Bend rally puts focus on immigration reform debate

Posted: Feb 12, 2010 05:49 PM

By Amy Easley, KTVZ.COM

It was their moment, their day to be heard. Friday afternoon, close to 100 protesters paraded down Bend's Greenwood Avenue, by Rep. Greg Walden's office, with a message for the Second District Republican:

"What do we want?" "Immigration reform!" "When do we want it?" "Now!"

They claim House Bill 4321 can do just that. In addition to improving border security, it would provide a legalization process for qualified undocumented immigrants. Advocates called for Walden to support it.

"There's such a backlog in visas that sometimes it takes 17 to 20 years," said rally participant Bethany Loberg. She also noted visas can be expensive, that just applying for one can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

Although greatly outnumbered, several opponents of the legislation also gathered nearby, saying that giving amnesty to many of the 12 million illegal immigrants is not the answer to America's immigration problems.

"I'm for immigration reform," John Philo said. "But I'm just not for illegals being able to enter the country and take our services, and the taxpayers have to fund this."

Philo and a handful of others held their signs high, urging "no amnesty" and "apply for citizenship." They argued giving some people a free pass to stay in the U.S. wouldn't be right.

"It's a question, to me, of fairness, for the people who went through the process, who went through the immigration legally," Philo said. "And they're being slapped in the face."

A Walden aide says the congressman feels we can't have strong national security without strong borders. (Walden is due in Central Oregon next Tuesday on one of his frequent visits, with stops in Sisters, Prineville and Bend.)

The last attempt to pass immigration reform in the House failed in 2007 by 14 votes.

Philo said, "It needs to be done in a different manner, and I fault the Congress, because they haven't done this."

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=11979802