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Bronx Residents Rally in Support of Immigrant Rights

By NORA BYRNES

Hundreds of residents, politicians and clergy members took to Fordham Road on May 1 as part of a national action in support of immigrant rights. Protesters of all ages and nations formed a human chain that snaked over several avenues along Fordham.

Congressman Jose Serrano, who attended the event, argued that America is conflicted about its relationship to immigrants. “[We] can see the contradiction in having the Statue of Liberty that invites people in while the nation has borders that keeps people out,” he said, speaking before a crowd strewn with flags of all stripes.

The protesters, many who were Latino, later marched to Union Square in Manhattan. They chanted “Yes, we can,” in English and Spanish while passing cars honking in support.

Nelly Elle, a vocational counselor and mother of two, was part of the crowd. “Immigrants have been working here and we deserve rights,” said Elle, who came from Columbia 25 years ago.

Maria Turzios, 40, argued that immigrants are an integral part of the economy and deserve the same civil liberties and benefits. “We are not criminals,” said Turzios, a drug and alcohol counselor from El Salvador. “We are the ones that work in the factories and stores.”

Turzios was one of the many who took time off from work, or closed their businesses, to attend the protest. She hoped the event would call attention to immigrants’ important contributions to the United States. “We came to a free county and we came to work,” said Turzios, who has lived in the U.S. since 1979.

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