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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Thursday, a local group dubbed Dreamers in Action, organized a Permanent Protection for All Rally on the west side of South Bend.

The purpose was to fight for immigration reform.

"Undocumented people are realizing that our lives are still disposable for the government," said DACA recipient Dara Marquez.

A week ago, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration's attempt to end DACA, but organizers of the rally said this is still not enough, adding they believe people here locally should fight for the protection of all undocumented individuals.

"My tradition in the Roman Catholic Church always preaches the importance of human dignity, and we all have the same dignity," said a local priest.

Speakers also demanded a push for more legislation, even asking the crowd to call lawmakers.

"Many of you have heard me say that advocacy is not a sideline sport. You can't just cheer this on from the sidelines. It's time for all of us to raise our hands and say put me in coach," said Executive Director of La Casa De Amistad Sam Centellas.

Marquez and Juan Constantino are both DACA recipients.

They came to the United States at a young age and said they do not take any of it for granted.

"I want to continue to make an impact here in the South Bend area, the South Bend, Elkhart region, whatever that looks like. I'd like to maybe become the executive director of a non profit," Constantino said.

"There is no fear when the community not only stands behind you, but beside you, and also for all undocumented immigrants who are raising their voice. We are uplifting our own power," Marquez said.

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Immigration reform rally held in South Bend - WNDU-TV

The immigration system in this country has been problematic for decades, marred by outdated laws that do not properly address the changing demands of immigration and inconsistent enforcement that, under Trump, has often been inhumane.

National View editorials are fact-based conclusions and opinions written by the editorial board of a newspaper or wire service that the Daily News publishes content from. News reporters are not involved or consulted.

As leader of one of the most confused, inconsistent and impulsive administrations in American history, President Donald Trump has at least managed to be consistent in one area: his drive to reduce immigration to as thin a trickle as he can. Last week, he took yet more steps to limit access to the U.S. by people fearing for their safety in their own countries - and once again moved against our history as a nation of refuge, while also seeming to defy U.S. and international laws protecting the rights of the desperate to seek asylum from persecution in their home countries.

The most recent steps come in 161 pages of proposed changes in rules covering a wide swath of asylum law, including potentially barring relief to anyone who has passed through two countries before reaching the U.S. or who spent 14 days or more in one other country prior to arriving here. The administration also wants to bar asylum to anyone who has failed to timely pay taxes due the U.S. government or who has been unlawfully present in the U.S. for a year or more.

It wants immigration judges to weigh someone's illegal presence in the U.S. against them even though federal law specifically says people can seek asylum by crossing any part of the border and asking for it. And in addition to making fewer people eligible for asylum, it would give officers more power to deny initial asylum claims preemptively, with no need of a court hearing. That would shift an important determination about asylum eligibility from immigration courts to the front-line screeners and is likely a violation of the due-process guarantees that protect everyone in this country, citizen or not.

And on the changes go. The unifying theme here is that Trump, who effectively closed off cross-border access to the U.S. in March as a defense against the spreading coronavirus (too little, too late), wants to permanently limit asylum. Beyond the inherent inhumanity of closing our ears to people asking for protection, the administration is unilaterally undoing decades of U.S. asylum law. Whether Trump has that authority is a matter for the courts, where his lawyers have been spending an awful lot of time defending cockamamie and outrageous moves by the would-be emperor.

The immigration system in this country has been problematic for decades, marred by outdated laws that do not properly address the changing demands of immigration and inconsistent enforcement that, under Trump, has often been inhumane.

The proper fix here is comprehensive immigration reform. That Congress - well before Trump - has failed to enact such reform is a testament to its general dysfunction. Trump has, incongruously enough, displayed how badly the system needs reforming, but he's also shown no interest in teaming with Congress to do it. As we have made clear, this president needs to be ousted. We can only hope that the next administration not only undoes these horrific policies and regulations, but also works with Congress to get the progress on immigration reform that the nation for decades has been clamoring for.

Los Angeles Times

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National View: The proper fix is comprehensive immigration reform - Milford Daily News

An estimated crowd of 300 people gathered in Downtown Long Beach Saturday afternoon calling on the government to release children from ICE detention centers and for reforms in law enforcement. Miles away in Belmont Shore, dozens of people prepared their vehicles for a caravan protest through the city.

The two demonstrations converged at one point hours later in Downtown on Ocean Boulevard.

The peaceful gatherings follow three weeks of local protests over the death of George Floyd. A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with murder after he was shown with his knee on Floyds neck for several minutes.

The first demonstration, dubbed a unity march by organizers, near Ocean Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue included Aztec dancers and dozens of people holding signs calling on the government to free the children.

Many organizations came together to conduct Saturdays protest. Members of the groups announced that they were involved in protests that took place in Boyle Heights on Friday. A protester, identified as 25-year-old Jo-jo, spoke about his experiences in an ICE detention center when he were 4 years old.

We gather, protesting for change for children being separated from their parents, Jo-jo said. We will be your voice.

The gathering also follows this weeks significant ruling by the Supreme Court, which rejected President Donald Trumps appeal to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. The program has allowed about 700,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to stay.

The car caravan, organized by Caravan 4 Justice, led about 100 cars on different routes throughout the city. Protesters prepared for the protest by making and taping signs onto their cars. Organizers also had voter registration available. Organizer Tia Turner said her organization is trying to create a model in Long Beach to turn the enthusiasm for the protests into change.

We cant just scream and shout forever, Turner said. So were trying to educate people and open up eyes to find those people to strategically make that change. Now that we actually have momentum and our voices are being heard, we need to keep that momentum going.

Turner noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had a lot to do with spurring on the widespread protests.

Protester Sheryl Adams also noted a difference in the protests this year. Her brother, Todd Grayson, was killed by Carson Sheriffs deputies in 1990 at the age of 26. Since then, Adams said she re-lives her brothers death every time she learns of a police officer killing someone. Shes seen the police shootings in recent years and said, I relive it every time.

But this is the first time shes seen so many people get behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

Its really refreshing to see so many people from so many racesI see more white people out here than Black people and thats hurtful, if you want to be honest, Adams said. But Im just so happy to have the supportwhoever wants to give it, whoever wants to see a change.

The caravan protest ended at City Hall, where protesters planned to have more speakers talk and post their protest signs at the Long Beach sign.

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Protests converge; hundreds gather in Downtown calling for police, immigration reform - Long Beach Post

Last Monday opened the beginning of a tense week for many U.S. immigrants. Then, relief: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects over 600,000 people in the country from deportation.

Host Frank Stasio talks about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the upcoming presidential election with Laura Garduo Garcia, community organizer for Siembra NC, and Geraldo Cadava, assistant professor of history at Northwestern University.

In 2017 President Donald Trump announced his administration would rescind the DACA program, but the court ruled that his process in doing so violated federal law. The future of the program remains uncertain, and its fate may depend on who holds presidential office.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Laura Garduo Garcia, a DACA recipient and a community organizer with the immigrant rights group Siembra NC, about her reactions to the Supreme Court decision and the uncertain future of the program.

Stasio also speaks to Geraldo Cadava, an associate professor of history at Northwestern University, about the reactions of more conservative Latino voters and the implications for the November election. Some Latino voters have stayed with Republican candidates over the years despite anti-immigrant policies, but a growing young Latino electorate could sway Novembers election toward the Democratic candidate.

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Immigration Reform Could Play A Big Role In November. What Else Are Latino Voters Watching? - WUNC

EL PASO As the president of the Texas Business Leadership Council, Justin Yancy understands President Donald Trumps desire to get more Americans back in the workforce, especially in well-paying jobs.

So does Ryan Skrobarczyk, the director of legislative and regulatory affairs for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association. Thats why his organizations members must first prove they cant find American workers before turning to an immigrant workforce.

But theyre both struggling to make sense of the presidents latest executive action on immigration, which they say will likely stymie the economy at a time when Texas needs to see it grow.

They [immigrants] come in and do jobs that Americans are doing as well, but with the kind of growth we need to restart the economy, we need them here [too], Yancy said.

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order that freezes the issuance of several visas designated for foreign workers until the end of the year including H1B visas for high-skilled laborers and H2B visas for seasonal, nonagricultural jobs, among several others. The restriction applies to visa applicants outside of the United States as of Monday, as well as those who didnt have a valid visa as of that date, according to the proclamation.

Under ordinary circumstances, properly administered temporary worker programs can provide benefits to the economy, the presidents proclamation states. But under the extraordinary circumstances of the economic contraction resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, certain nonimmigrant visa programs authorizing such employment pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers.

There are at least 9,000 H2B visa holders in Texas, Skrobarczyk said, and most are employed in the landscaping business.

Yancy argues that the directive could actually move the economy further in the wrong direction. Thats due, in part, to the support jobs that H1B visa holders help create, he said.

Engineers, for example, for every job they have, you create, at least statistically, two more jobs, he said.

Yancy added that with the annual limit on H1B visas, which stands at 85,000, there are more Americans in high-skilled jobs than foreigners.

Companies that have been able to weather the shutdown and that are trying to grow need to find skilled staff, he said. And when they cant find it in the U.S., they need to have this extra tool to be able to fill those roles.

But conservative groups supportive of the presidents restrictionist policies said the move is just one step toward fixing a visa system that has been fundamentally flawed for years.

Visas granted per category in the United States lack a fundamental connection to the needs of the labor market, Elizabeth Hanke, a research fellow for labor economics at The Heritage Foundation, said in a statement. The U.S. needs a thoughtful discussion and debate about legal immigration reform with solutions that reduce the arbitrary nature of the existing visa system.

Jason Finkelman, an Austin-based immigration attorney, rejected that argument.

The fallacy in that argument is one, [that] there is a finite amount of jobs that we have in this country, he said. The other issue is that my clients, they will say to me, Jason I would much rather hire an American person to do this science, technology, engineering or math job. Id much rather not have to pay these thousands and thousands of dollars in fees and jump through these ridiculous hoops the president is making me go through.

[The policy] will hurt immigrants somewhat, but what its really going to hurt is a U.S. employer, Finkelman added. If I am a U.S. employer, especially a big one, especially in the tech sector, you better believe I am talking to my counsel and saying, We got to stop this because this is going to hurt my bottom line.

Others say the visa ban will disproportionately affect South Asian immigrants more than others which they say falls in line with the presidents anti-immigrant agenda.

Over 70% of H1B visa holders in the U.S. are from South Asian countries. Our community members and their families continue to be jeopardized because of these restrictions, said Sophia Qureshi, the communications director for South Asian Americans Leading Together. If the goal was to protect U.S. workers, they would be given PPE [personal protective equipment], sick days and health care in the midst of this deadly pandemic. From the Muslim ban to targeting a range of immigrant populations from H-1B visa holders to DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] recipients, this administrations racist and anti-immigrant agenda underscores their abysmal failure in leadership.

Since taking office, the president has made stopping unauthorized immigration one of his top priorities. But his order Monday could potentially encourage employers to hire more workers off the books and create more undocumented workers, Skrobarczyk said.

Youre essentially punishing companies that have gone above and beyond and play by the rules and pay a very competitive wage, he said.

Skrobarczyk added that, at least on paper, the theory behind the executive order makes sense: Texans need jobs, and reducing the number of immigrant workers should open jobs for more U.S. citizens. But he said that in practice, its not that simple when it comes to H2B positions because people who have been laid off tend to look for jobs in the same occupation rather than looking for temporary work in something like landscaping.

The other thing has to do with just the nature of the work, he said. It is hot in this state and summers are brutal, and there is just no getting around the fact that landscaping has to be done outside. So given those two factors, I think that weighs heavily on why, year after year, we need seasonal workers that are able to or willing to work in those environments.

Disclosure: The Texas Business Leadership Council and the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas business leaders say ban on immigrant workers will hurt economy - The Texas Tribune