Harvard Students Attend Immigration Rally

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HLS students at Monday’s rally.

On Monday, members of the law school’s Harvard Immigration Project participated in a rally and march for immigration reform organized by the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA). The march from Boston Common to Copley Square was part of a National Day of Action that included large pro-immigrant rights demonstrations in New York, Phoenix, Atlanta, and a dozen other cities.

The crowd at the Boston event was estimated at 7,000-8,000, and included Irish, Brazilian, Creole, and Central American groups, plus union and student groups. Students from a wide variety of Harvard University groups also attended, including the undergraduate Harvard Democrats, the Kennedy School Latino Caucus, and a School of Education contingent.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston spoke to the crowd, emphasizing that immigration policy should be efficient and orderly, but also “be based on the cornerstone of the dignity of every human being.” Congress failed to pass an immigration reform bill before going on a two-week break starting this week. Marchers and organizers at the Boston rally were well aware of the political nature of the process, holding hundreds of blue signs that read, “Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote.”