Immigration Reform 2013 News: As Rallies for Legislation Spark Across Nation, California Signs Pro-Immigration Laws

Rallies were held across the U.S. by activists and protestors calling on Congress to pass immigration legislation while California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a series of bills protecting undocumented immigrants from certain legal repercussions.

While the issue of immigration reform had taken a backseat on the political scene in recent months thanks to the onset of the Syrian crisis and the government shutdown, activists from New York to Texas and California had not forgotten the issue. Protests were arranged around the nation for Saturday's "National Day for Dignity and Respect," leading thousands to take to the streets in protests and marches in support of passing comprehensive immigration reform into national law.

In Florida, 11 people, representing the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., started their 150-mile trek across southwest Florida called "The Way for Citizenship." The trek's purpose was to serve as a reminder to legislators of the importance of signing immigration reform into law.

"We're hoping that with this pilgrimage," organizer Nanci Palacios told the Tampa Bay Times, "we can ignite that flame that has been dying slowly in the last couple of months."

Meanwhile, as the Houston Chronicle notes, more protests took place, such as the one in downtown Houston, where the march drew more than 1,000 people, according to event organizers. Protestors in Houston marched nearly a mile Saturday, chanting "Si, Se Puede," or "Yes, We Can," as they voiced their support for immigration reform.

"Because of all the distractions Congress is facing right now, it was important for us to show that immigration is still an issue," Carlos Duarte, Texas director for Mi Familia Vota, an advocacy group for the Latino community, told the Chronicle. "That it is still at the front and center."

Meanwhile, in Oakland, Penn., two dozen people gathered outside the Community of Reconciliation Church to protest stalled immigration reform, which has come to a halt in the U.S. House of Representatives, controlled by a Republican majority that appears largely reluctant to pass the bill.

Yet protest organizers continued to fight on for their cause.

"It's very scary for people to live here and not know if a family member could be picked up by [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] tomorrow and be put into deportation proceedings, or even transferred from one jail to another without them knowing," Sarah Regenspan, an organizer for the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network, which organized the event, told The Pitt News.

In Boise, Idaho, nearly 1,000 protestors marched down to the Idaho Statehouse, where a rally was held in a park across the street. The protestors, most of them members of Idaho's Mexican-American community, voiced their support for immigration reform. Maritza Valdez, whose parents brought her to the country as a child, was one of them.

"Until you've lived what's going on, then you won't understand," Valdez told KTVB.com. "If you live in Mexico you will clearly understand why we move to this country, why we look for a better job and we look for a better future."

Meanwhile, in California, Gov. Brown made sweeping changes by signing eight bills Saturday, including a bill that prevented police and law enforcement officials in the state from detaining immigrants for an extended amount of time for minor crimes. Such lengthy detention allows federal authorities to take custody of such immigrants.

According to the Washington Post, the bill, known as the Trust Act, means that undocumented immigrants would only have to be charged or convicted of a serious offense in order to be held for 48-hours and transferred to federal immigration authorities for possible deportation.

In addition, Gov. Brown signed other laws with implications for undocumented immigrants, including bills that would restrict people that charge fees to help immigrants gain legal status, outlawing employers from threatening undocumented workers with reporting their immigration status and allowing undocumented immigrants to be licensed as lawyers.

Gov. Brown defended his decision to sign legislation as a necessary act to protect immigrants in his state while legislators on Capitol Hill continue to remain deadlocked on the issue of immigration reform.

"While Washington waffles on immigration, California's forging ahead," Brown said. "I'm not waiting."