Students walked out of high school classes for second day
By Anabelle Garay
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Thousands of Texas high school students walked out of class for a second straight day Tuesday to rally in support of immigrants as Congress considers new immigration law.
Police estimated at least 4,000 people protested outside Dallas City Council headquarters starting in the morning and continuing with a second wave of students in the afternoon. Rallies also were held in Houston, Fort Worth and a handful of suburbs.
Students crowded in front of Dallas City Hall with American, Mexican and Salvadoran flags and shouts in Spanish of “We can do it.” Several had signs that said “Terrorists are coming in from Canada, not Mexico,” “Immigrant Nation,” and “We are the future.”
“Without us, the whole economy goes down,” said 14-year-old Cesar Mercado, an American of Mexican descent who hitchhiked to the protest from near his school in suburban Farmers Branch. “I’m not saying the entire U.S. economy depends on us, but most of it does.”
Some students said they want lawmakers debating policies to recognize that illegal immigrants are people supporting families here and abroad by laboring long hours in low-paying jobs that Americans need done.
“Most illegal immigrants pay taxes. They’re doing the right thing,” said Felipe Gomez, a 16-year-old Pegasus Charter School student whose father entered the country illegally.
Like Gomez, those protesting included the U.S.-born children of immigrants. Others were students who immigrated illegally into the country with their families as toddlers.
Among those was Clarivel Casteneda, a 15-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, who said she and her family moved to Irving for a chance to improve their lives.
“We want to go to college, but they won’t give us jobs because they won’t let us have any papers,” she said.
Latino leaders urged students to return to school and instead attend a weekend march planned for early April.
“What you’re doing right now, that’s what I did when I was your age. And guess what? I haven’t stopped,” said Diana Flores, a Dallas County Community College District trustee. “If you want to change the laws, you need to prepare yourselves. You need to get an education.”