Around 1200 Attend Immigration Rights Rally in Salem (VIDEO)

Activists say there is a clear link between the country's broken immigration system and its broken economy.

Photo and video by Tim King Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - A crowd of approximately 1,200 gathered in Salem today at the state capitol as part of a nationwide movement to show solidarity for immigration rights.

The momentum behind immigration reform has been gaining since the election of President Obama, who has expressed his support for change in this area of American society.

Selina Sanchez with the Oregon's Immigrant Rights Coalition, says some people have the wrong idea about what this means to the United States.

"We want them to know that we're all American, we're all human and we all have rights. We're not just here to 'take over' as some people might say, You know, we're here because its the world and the world belongs to all of us."

The new presidency certainly represents a change in American policy; Sanchez says she and other activists remain confident that the coming months and years will be good for the people who weren't born here, but still live and work here.

"We're actually very confident that Barack Obama is going to get better at immigration reform. He promised us and he's willing to work with us, we're really hopeful."

Speakers at the event offered motivating words.

(Translated from Spanish: "This is what we want and we are now closer than ever before to legalization. The current President has already said that he's in favor of immigration reformation... this year!"

The reality of the situation is that immigrants from Central and South America harvest almost all food in the U.S. Their skills are high and their labor contribution is large. Sanchez says they fill agricultural jobs that would otherwise be hard to find qualified labor for. And agriculture and harvest is only one aspect of what this culture represents.

"Not everybody can do it because not everybody can stand the conditions. I mean I'm sure that some people would be able to replace a few but I mean there are so many people working out there, are there really going to be somebody for every position that has to be filled?"

The news chopper from Channel 8 in Portland buzzed overhead as this group discussed the need for a common sense approach to provide hard working men and women already here, an earned path to citizenship.

They say the broken immigration system and broken economy are linked. Big hopes are tied to Senate Judiciary Hearings that are underway and activists hope they lead to positive answers; ones that harness the muscle of this hard working culture and use it to the benefit of the nation's economy.

Special thanks to Jose Dieguez for Spanish Translation

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