Yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered the following message to the 200,000 people gathered on the National Mall for the March for America: “Change Takes Courage:”
An excerpt from the message:
…I’ve always pledged to be your partner as we work to fix our broken immigration system and that’s a commitment that I reaffirm today. Nobody knows the cost of inaction better than you. You see it in the families that are torn apart and the small business owners who try to do the right thing while others game the system. You see it in the workers, who deserve the protection of our laws and the officers who struggle to keep our communities safe while earning the trust of those they serve.
That’s why today there’s a growing coalition of law enforcement officials, faith and community leaders and members of labor and business sectors who understand that immigration reform is critical to our security and our prosperity. In the end, our broken immigration system affects more than a single community, it affects our entire country. And as we continue to strengthen our economy and jump start job creation, we need to do so with an immigration system that works, not the broken system we have now.
That’s why 9 months ago I asked members of my team to lead efforts to move the legislative process forward. Since then they’ve met with elected officials from both parties and stakeholders from all across the country. And we’ve worked together with Senators Schumer and Graham as they’ve developed a framework that includes common-sense, effective strategies to protect our borders and enforce the law while offering a path to citizenship for hard-working people who register, pay taxes, pay a fine and agree to play by the rules.
I congratulate Senators Schumer and Graham for their leadership. And I pledge to do everything in my power to forge a bi-partisan consensus, this year on this issue.
You know as well as I do that this wont’ be easy and it won’t’ happen overnight. But if we work together across, ethnic state and party lines, we can build a future worthy of our history as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.
As the buses leave Washington to return to Florida, New York, and as far away as California, here are some of our photos from the day. These are mostly crowd shots — over 200,000 people came out to call for real immigration reform, economic justice for workers, and to keep families together:
Today’s the day. Tens of thousands of people are registered to come to the National Mall for today’s immigration reform rally, called the March For America. Hundreds of buses are still pouring in from across the country, and several major progressive and pro-migrant bloggers will be reporting directly from the rally, which starts at 2pm. Expect coverage from Vivir Latino and Crooks and Liars, among others, as well as pictures and video from the National Mall. Look for a performance by Grammy award-winning talent, Los Lonely Boys! Live-streamed video should pop up at C-SPAN, Telemundo or Univision. On twitter, check out the #m4a hashtag. Follow @AmericasVoiceand @RI4A.
Updates:
5:30 PM: Rounding out the day were Los Lonely Boys, El Piolin, and more– check back for stories and video soon. Reports vary from a quarter to half a million people. That sounds like a success to me!
4:30 PM: So much to report. John Willhelm of UNITE HERE: “Freedom is never granted, it is won.”
4:11 PM: Rep. Judy Chu from California says that we can no longer scapegoat immigrants.
4:05 PM: Young child named Bladimir sends a message to President Obama about his family being torn apart. Carlos, a key student organizer for the Dream Act, describes the courage and the power that youth bring to the immigrant rights movement. Four brave youth walking from Florida to Washington, D.C., on what they call the “Trail of Dreams,” send a powerful message to the March. You can check them out here.
4:00 PM: As I announced earlier on twitter, we had some problem with the internet connection here, but we’ve been tweeting updates from the day– here are a couple highlights:
Obama: I pledge to help pass #cir, immigration reform this yr
Obama at #m4a: we understand that immigration reform doesn’t just affect 1 community, but our whole nation
A msg from @BarackObama video on stage, spirit of Ted Kennedy is with us
12:00 PM: While the crowd streams in, here’s an important piece by Andrea Nill yesterday afternoon at Think Progress, which highlights a new study by the Center for America Progress that estimates the cost of a mass deportation policy (which many opponents of immigration reform support). Such a policy would run taxpayers a whopping $285 billion over five years:
“This weekend, several thousands of people are expected to gather on the National Mall to demand action on immigration reform. The immigration restrictionist group NumbersUSA is meanwhile responding with a four-day campaign to “stop amnesty” which starts today…However, a study released this afternoon by the Center for American Progress shows that the enforcement-only approach that restrictionist groups incessantly advocate for isn’t sustainable in the long-term…”
11:30 AM:Pam’s House Blend cites today’s New York Times article on the march, writing, “And a healthy representation of people in the march will be LGBT and black groups, two constituencies that have not been seen as vocal supporters of immigration reform.”
10:30 AM: Marisa Treviño reports on a Texas delegation to the March:
Spirits were high as people dragged pillows and luggage onto any of the five buses and three vans parked in the church’s parking lot designated to ferry the marchers to DC.
Preliminary reports say that over 100,000 people are expected on the National Mall in DC on Sunday brought by 900 buses from 35 states.
They not only bring high hopes with them but are delivering a clear message to Capitol Hill that they’re tired of waiting for Congress to deal with an issue that will never be “politically safe” but is the right thing to do.
On flickr, check out the the March For America (#m4a) photo stream:
With tens of thousands of people heading to Washington for the March for America this Sunday and the news of a bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform legislation from Senators Schumer and Graham, there’s a lot of news to track today – here’s a quick recap for the folks at home.
One major development is summed up in this USA Today headline, “Obama pledges to push immigration reform:”
Just hours after he cancelled an international trip to stay in Washington and fight for health care legislation, President Obama has announced that he’s ready to start pushing forward on another controversial issue: immigration reform. In an election year, no less.
A week after he met with senators Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, to talk about immigration, he congratulated them on working together to come up with a “framework” for reform.
“I am pleased to see that Senators Schumer and Graham have produced a promising, bipartisan framework which can and should be the basis for moving forward,” Obama said. ” It thoughtfully addresses the need to shore up our borders, and demands accountability from both workers who are here illegally and employers who game the system.”
The Associated Press led with the President’s statement, too, in “Obama backs senators immigration overhaul outline.”
CNN has an article on its website about the “thousands of people” who will be attending Sunday’s march (Already, more than 50,000 are planning to attend):
Thousands of people are expected to pour into Washington for a Sunday rally demanding immigration reform, launching the first public battle over the issue since the announcement of a new bipartisan plan endorsed by President Barack Obama.
On the eve of Sunday’s march, other stories attracting the attention of the Spanish-language media include an op-ed from Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham sketching the outline of a bill for comprehensive immigration reform, and another round of raids being undertaken by Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona.
Outline released. The op-ed from Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), outlining the basis of an immigration reform bill, appears in today’s edition of the Washington Post. President Barack Obama has released a statement supporting the Senators’ proposal. EFE, the AP, Reuters, El Universaland La Jornadahave more on the story. EFE mentions that Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has stated that he wishes to seek common ground on reform.
Statement by the President Praising the Bipartisan Immigration Reform Framework
In June, I met with members of both parties, and assigned Secretary Napolitano to work them and key constituencies around the country to craft a comprehensive approach that will finally fix our broken immigration system. I am pleased to see that Senators Schumer and Graham have produced a promising, bipartisan framework which can and should be the basis for moving forward. It thoughtfully addresses the need to shore up our borders, and demands accountability from both workers who are here illegally and employers who game the system.
My Administration will be consulting further with the Senators on the details of their proposal, but a critical next step will be to translate their framework into a legislative proposal, and for Congress to act at the earliest possible opportunity.
I congratulate Senators Schumer and Graham for their leadership, and pledge to do everything in my power to forge a bipartisan consensus this year on this important issue so we can continue to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform.
Today’s the day. Tens of thousands of people are registered to come to the National Mall for today’s immigration reform rally, called the 
With tens of thousands of people heading to Washington for the 
On the eve of Sunday’s march, other stories attracting the attention of the Spanish-language media include an op-ed from Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham sketching the outline of a bill for comprehensive immigration reform, and another round of raids being undertaken by Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona.
Today Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) released a 
