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WASHINGTON: Tens of thousands of people marched outside the White House Sunday to press Congress to move on a long-delayed immigration reform, which President Barack Obama told the protesters "won't happen overnight."
Organizers hope the 100,000-strong "March for America" will put immigration reform, which failed in Congress in 2006 and 2007, back on the agenda after a year dominated by health care reform, the economy and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As the march made its way to the Congress building, lawmakers were busy inside debating a health care bill that immigration reform advocates said once passed into law should free up the legislative agenda to take up the plight of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.
"The question for our leaders is what they will do starting Monday, March 22 to deliver on the promise of reform. We have heard promises before," Clarissa Martinez of the Hispanic organization La Raza said on Friday, previewing the march.
As a sea of signs, flags and waving hands filled the National Mall - the long, grassy esplanade between the US Congress and the Lincoln Memorial, demonstrators were were surprised to hear a taped message from Obama beamed over loudspeakers.
"I have always pledged to be your partner as we work to fix our broken immigration system and that is a commitment that I reaffirm today," Obama said to the cheers of thousands of demonstrators.
Obama had promised to reform immigration laws during his campaign for the presidency, but a crush of other priorities has set back efforts to legalize immigrants and offering a path to citizenship.
"Today there is a growing coalition of law enforcement officials, faith and community leaders and members of the labor and business sectors who understand that immigration reform is critical for our security and prosperity," said the president.
Some of the signs read "Immigration reform this year," but Obama warned that a long haul was in store for the reform legislation.
"It won't happen overnight," he said.
Just last week, two senators outlined a bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform legislation, drawing immediate praise from Obama.
The bill from Democratic Senator Charles Schumer and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham would lay the path to legalization for millions of illegal immigrants, reinforce border controls and create a process to admit temporary workers and produce biometric Social Security cards.
Undocumented immigrants would also have to pass background checks and demonstrate they are proficient in English before they can earn lawful permanent residence and eventually citizenship.
Obama called on the senators to turn their plan into legislation, urging Congress to act "at the earliest possible opportunity."
The White House, however, has acknowledged that it does not yet have the votes to advance a new bill.
Democratic member of the House of Representatives Luis Gutierrez, who last year presented an immigration reform bill to Congress, echoed the impatience many immigrants marching Sunday felt to see their hopes become reality.
"We have waited too long. We have been patient long enough. It is time to let the immigrants come out of the shadows," Gutierrez told the cheering crowd.
Just months ahead of key mid-term elections in November, the immigration issue has been drawing more attention.
Service Employees International Union president Eliseo Medina warned lawmakers: "If they are afraid and don't act now, they'll pay the consequences."
In the 2008 elections Obama won 67 per cent of the vote of the record 10 million Hispanics who went to the polls.
- AFP/sc
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