The Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation are taking a stand for reform.
"We're marching, just walking a mile to bring attention to our broken immigration system here in the United States," said member Angela Ferguson. "We need to stop breaking up families. We need to keep families together so we're out here for the women and the children that are seeking protection here in the United States."
This monthly walk fell the day before Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hosts a rally in downtown Kansas City. President of AIRR Catalina Velarde said, "It's a coincidence. Our walks are always on the 11th day of the month in solidarity with the estimated 11 million undocumented population. We want folks to understand that these are already our neighbors, these are already our family members, these are already folks that we interact with every day."
The group is highlighting the stark contrast to the message of Trump. "We're about as opposite as can be. We want to provide a way for people to immigrate legally. We want the lines to be shorter," Ferguson added.
Both sides agree there is a need for immigration reform in America. AIRR, though, wants to ease the fears of the undocumented in the country. "They are very afraid. They are very afraid. We get calls of concern all the time because these are folks that are just contributing members. They want nothing more than to contribute to our society and to thrive and to be a part of our fabric and this is very scary for them," Velarde said.
On Friday, three Kansas representatives suggested Adrienne Foster, the executive director of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission, resign after her endorsement of Trump. In a letter to Gov. Sam Brownback, the group said, "Donald Trump has described Latin American immigrants as being killers, criminals, drug dealers and rapists, has called for the building of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico." Noting that those comments are "not only inaccurate they are also highly inflammatory and discriminatory against all Latin Americans in this country."
AIRR is walking one mile each month for 11 months to bring attention to this population and educate people about "who they are, what they desire, how to welcome them into our communities," Velarde explained.
Not shying away from the issue with Trump's immigration policy, Velarde said, "It's highly dangerous. We've seen the effects at his rallies, we've seen his rhetoric, his threats."
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Dia Wall can be reached at dia.wall@kshb.com.
