Latinos march for immigration reform

Latinos march in Indio for immigration reform
Kate McGinty • The Desert Sun • October 11, 2009

President Barack Obama has one more campaign promise to fulfill before he can say he's really earned his Nobel Peace Prize, if Comité Latino has anything to say about it.

About 80 members of the group marched through Indio Saturday afternoon, waving flags and banners with messages for the president.

They urged Obama — who was awarded the prestigious Nobel prize on Friday — to take action on immigration policies.

“I think he still has a lot of work to do,” Teresa Quintanar, 38, of Indio, said. “I hope he fulfills his promises to make it (the Nobel prize) something he earned.”

The energetic group gathered in the Kmart parking lot, 81-691 Highway 111 in Indio, and waved American flags for nearly an hour.

They then took off on a 1.2-mile march to the Larson Justice Center, 46-200 Oasis St., also in Indio.

It was a walk that leaders called a symbolic journey.

They paraded massive banners that urged Obama to “not separate me from my parents” and boasting “no human being is illegal.”

Jose Valdez, 40, of Indio, has been a regular at previous marches since Comité Latino began organizing them in 2006.

“We want legalization for everybody. We want the privilege of green cards for everybody,” he said. “We want to stay in this country and support the economy for all the country.”

The turnout was much smaller than the 1,000 people leaders hoped would attend. Comité Latino competed against a busy weekend in the valley that included the Phoenix Suns-Golden State Warriors exhibition game, a festival in downtown Indio and the Art Under the Umbrellas festival in La Quinta.

Still, Comité Latino sent a message to the public on Saturday, according to Carlos Galaviz, 25, one of the group's organizers. “This country was founded by immigrants. We're all immigrations, not just us,” he said. “This is it. This is my country here.”