Dozens Gather to Rally for Immigration Reform

Dozens gathered on the New Haven Green on Saturday to protest deportation laws.

Holding signs and chanting for immigration reform, they shared how the current policies have affected them.

Two-year-old Cruz Mendoza spent most of his life without his dad.

"He was eight months old when they deported him. He's missed every single birthday," said his mother Jasmine Mendoza.

Jasmine, who is a US citizen, says last year her husband was pulled over for not wearing his seatbelt, and it was revealed he had a deportation order from 1998.

"ICE told me I was young enough and able enough to find a new husband, and they deported him on April 10th, 2013," said Jasmine.

Jose Luis Piscil, who's lived in the states for 26 years, is now in the process of being deported. It means being separated from his wife and two children.

"People come here to reunite with their families, to keep their families together, and that should not be a crime," said activist Megan Fountain.

It wasn't just those in Connecticut fighting for change on Saturday. Activists across the country demonstrated for a National Day of Action to Stop Separating Families. In nearby Boston, demonstrators took to the streets on the historic Freedom Trail, rallying for reform.

"They're ripping families apart," said Jasmine. "It's ridiculous."

Because of her husband's deportation, Jasmine says she's lost nearly everything. Now in financial straits she and Cruz must leave the country as well. They'll reunite with her husband in Mexico but don't know if they'll ever be able to come back.
 

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