America’s Voice
Immigration Solutions Now

Posted 01/22/09 at 05:28pm

New Day for Immigration Rally in Washington

It's official- history was made this week. On Tuesday we witnessed the swearing in of our nation's first-ever Son-of-a-Kenyan-Immigrant President, Barack Hussein Obama.

While some in this city were still dusting the giant after-party out of their eyes, however, others were already celebrating a "New Day for Immigration" in this nation. Here in Washington, hundreds of immigrants took part in a national effort to "cleanse" the country of the last eight years of dysfunctional and appalling Bush-era immigration policy.

I caught up with the celebration/demonstration right outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters. Participants hailed from all over the country. Most bore pins and flyers that read, "Reform Not Raids."

Here's what the Washington Post had to say:

Although the demonstration featured many speeches in Spanish and cries of "Sí se puede!" - Yes we can! - the crowd was also notable for its diversity. Suely Neves, 26, of the Boston group Deported Diaspora had come on behalf of her fellow Cape Verde immigrants. Standing next to her, Indian American immigrant Dimple Rana, 28, said she was concerned about the fate of the Cambodian refugees she works with in Lowell, Mass.

Here's a sense of what the procession from ICE Headquarters to the Community forum that followed looked like (no, nobody was eaten by the giant American flag):

New American Media described the scene this way:

The activists that gathered outside ICE headquarters were guided by interdenominational religious leaders in a "ceremonial cleansing," marking what they hope will be the agency's shift away from what they deem an "enforcement-only" approach.

The event was organized by the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM), a coalition of state-level and national groups working for comprehensive immigration reform. FIRM also ran an ad campaign on signs atop Washington, D.C. cabs that showed real immigrants' faces and said: "Mr. President, count on me."

According to Chicago advocate Mehrdad Azemun, of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the event had much to do with ending overblown immigration enforcement tactics:

"Immigrant communities and those in solidarity with them have been living in a state of great fear. We need to make sure that for the betterment, not only of immigrant communities but for all the communities, the administration ceases that kind of activity."

The "New Day" celebration/demonstration ended in a community forum with Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL). Participants stood up and gave testimonies of both heartache and hope. As they shared their personal struggles and hopes for the future, the community cheered, "Yes We Can."

For immigrants and advocates, the day was about mixing a new cocktail of audacity and hope from circumstances of outrage and despair.  It was part celebration of the present and part condemnation of the past.

It pointed toward the urgent need for just, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform as the new administration sets its priorities in the months ahead.

Most immigrants and advocates are optimistic that a reform will happen, according to the Post, but they are not taking anything for granted. And they're clearly not wasting any time to get the message across.

• By Jackie Mahendra
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