Thousands Rally In Call For Immigration Reform

(Soundbite of protesters)

GUY RAZ, host:

While the focus in Congress is health care today, outside the Capitol building, tens of thousands of people rallied along the National Mall to call for comprehensive immigration reform.

The rally was organized by immigrants and their supporters who are trying to revive an issue that's been mostly eclipsed by the health care debate.

Unidentified Woman: (Foreign language spoken)

RAZ: NPR's Jennifer Ludden is covering the story. And Jennifer, describe the scene at the rally.

JENNIFER LUDDEN: Guy, there are lots of families. It's a very festive atmosphere, a lot of strollers with children here. There are a lot of day laborers. I spoke with one who said he walks eight days from Long Island to get here.

You've got activists from across the country. I spoke with some students, a lot of the union members. The unions are very much behind an immigration overhaul. And you see quite a few African-Americans, as well. The NAACP has a speaker here. This is part of organizers' attempt to show that they've really been broadening their coalition from years past.

RAZ: Jennifer, given the high unemployment rates in the country now, are demonstrators there concerned at all that, you know, maybe trying to sell the idea of legalizing millions of undocumented workers might be a tough sell now?

LUDDEN: You know, Guy, there is clearly an awareness of the delicacy of trying to legalize immigrants with 10 percent unemployment. There a lot of signs here, for example, that say we are workers, taxpayers and voters.

One sign said: We are the future American workforce. There's been a lot of talk among the speakers about, you know, they want immigration reform so that undocumented workers will not be exploited. One woman said we want higher wages.

So they are trying to say this is a, you know, a workforce issue across the board to kind of level the playing field. It could help American workers, as well, say, if a business, you know, doesn't have competitors that can undercut it by exploiting undocumented workers.

RAZ: And Jennifer, what are some of the people you're talking to there saying about, you know, what happens if changes are not made to the current immigration policies?

LUDDEN: Well, you see a lot of concern about the separation of families, people holding signs saying: Please keep my family together. You know, the fact is deportations actually have gone up under President Obama, up five percent from last year. Arrests at workplaces and by local police forces, for example, are continuing.

You also see people worried about the continuing dense of people trying to cross the border illegally. And I spoke with a student who says, you know, she came as a child with her parents, just found out a few years ago in high school that she is not documented. She qualifies for no financial aid, and so she's struggling to get tuition payments together and has, you know, kind of a dismal future ahead of her if she can't obtain legal status.

RAZ: Jennifer, given how contentious the debate over health care has been over the past year - I mean, how realistic is it that Congress will take up this issue, this hot-button issue, so soon after health care, particularly given that, you know, midterm elections are coming up in November?

LUDDEN: Yeah. You know, I saw one very brave immigration overhaul opponent who kind of came here today to, you know, make his point and have some conversations. And, you know, he says he's really not worried that an immigration bill is going to pass. He said the Congress and President Obama need to do something very popular now after health care overhaul, if that goes through.

And really, we have seen now, it's been more than a year since President Obama took office. Just this past week, we finally have two senators, Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham, who have come up with a framework for a bill. And Lindsey Graham is the only Republican who's come out to say he supports it, very slow-starting. And Obama - President Obama kicked the ball, you know, right back at immigration supporters and said, you know, find another Republican who's going to support this. This issue needs to be bipartisan. So prospects aren't looking so good right now.

RAZ: That's NPR's Jennifer Ludden at the pro-immigration rally on the National Mall in Washington today.

Jennifer, thank you so much.

LUDDEN: Thank you.

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