Subscribe to Topics
WASHINGTON, June 2 — Thousands of immigrants and their supporters gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol on Saturday to urge the Senate to adopt legislation that would make it easier for illegal immigrants to become legal residents of the United States.
Braving the midday heat, the demonstrators, who were largely from the Washington area, streamed onto the lawn above the reflecting pool, waving American flags and carrying red, white and blue placards.
The rally was smaller than those held here and across the United States last year. But its organizers, the National Capital Immigrant Coalition, said it was the first step in a campaign to press senators to change key aspects of the immigration bill they are considering.
Congress has been on a weeklong recess and will be in session again on Monday. Before the break, the Senate began discussion of an immigration bill that, among other things, would levy a $5,000 fine on illegal immigrants who seek legal status, require guest workers to return home for one year for every two years worked in the United States, and give higher priority for legal status to well-educated immigrants, rather than to those who have family here.
Conservatives have dismissed the bill as amnesty for illegal immigrants. But immigrants’ rights supporters, like those at the rally,said provisions like the fine and the return clause were onerous barriers to legalization.
“I don’t expect to get a perfect bill, but the current legislation has serious flaws we think need to be fixed,” said Jaime Contreras, president of the immigration coalition’s board.
Most of the speakers addressed the crowd in Spanish and organizers encouraged demonstrators to sign postcards to members of Congress and to call their senators.
Some of those interviewed said they were naturalized citizens or legal residents who were closely following the debate and considered much of the pending bill unnecessarily punitive.
