Activists Rally Downtown for Immigration Reform

Dream Team Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization that advocates for immigration reform, held a demonstration at Pershing Square on Wednesday, drawing attention to a need for a more constructive pathway to citizenship as speakers recounting their experiences as undocumented residents.

One speaker detailed her struggles raising her child on less than minimum wage, while two skits focused on the hardships faced by many undocumented workers. Another skit portrayed an elderly woman struggling to obtain her Green Card, ironically and tragically receiving it as she lies on her deathbed.

The message was clear: the immigrant experience needs to be improved.

Dream Team L.A. claims that one out of every 10 workers in Los Angeles is undocumented.

Experts have speculated that undocumented workers generate as much as $75 billion in revenue per year, and contribute as much as $9 billion to social security.

This number, according to activists, demonstrates the willingness of immigrants to "give back" to the country in which they reside, and underscores the need for an easier way to integrate that population into the American tax system. 

The rally also focused on higher education for illegal immigrants, which, despite recent reforms, struggles to meet their needs.

Assembly Act 540 was signed into California law in October 2001, which allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition for public schools, and Dream Team claims numerous undocumented students have graduated from the University of California system. These students often struggle to find a job after graduation, however, and are frequently underemployed.

Strong opposition to a lenient strategy for illegal immigrants still persists in California, however, in the form of hand-wringing over granting generous benefits to those who are not required to reciprocate.

Barbara Coe, founder and president of California Coalition of Immigration Reform, opposed undocumented citizens gaining Green Cards.

"Anyone who is in our country illegally should not be rewarded by billions of our tax dollars that will be denied to other citizens," said Coe.

The Dream Team will be holding a banner dropping Thursday to raise awareness. Their goal is to make 2013 the year that illegal citizens have a way to document themselves.