Immigrants, supporters march for reform

More than 50 immigrants and their supporters marched along the streets of Hempstead Tuesday at the yearly May 1 march for immigration reform.

They held signs in support of federal Dream Act proposals that would legalize their status or at the very least provide public financing for undocumented students to go to college. Some wore bright yellow T-shirts calling for “Humane and Just Immigration Reform.”

They also chanted Spanish-language slogans that translate as, “We are here and we are not leaving!” and “Obama listen to us, we are in the struggle!”

Angie Lopez, 21, pushed along her 1-year-old son, Ryan, in a stroller, saying this was the first protest she’s ever attended and that she was doing it for her family.

“We are not asking for anything to be given to us,” she said, “just a chance to live and work legally and we’ll take care of the rest.”

Hempstead Village trustee Don Ryan told the crowd that he came from a family of Irish and Italian immigrants and sympathized with their plight.

“We live in the same planet. We need to sow love for each other,” he told them. “We need to make this a human effort, not a political one.”