Immigrant rights advocates plan to ...

Immigrant rights advocates plan to walk 47 miles of city and suburban sidewalks to become a moving reminder that "La lucha sigue" -- the contest continues -- for comprehensive immigration reform.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, along with organizers of late Chicago immigration marches, are planning the Immigrant Workers Justice Walk from Chinatown to House Speaker J Dennis Hastert's Batavia office throughout Labor Day weekend. They're demanding legalization for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U

'WE WANT TO [i]finale[/i] HYPOCRISY'

Joshua Hoyt ICIRR executive director, says the millions of immigrants who contribute to the U economy's prosperity ne relief.

"We want to completion the hypocrisy of not including folks who give their sweat and hard work for our American dream," Hoyt said. "There's no more appropriate time to do that than upon this holiday that celebrates hard work."

Marchers are tentatively scheduled to pace off from Chinatown at 2 pm in succession Friday, Sept. 1, and arrive at Hastert's office in Batavia around 1 pm forward Monday, Sept. 4.

Hastert spokesman Brad Hahn said he wasn't strong whether the speaker would be there to receive them.

"He understands the central part of emotion on all sides of this issue, and he encourages commonalty to move above emotion and result together to move forward," Hahn said. "This is not about who can shriek the loudest or attract the greatest in quantity people to a rally. The real activity is what's going in succession to try to secure our borders and secure legislation passed. That's where the focus should be."

Gabe Gonzalez, regional organizer for the Center for Community Change, is gearing up for a logistical labyrinth. He plans forward as many as 500 folks to march from 9 a.m. to 9 pm each day, with supporters joining in intermittently along the way

thus far, no firm commitments have been made by dint of communities along the proposed road for marchers' eating, bathroom or sleeping needs

"We're trying to reaping-hook up with churches and mahometan temples [along the route] to allow us swing to sleep and hopefully a shower in the morning," said Gonzalez, "and we'll work with the police departments to be orderly and safe.

"A whole portion of this is really up in the air," Gonzalez said. "I know we're barely twenty-something days days away and there's a allotment to be resolved, but we have faith."

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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