Immigrants families demanded Saturday that Senator Schumer support legislation that would decrease deportation of immigrant parents with native-born children. NY1's Ty Chandler filed the following report.
Protesters lined outside of Senator Charles Schumer's Midtown office Saturday, to encourage him to introduce the Child Citizen Protection Act to the Senate - a bill that has already gained support in the House.
The measure would allow judges to take into account the best interest of children who are U.S. citizens if their immigrant parents face deportation.
Many of the protesters came from families split apart by deportations.
Betsy DeWitt, a rally organizer is raising three sons alone, after her husband was deported to Italy - a country he had not set foot in for forty years.
"They should have considered our family before he was deported, " said DeWitt.
The City Council passed a resolution last month in support of the bill.
"We just can't keep ripping families apart in the name of homeland security. That does not make any sense, " said Democratic Queens Councilman John Liu to the assembled crowd.
Six U.S.-born children attended a rally with their mother - to say how their father was deported to Senegal last summer, and that their mother could soon suffer the same fate.
"It's been really hard for my mom to take care of me and my siblings," said one of the children.
Rally organizers told the attendants to pick up their phones in the middle of the event to call Senator Schumer's office to send the message that they want the bill introduced now.
"We cannot keep on waiting, our families are being torn apart," said rally organizer Juan Carlos Ruiz. "Our communities are being terrorized. So, we want Schumer to hear that message."
It's important that they understand that families should be kept together,," said DeWitt.
NY1 reached out to Senator Schumer's office about the Child Citizen Protection Act and is awaiting a response.
-Ty Chandler
