't put an end to this right now it just may continue on and encourage other discrimination to other nationalities," says supporter Charles Abel.

The group says the message it wants to send out is that immigrants have the right to be in the United States and feel protected with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Organizers say this could be the first of many protests yet to come.