Immigrant Rally Monday April 10, 2006 7:30pm    Posted By: Matt Bise Which football team will have a better record in 2006?  USC  Clemson  Citadel  Charleston Southern  SC State ___  ABC News 4 Interact  ___    • Signup for eNews Alerts    • ABC News 4 Pulse Poll    • Whats Your Opinion?    • Printable Version    • E-Mail This Story ___  Related Stories  ___ Immigration Advocates Rally Around U.S. Thousands Rally for Immigrants Across U.S. Knicks Rally In Fourth To Deal Boston Blow To Playoff Hopes Thousands Rally for Immigrants in Texas Tornados Rip Through Charleston Immigration Rally Charleston, SC - Thousands are rallying around the State and across the Country, fighting for legislation to broaden immigrant rights. The protesters call Monday's demonstrations, "The National Action for the Rights of Immigrants." The rallies are part of dozens of demonstrations Nationwide, where many immigrants are urging lawmakers to help an estimated 11 million illegals settle legally in the United States. That message also heard in Charleston Monday, where many local immigrants are hoping for change. "No somos criminales, queremos trabajar libres, porque no tenemos opportunidad en nuestra pais...(We are not criminals...we want to work--because we don't have the opportunity in our country,) says Aurora Barrios. She's fighting to become a United States citizen, though she's been living in America for the last 13 years. "I just feel like everybody else, I feel equal," says 16 year old Joaquin Abadia, who attends Summerville High School. His family came to the US on Visas, and never left. The paperwork has since expired-but Abadia hopes to one day live here legally, he wants to go to college to get a good job. "We should have the same rights as anybody, us students, we didn't want to come over here, our parents brought us here...it's not our fault that we're here in this country illegally," says Abadia. An estimated 3,000 immigrants live in Charleston County, many of them marching in Marion Square for opportunities they say they can't get in their own country. The NAACP (website - news) is also on board, expressing concerns for the humanitarian rights of immigrants. "When I liken this to the civil rights movement, I liken this to slaves being brought here, they weren't citizens, but we found a way to fix the issues and we can do the same with these fold that are coming," says Charleston's NAACP President, Dott Scott. Opponents argue illegals are the cause of rising healthcare costs and lower wages. But while an overhaul of immigration law is stalled in Congress, millions of immigrants will continue to call the US their home, thousands of them living in the Lowcountry. Marchers say a boycott is being planned for May 1st. On that day, all Latinos in America plan to not work, shop or buy gas-hoping to prove their importance to the U.S. Government. » Find More Articles Related To This One Copyright 2006 WCIV, LLC.

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