Created: Wed, 01 May 2013 11:39:00 PST
Updated: Thu, 02 May 2013 12:14:40 PST
SAN DIEGO -- On May Day, workers and immigrants marched downtown, calling for immigration reform and stronger labor rights.
"We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us!" protestors chanted, urging the President to suspend deportations while Congress considers new legislation.
The Obama administration is on track to deport two million by 2014, which is equivalent to the number deported between 1892 and 1997, according to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security.
Demonstrators say these deportations are costing some workers their families.
Judith has been in the country for about 19 years. She has temporary legal status under California's "Dream Act." However, her parents do not.
"Every day I pray," she said. "Every morning, every night that nothing happens to my parents. That immigration police don't ask for papers so they can come home safely."
Activists say undocumented immigrants face other challenges in the workplace.
"They're treated like indentured servants basically because the employer knows they can fire them at any time they want, so they're very anxious to stand up for their rights and get decent working conditions," said Bridgette Browning of Unite Here Local 30.
The protests come about two weeks after the so-called "Gang of Eight" U.S. senators introduced an 844-page bill that would rewrite the country's immigration laws. The bill is backed by President Barack Obama.
A centerpiece of the legislation would create a path to legal status and ultimately citizenship for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
