Audio Clip
March For Immigrant Rights Draws Crowd To Downtown Phoenix
Jude Joffe-Block
The march drew groups from churches, schools and labor unions.
PHOENIX – A sea of people wearing red T-shirts and waving American flags descended on downtown Phoenix to march for immigration reform Saturday morning. Similar marches were scheduled all over the country in more than 100 cities.
Many of those marching held signs that said "time is now," or "es tiempo," in Spanish.
But the issue of immigration reform seems to have all but disappeared from the agenda in Washington, particularly since bitter fights in Congress have led to a government shutdown.
But Vicente Reed, who showed up to march, said that doesn't mean it is time to stop pushing for immigration reform.
"Just because the government is shutdown doesn't mean the people stop working," said Reed, who is a student at Phoenix School of Law and the son of a Filipina immigrant. "This is a time that — we need to unify together as a nation, we need to stop breaking apart. And there is serious reform that needs to occur."
The march drew groups from churches, schools and labor unions.