PASCO -- About 30 Tri-Citians were asking for "justicia para todos," or "justice for all," Thursday at a rally in front of Congressman Doc Hastings' Pasco office.
When asked "What's the beef?" by an elderly gentleman walking a small dog, Rodolfo Cartagena of Richland responded, "Immigration reform."
OneAmerica, a Seattle-based immigration advocacy group, is asking Republican lawmakers, including Hastings, to state publicly their positions on immigration, said Jazmin Santacruz, an organizer for the Tri-Cities OneAmerica committee.
"They can't be in-between any more," she said.
Hastings said he encourages locals to contact him about their positions on federal issues in a statement sent to the Herald on Thursday.
"I have been very clear about my position on this issue, having long supported a complete solution that strengthens control over our borders, ends illegal immigration and improves the guest-worker program so that it is enforceable and functional for our local agriculture economy," he said.
In 2003, he sponsored legislation to make immigrants serving in the U.S. military immediately eligible for citizenship, and Congress subsequently approved an amended bill cutting the wait time from three years to one year.
Maria Mendoza of Burbank said she wants to see reform because the current system doesn't work.
Mendoza immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1971. She raised her five children in the U.S. Mendoza gained residency status in 1975, but it wasn't until last year that she finally received official citizenship papers.
Republican legislators have the power to make needed change, Mendoza said. She wants to see bipartisan work on immigration reform.
Cartagena admitted, "It's not easy to fix, but something can be done."
Immigrants are an important part of the economy, he said. Area farm workers may send some money to relatives out of country, but they buy necessities in the United States, from clothes to cars.
And they pay taxes just like other Americans, Cartagena said.
Those involved in OneAmerica intend to continue with rallies and protests until comprehensive immigration reform happens, Santacruz said.
-- Kristi Pihl: 509-582-1512; kpihl@tricityherald.com
