Thread: OH-100 pray for immigration reform

100 pray for immigration reform

Cincinnati.com
By Amber Ellis
aellis@enquirer.com
November 15, 2009

DOWNTOWN - With flags from several countries blowing in the wind at the center of the International Friendship Park, about 100 people gathered Sunday to pray for immigration reform.

They represented different cultures and faiths. But they came together, they said, to raise awareness about an issue that has taken a back seat as Congress has turned its focus to health care.

"We cannot wait," said Jason Riviero with the local League of United Latin American Citizens. "Until we do something, (millions of) people will continue to live in the shadows."

"Each one of these people has their own stories. It's a human rights issue, more than a political issue. Families are split apart every day. None of us," the Over the Rhine resident said, "should sit idly."

The issue hits close to home for Cissy Lyangoba, a 39-year-old Westwood woman who is seeking asylum from her native Uganda, where she fears death awaits her, just as it did her first husband. He was killed for his political involvement.

She came to the U.S. in 1994 and, she says, was separated from her family and detained in five different detention centers in the U.S. in just as many months.

"There has got to be a simpler way to do this," she said. "We can't allow more people to go through what I did. Every day and every night, I worried about my girls, where they were and how they were doing."

The songs and prayers shared Sunday afternoon are just one way, on a minuscule level, that they can spread their message, according to organizers. They urged the people who attended the event, which was sponsored by several organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, the Hispanic Church of God and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Catholic Social Action Office, to contact their legislators.

The calls, and continued attention to the issue, could lead to reform.

President Obama, who made immigration reform a priority while on the campaign trail, has said he supports a system that would give undocumented workers a chance to go through the citizenship process after paying a fine and learning English. He also supported a system that would speed up the citizenship process and remove incentives for people to enter the country illegally.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2009 ... ion+reform

"We cannot wait," said Jason Riviero with the local League of United Latin American Citizens. "Until we do something, (millions of) people will continue to live in the shadows."

I agree. It's time to do something and bring people out of the shadows. A sweep by ICE would be a good starter, bring the criminals to light and deport them.

People that support illegals are going against the laws of our county and worse, the laws of God.