March seeks to revive immigration reform

By Charlotte Hsu, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/16/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO - Organizers of a planned march and rally downtown Saturday say they hope to re-energize the immigration-reform movement that drew millions to rallies across the nation last year.

Groups from San Diego to Fresno and from Los Angeles to Coachella Valley have plans to bus in activists for Saturday's event, which calls for legalizing undocumented immigrants in the U.S., said Armando Navarro, coordinator for the National Alliance for Human Rights, an organization involved in planning the march. People from Arizona and Nevada also are expected to attend.

Withdrawing from Iraq and promoting harmony among races in local communities are additional themes.

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Amnesty on minds of marchers in SB
By Charlotte Hsu, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/17/2007 11:31:35 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO - A cross-section of Southern California crowded downtown on Saturday, with amnesty advocates and anti-illegal immigration activists braving the noon heat to rally for their views.

Police estimated that 300 people lined the steps of City Hall to fight for legalization of undocumented immigrants, while 50 to 100 demonstrators chanted anti-illegal immigration slogans across the street.

The events remained peaceful despite back-and-forth yelling and accusations of racism flying from both sides.

Beneath the raucous exterior were personal stories of hardship and sacrifice.

There was Raymundo Cazares, 27, a car wash worker who bused in from Coachella Valley to support undocumented people like himself. He couldn't return to Sonora, Mexico, for his father's funeral because he didn't want to risk crossing the border again.

"I came here to work, seeking a better life. ... There's more opportunities here than in Mexico," he said in Spanish.