New Yorkers Set Out on Five-Day Road Trip to Push for Immigration Reform

New York immigration activists set out from Manhattan Monday afternoon - Photo: NYIC.

New York immigration activists set out from Manhattan Monday afternoon. (Photo: NYIC)

Looking to pressure on elected officials to act on immigration reform, a group of New Yorkers set out Monday on a five-day road trip across the state to call for immediate action on the issue through rallies and meetings in ten cities and towns.

The “Road Trip for Our Future” includes U.S.-born and immigrant activists, with roots that trace back to South Korea, El Salvador, Colombia and the Dominican Republic, among other places. They will be blogging, tweeting and publishing pictures and videos online during their trip. The caravan is organized by the New York Immigration Coalition, the national Reform Immigration for America campaign and local organizations in several upstate communities, according to a press release.

“I am going on this ride … to fight for better conditions for immigrant working mothers who struggle so hard to put food on the table, while suffering the pain of rarely seeing their children awake,” says Margarita, a Dominican-born rider, on the group’s website. “I know many employers exploit immigrants and I want to see that end.”

Kevin, a 20-year-old second-generation Korean-American, says: “I’ve heard stories about seperated (sic) families, deported immigrant parents forced to leave their U.S. born children behind and young people not able to go live up to their potentials and dreams because of barriers accessing higher education.”

The caravan will stop in communities where the immigration debate has real-life consequences, the coalition said in its release. It will touch on Sodus, west of Syracuse, where according to organizers police have stopped residents on their way to church and turned them over to immigration authorities; on Syracuse, where Border Patrol officers have boarded trains and buses to inquire about the passengers’ immigration status; and in Batavia, home to a federal detention facility holding hundreds of immigrants and asylum seekers.

“President Obama has committed to passing immigration reform, and Senator (Chuck) Schumer is leading the effort in Congress,” said the Coalition’s executive director, Chung-Wha Hong. “But with the administration inexplicably ramping up enforcement of a system that they acknowledge is broken, and Congress faltering on so many issues of critical importance, we can’t afford to get mired in Washington gridlock.”

Hong noted that “nearly 5,000 people will be deported and more than 5,000 will be detained” in the time it will take the activists to complete their trip “and we’ll be no closer to a workable, common-sense immigration system that serves the national interest.”

Click here for the trip’s full schedule, including events in Carmel, Pittsford, Greece, Buffalo, Ithaca and a welcome party in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

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    • Brittancus

      California will never rise from the ashes, without removing honed Liberal oriented politicians from any public office. California is strangled with its worst economy since the Great Depression, illegal immigrants are becoming part of the discussion on every Americans lips. California lawmakers in July 2009 struggled with a budget gap that has now grown to $26.3 billion, one of the hottest topics for many taxpayers is the cost to the state of illegal immigrants and the ever increasing costs. Not speculating that either Democrats, Republicans or Independents are without blame in what they address as their issues, but Liberals have brought most border states to paupers situation, by allowing the easy flow of illegal immigrants into California, Texas, Texas, New Mexico. Governor Richardson, unlike most states issued drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. Only hard core, Liberal extremists have resented any kind of restrictions on illegal alien benefits, starting with Proposition 187 passed by true California residents and blocked from reaching the Supreme court. The once Golden State is saturated with millions of illegal families, that have worn away public services. Schools are inundated with illegal children in the millions, with English as a second language.

      Schools are especially hit hard, because their has been a definite reduction in academic performance owing to overcrowded classrooms. A very depressive situation has evolved, as many hospitals and clinics as the schools have been unable to handle the influx of Anchor babies and desperate illegal settlers from South of international Southern fence. I saw this first hand before I departed California, as my sons school was all but English as a second language. Very few Angelo’s are aware of Title 1 schools that offer free breakfast and free lunch programs. Saying free breakfast, Its not talking a glass of milk and roll — but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices of which the dumpster becomes full. Free medical, free education, free food, day care and a whole host of programs that most American taxpayers remain ignorant about? Huge outlays of funds have been distributed to foreign national families, even through our own citizens and legal residents have been declined. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich said, “such situations are, unfortunately, all too typical. “It is catastrophic,” Antonovich says. “We cannot be the HMO to the world.” Another voice Legislative Analyst Dan Carson says California now spends about $4.6 billion yearly to provide services for — or to incarcerate — illegal immigrants.” This has been a never ending problem for taxpayers and now Sen. Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Sen Diane Feinstein and all those who pander to the illegal alien occupancy–MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IN FUTURE ELECTIONS

      EVERY LAW TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT INCLUDING THE 1986 SIMPSON-MAZZOLI BILL HAS BEEN UNDERMINED BY MANY POLITICIANS AND THEIR OPEN BORDER LOBBYISTS. The time has come for all American taxpayers to demand from your reluctant legislators to make Permanent E-Verify, with no exceptions to every business, to remove illegal workers from American jobs. To fund federally train every law officer across the country–as with SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES–to be empowered to–without prejudice to question any person at their discretion, under the blanket of 287 (g) immigration enforcement law as with the right of Federal agents to audit any business using illegal foreign workers. The-NO MATCH-LAW, should never have been rescinded, when Social Security numbers have irregularities. And all ITIN (alternative to a Social Security number) issued by the IRS, should also be scrutinized as this is way illegal aliens have found an unlawful pathway into seemingly being a legal resident. MOST BORDER STATES HAVE COMPARABLE FINANCIAL CRISIS AND TODAYS PAYOUTS FOR ILLEGAL ALIEN FAMILIES, HAS ACCELERATED OUT-OF-CONTROL.

      The tax and spend mentality has specifically caused a terrible crisis in California by Sacramento Liberal apologists in the assembly. In Los Angeles city the indifferent indifferent elected officials have a nerve to try and pass a $100 dollar tax on Angeleno property owners to bolster the wilting school funds. In my way of thinking, Angeleno’s should place the whole city officials in contempt and propose a class action lawsuit in front of the courts. California’s nearly 3 million illegal immigrants cost taxpayers in 2004 nearly $9 billion each year, according to a report released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a Washington, D.C.-based group that promotes stricter immigration policies.The study looks specifically at the costs of educating illegal immigrants’ children, providing medical treatment to illegal immigrants and jailing those convicted of committing crimes.

      The report estimates the total cost at $10.5 billion each year, but that is offset by about $1.7 billion in taxes that illegal immigrants pay. also added an estimate of 597,000 U.S.-born children whose parents are illegal immigrants arriving at a total of 1,022,000 children. Multiplying the number of children by the estimated $7,577 the state spends on average per pupil, the study arrived at the $7.7 billion figure. FAIR defended the report, saying that the children (Anchor Babies) were born in the United States as a result of their parents’ illegal entry into the country. A similar study conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., and released in August 2004, said that illegal immigrants cost the federal government $10 billion more than they pay in taxes. “State costs are much higher on a per capita basis because of the fact that the largest expenses are medical care and education and those are borne at the local level, not the federal,”

      THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DO NOT PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE, WHICH THEREFORE IS BORNE BY STATE TAXPAYERS. In conclusion we cannot afford another AMNESTY, because the millions of illegal immigrant families will have access to Senior Citizens pensions, SSI, and many other entitlements for US born and legal residents. Learn what you can do at NUMBERSUSA & JUDICIALWATCH or call your federal representative at 202-224-3121. A good example of state politicians ignoring their commitment to their legal residents, is the near bankrupt state of the–SANCTUARY STATE of California.

    • Truth

      Brittanicus, you the guy that is from Fair Org the RACIST org?? I see your same postings in all the immigration articles?? Why don’t you and Fair Org go out and work in the feilds to pick our food and in the slaughter houses so we can eat and not IMPORT FROM CHINA.
      GET A LIFE YOU ARE A PATHETIC HUMAN.