As the debate over immigration reform takes shape in Congress, radio talk show hosts will headline a rally against illegal immigration across from the White House today as a preamble to a week of lobbying on Capitol Hill.
Organizers hope the radio personalities, whose shows across the country often are forums for heated anti-immigrant rhetoric, will galvanize an array of groups into a potent force. The effort is aimed at reflecting grass-roots concerns raised by Washington area residents, such as over job centers for mostly immigrant day laborers in Herndon and Gaithersburg.
"We all see the illegal aliens marching down the streets, screaming, 'We are America' and 'We demand citizenship.' We are trying to offer a venue where Americans can come and express their support for secure borders and an equal application of existing laws," said D.A. King, an ex-Marine from Georgia who leads the Dustin Inman Society, which is sponsoring the rally.
Surveys show that a majority of Americans favor tightening security along the border with Mexico. But the public is divided on how to treat the more than 10 million illegal immigrants who live in the United States.
A recent Washington Post poll found that 81 percent of people said the government was "not doing enough" to stop illegal immigration. But 62 percent said those already in the country should be offered a chance to keep their jobs and apply for legal immigration status, while 35 percent said they should be deported.
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