A few hundred people rallied at a downtown park in Boise for immigration reform before marching to the Statehouse. As part of the national May Day rallies, Idaho labor unions, businesses and student groups came out in support of a U.S. Senate bill that would create a path to citizenship for immigrants who came to America illegally.
Cristina McNeil is with the Idaho Community Action Network. She says that lobbying Congressman Raul Labrador to pass comprehensive immigration reform is an important part of the struggle.
“He definitely supported the Dream Act for the students and we were very happy and grateful for his support," says McNeil. "But we also have seen a little skepticism at the beginning in regards to immigration reform. And that has changed a little bit.”
McNeil says although Labrador has moved his views more in favor of reform, he should not endorse policies that break up families.
Labrador practiced immigration law for 15 years. In an April 7th opinion piece that appeared in the Idaho Statesman, Labrador wrote "I have been frustrated with a bureaucracy that creates inefficiency in the labor market, lacks the proper tools to protect us from threats at the border and does nothing to discourage illegal immigration."
In that piece, the Congressman noted the need for a guest worker program and more:
"The starting place - the trigger for reforming and modernizing our immigration system - must be securing our borders and effectively enforcing our immigration laws before any legal status is granted to those here illegally. Border agencies and local authorities must be given the tools they need to effectively perform their duties and have access to all border areas. The Obama administration must allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to enforce existing laws. The border fences, both virtual and physical, must be completed. However, border enforcement also must be coupled with strict interior enforcement. Perhaps 35 percent to 40 percent of the illegal population entered the U.S. legally and never left. We must create an effective entry and exit system that can track visa overstays and begin a mandatory verification system like E-Verify" -- Raul Labrador, Idaho Statesman
May Day rallies like Boise's happened around the Northwest Wednesday.
She says that events like May Day rallies are important because they bring visibility to Idaho’s immigrant population. Copyright 2013 Boise State Public Radio
