Thousands march in downtown Salt Lake City for immigration reform

SALT LAKE CITY — Cries of "Si se puede!" — "Yes we can!" — rang out up and down State Street on Sunday as several thousand people marched in support of immigration reform as part of a nationwide march.

The crowd, mostly dressed in white, gathered at the City-County Building and proceeded to the state Capitol holding signs, waving flags and carrying a large painting of President Barack Obama.

"The Time is Now! Immigration Reform 2010," read a banner at the front of the throng. Other signs proclaimed, "Stop the hate," "We are human beings" and "Protect our families."

In Washington, D.C., before tens of thousands also rallied on the National Mall, the Most Rev. John C. Wester of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake participated in an interfaith prayer service at St. Aloysius Catholic Church.

"Let us remember that undocumented immigrants' offense is motivated by the need to work to support their families and feed their children," said Bishop Wester, acting as the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration.

"Many faces in the crowd are U.S. citizens who know the terror of having a loved one deported. They represent a fraction of the millions who have painful stories," he added.

Bishop Wester proposed that immigration reform should contain a broad-based legalization program that provides a path to citizenship, a future worker program with protections for both immigrant and domestic workers, family-based immigration reform that reduces backlogs without harming the current preference categories, restoration of due-process protections and measures that address the root causes of unlawful migration.

President Barack Obama, who promised to make overhauling the immigration system a top priority in his first year, sought to reassure those at the rally with a video message presented on giant screens at the National Mall. The president said he was committed to working with Congress this year on a comprehensive bill to fix a "broken immigration system."

Lawmakers failed to agree in 2006 and 2007 when they last tried to overhaul the immigration system, and the political climate is even tougher now.

Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., released an outline of a bill last week that calls for illegal immigrants who want to get on the path to legal status to admit they broke the law by entering the U.S., pay fines and back taxes, and perform community service. They also would be required to pass background checks and be proficient in English before working toward legal residency, required before becoming a citizen.