Immigration Rally Aims to Inspire Voters

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Hundreds rallied in Salt Lake City yesterday and signed a petition for speedy immigration reform. KCPW's Julie Rose was there:

 

Immigration rights groups held marches and rallies around the country yesterday, including Salt Lake City. The gathering at City Hall numbered only in the hundreds, compared to the tens of thousands that marched last year. Organizer Antonella Packard says the focus was different:

"Those marches really didn't do much last year," says Packard. "What we're trying to show this year is that we have a voter base."

Rally attendees signed their names to pages and pages of petitions bound for Utah's congressional delegation. The petition calls for Congress to resolve its differences and pass reform that will help undocumented immigrants get work permits and stay in the U.S. with their families. It was the first time Patricia Gomez had ever signed a petition:

"I've been through this before - been illegal," says Gomez. "And now that I have the right to vote, I can support them."

The U.S. House and Senate passed different immigration reform bills last year, but have yet to begin resolving their differences in conference committee. President Bush is calling for a guest worker program that will allow some undocumented immigrants to gain legal status. As those discussions resume, yesterday's event organizers say more marches and rallies are likely in Utah.

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