Marin group heads to capital to promote immigrant rights

By Jessica Bernstein-Wax
Marin Independent Journal

Posted: 05/24/2011 04:10:24 PM PDT


Almost 40 Marin residents spent the day in Sacramento on Tuesday to meet with lawmakers, rally and promote immigrant rights.

The group of 38 people included a large number of San Rafael High School students and left at about 7 a.m. from the Canal Alliance's San Rafael building, said Tom Wilson, the nonprofit's executive director. In Sacramento, Marin participants joined about 500 people from around the state who were there to rally and meet with their representatives as part of the 15th annual Immigrant Day, organized by the California Immigrant Policy Center and other groups.

"There are a lot of people from all over the state — all the way from San Diego to Mendocino," Wilson said from the capital. "Different people are going to different legislators. We've gone (to Immigrant Day) before but not with a group like this."

The Marin contingent rallied with other attendees at 10 a.m. on the Capitol's west steps and were preparing to meet with Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, later in the afternoon, Wilson said. The group planned to voice support for the California "Dream Act," legislation that would make some undocumented youths eligible for grants and other aid so they could attend college, and state Assembly Bill 124, which seeks to improve language instruction for children whose primary language isn't English.

David Calderon, a 15-year-old San Rafael High School student who traveled to Sacramento with the Canal Alliance to voice his support for AB 124, said his friends in English as a Second Language courses didn't appear to be advancing.

"I'm in regular classes now, but I have friends who are in (ESL)," Calderon said. "They don't make their English stronger. They get to start in the same level and they don't move up."

Monica Rivera, a 15-year-old sophomore at the school, said she traveled to Sacramento because she wants all students to qualify for aid so they can attend college.

"I have a friend that was accepted to a university, but he couldn't say yes to it because he does not have papers, and he doesn't have enough money to pay for his tuition, his books," Rivera said. "Illegal students ... don't get the same rights when it comes to going to college and accomplishing their dreams, and I believe that every student should have the right to their education."

Participation at this year's Immigrant Day was larger than last year, in part because many immigration-related bills are before lawmakers, said Isabel Alegria, a spokeswoman for the California Immigrant Policy Center.

"Part of what we do at Immigrant Day is really celebrate the contributions of immigrants because I think we don't do that enough," Alegria said. "There's a lot of different interests represented here by community groups and a big interfaith contingent."

http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_18130609