Philadelphians join immigration rally in Washington

Thousands of people from around the country rallied in Washington, D.C., for immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally. 

Busloads of Philadelphians left Wednesday morning to join the “Rally for Citizenship.”

Blanca Pacheco spoke from the road, as the bus passed Baltimore.  

“There’s so much energy. There’s so much hope. People from different nationalities,” she said. “We have people from Armenia, France, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Central America, South America … It’s a very mixed bus.”

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An earlier busload of community leaders went to visit Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation.

Legislation drafted by the bipartisan “Group of Eight” in the Senate for a complete overhaul could be made public in the coming weeks.

“Our immigrant community deserves (a citizenship provision) because they are already contributing to this country and already love this country and want to be part of it,” Pacheco said.

 

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