Immigration Advocates Hold Rally In Baltimore As Part Of March From New York To DC
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The future of over more than a million undocumented DREAMers will soon rest with the Supreme Court, and a group of immigration advocates is walking from New York City to Washington to make their voices heard.
The group, including hundreds of DACA recipients, stopped at Baltimore City Hall Friday afternoon on their way to the nation's capital. The group started its march at the Statue of Liberty.
Among the attendees was Maria Perales Sanchez, who works on legal cases for migrant workers in Baltimore.
"When they come here, they have all the basic rights that any human being deserves," she said.
The recent Princeton graduate came to the U.S. with her mother from Mexico when she was just eight years old.
"I am one of the many stories," Sanchez said.
Sanchez's name is listed on a case to be heard Tuesday by the U.S. Supreme Court as it hears arguments on the Trump Administration's decision to end "deferred action for childhood arrivals," or DACA.
The estimated 700,000 children brought to the U.S. without documentation, known as DREAMers, could be subject to deportation.
"For millions and millions of folks, this is their home," Sanchez said. "I think everybody should have the ability to choose where their home is."
Ahead of next week's case, Sanchez joined other DREAMers and activists outside Baltimore City Hall.
For Sanchez and hundreds of thousands of others, their future rests in next week's arguments.
"Those folks have their own U.S. citizen children, have families, have communities that are part of them. So, it's not just going to affect us. I think it's really going to affect the nation," Sanchez said.
CASA of Maryland estimates there are 2,000 DACA recipients in the Baltimore area.
Oral arguments before the Supreme Court are scheduled to start November 12 at 10 a.m.
