By DAVID POLLARD dpollard@pioneerlocal.com "Families Yes!" "Deportation No!"
That was one of the many slogans a group of more than 150 mostly Hispanic adults and a large contingency of Hispanic children shouted May 10 as they marched down the street.
The group, organized by West Suburban Action Project, marched from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Melrose Park to Broadview Immigration Detention Center in Broadview to bring attention to the negative impact deportation has on families.
The organization is based out of many churches in villages such as Melrose Park, Bellwood, Maywood, Bellwood and Northlake, and represents Hispanic residents in Franklin Park.
The community-based organization works to engage members to act through their faith and values to address issues that affect them, their families and neighbors to build stronger communities.
Yesenia Sanchez, who organized the event and is part of the organization, said the march, in light of Mother's Day, was focused on keeping families together.
She said many Hispanic families where the parents are not United States citizens have children who were born in the United States.
The deportation of the parents due to lack of citizenship sometimes leaves children on their own. Sanchez believes immigration legislation in this regard needs to change.
"Ripping a mother away from their child is not the best route to take," she said. "This is the result of a broken immigration system.
"How can we be OK with separating parents from their children? We can do much better than that as a country."
The group gathered in front of the detention center where members prayed and children gave testimonies about their concern for keeping their families intact.
Claudio Holzer, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, led the prayer, congratulated the group on doing a good job and reiterated what they were marching about.
"Deportation is the destruction of families," he said.
He said each week when Hispanic adults are deported they leave behind their children.
"Fifty, 60, 70 people are without parents every Friday," he said to the group.
Sanchez said the march was very peaceful and they were escorted through each village by their respective police departments.
But she hopes that the president and legislature hears their message and acts accordingly.
"President Obama promised to move on immigration reform, and all we've seen is an increase in deportation and retention," Sanchez said. "The children are calling on him to fulfill his promise. Move this issue in his first term."
