In Philadelphia, A Push For Quicker Action on Unauthorized Immigrants
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With chants of "Si se puede!," immigration advocates rallied today outside the Philadelphia headquarters of ICE -- the US department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement -- asking President Obama to revisit his decision to delay action on immigration reform until after the November election.
Critics say the president's inaction will lead to lower Latino voter turnout this November.
They say that months of protests and demands for immigration reform have fallen on deaf ears and, with November elections approaching, the impact of broken promises will be visible at the polls.
"None of us expect, among anyone in Philly, a big turnout," says political pollster Terry Madonna. He says voter turnout is expected to be extremely low across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
"We're seeing depressing numbers in our models for turnout right now-- in both parties, regardless of ethnic group."
Hispanics represent only six percent of voters in Pennsylvania, making it difficult to get politicians to pay attention to the needs of undocumented immigrants.
But Miguel Andrande, an organizer with the Philadelphia-based immigrant support group Juntos, says they'll keep fighting.
"It's not fair to say that these are just votes that are up for grabs," he tells KYW Newsradio. "These are people's lives, and the lives of our community."