Chicago immigration activists ready Washington push

Chicago Tribune/Antonio Olivo/[[March 5, 2007]]/ link

...Chicago activists plan to blitz lawmakers with phone calls and bus caravans to Washington in hopes of winning more rights for legal and undocumented immigrants.

The $450,000 Illinois Is Home campaign will also focus on promoting state reforms, such as allowing undocumented immigrants to qualify for driver's licenses, said Juan Salgado, president of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, during a news conference Monday.

...On Saturday, a rally is planned downtown, at Federal Plaza, on the anniversary of the first of several marches last year...

...Salgado, who helped coordinate those marches...

That effort will include phone banks and a three-day trip to Washington next week, where participants will present Illinois' 21 members of Congress with a list of immigration reforms they'd like to see passed, organizers said.

...Billy Lawless, president of Celts for Immigration Reform...