East End Immigrant Advocates to Hold Rally For Reform

The East End Immigrant Advocates, an outreach and advocacy group, are on a mission to have their voices heard.

On Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. at Lola Prentiss Park in Southampton Village, 151 Windmill Lane, the year-old group is sponsoring a rally for supporters of comprehensive immigration reform on both the state and federal levels.

"We are all immigrants,” said Sister Mary Beth Moore, of Sisters of Charity, and one of the founders of EEIA.  “Long Islanders know the contributions made by our immigrant neighbors and are calling on the House to do the right thing."

Specifically, Moore said EEIA is looking to gain support for legislation, called the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill, that was recently passed in the Senate after being introduced by New York State Senator Charles Schumer. The bill, she said, "includes a path to citizenship for adults that would likely take as long as 13 years."

"Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants, who came to the U.S. as children, would be able to earn green cards in five years, as would some agricultural workers," she said.  

In addition, Moore said, the bill also calls for increases in border security and an E-Verify system that aims to prevent businesses from hiring unauthorized workers.

"The American people strongly support Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), knowing that CIR will good for local, regional and national economies," she said, urging area residents and immigrants to attend next Sunday’s rally.

Immigration has long been a hot-button topic on the East End; the contentious issue has sharply divided a community, and a nation.

Some feel illegal immigration has brought a new wave of concerns to the East End, including overcrowded homes, loss of jobs for locals and a strain on schools and hospitals.

In recent years, as numbers of day laborers standing in front of area 7-Elevens and the Hampton Bays movie theater surged, detractors have engaged in demonstrations to express their ire.