Sunday, August 09, 2009

Immigrants tell their stories of fighting red tape

Immigration reform will be hard to pass, but it certainly is necessary. - - Donna Poisl

By Devin Banerjee, Mercury News

When Maria Esther's father fell sick in Mexico five years ago, she found herself tangled in a twisted web of immigration policy. An undocumented immigrant, Esther knew that returning to her homeland would end her future in America and keep her from her U.S.-born daughter, Monserrat Cabrera, also suffering from a serious illness at the time.

So Esther remained in San Jose while her father died south of the border.

"All I could do was watch my mom cry," said Monserrat, now 13. "Mom stayed with me instead of telling her dad goodbye."

Emotions were palpable Thursday night at San Jose's St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral, where hundreds of immigration reform advocates listened to testimonies from young, undocumented locals and reassurances from Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, that "the time for comprehensive immigration reform is now."
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