Apr 10, 2006 12:41 pm US/Central
Cicero Students Leave Class To Support Immigration
by Kristyn Hartman
CICERO, Ill. (CBS) ―
A group of students walked out of a Cicero high school today to support fair immigration reform.
It remains unclear how many students left class, but they have joined the ranks of thousands of other demonstrators nationwide campaigning for immigrant rights, CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports.
The wave of immigrant activism that washed over Chicago in March grew thousands upon thousands.
A House bill passed in December would make it a felony to be in the country illegally.
A Senate bill would allow some people here illegally to apply for citizenship.
Amnesty is what demonstrators want, legalization of an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.
"Illegal people come here to get a better life, and you're gonna send them away," said Morton East senior Luis Blanco. "What's going to happen to their kids?"
Blanco wants amnesty for everyone.
Opponents call any form of blanket amnesty a problem because they think it would endanger national security.
On this national day of action for immigrant justice, Blanco joined other students who walked out of class to make a statement.
More than 90 percent of students at Morton East in Cicero are of Hispanic decent.
Generally, they want fair immigrant reform.
"It would be the best if everybody was here legally," said student Ruby Flores, who supports a workers program that would lead to citizenship.
Morton East principal Hector Garcia said there could be academic consequences for students who left class.
There are better ways to support a movement, such as going to events after school, Garcia said.
Other events scheduled today include a march and rally at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign campus, an immigration rights vigil at Congressman Dan Lipinski's office and a community meeting at Truman College.
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