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GREENSBORO Hundreds of people marched through downtown Saturday in support of immigration reform.

Betsy OConnor, who was meeting a friend for lunch downtown when the wave of protesters marched by, said immigration reform is needed in the United States.

This is supposed to be the land of the free but here lately, things have been pretty bad, said OConnor, 61, of High Point. I hope our politicians can get it together and stop separating people in the country.

FaithAction International House held the fifth annual Downtown Unity Walk for Immigration Reform to draw attention to issues surrounding immigration.

Melanie Rodenbough, a board member with FaithAction International, said the group wants to bring the community together and include those who are immigrants. She said Saturdays march had a great turnout that included several immigrants.

Rodenbough said FaithAction focuses on supporting immigrants, educating businesses and companies on immigration issues and connecting immigrants to community resources.

She said the immigrant community needs lawmakers to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that would protect young people without a criminal history to a pathway to citizenship.

Lisa Hitch with Indivisible High Point, a progressive political group, said families are being torn apart because of immigration laws in the United States.

Not that immigration laws in the country were better before, she said, but its gotten worse because of the current administration.

President Donald Trump has made good on campaign promises to crack down on immigration, both legal and illegal. He plans to cut legal immigration in half and has introduced legislation that eliminates preferences given to extended family members and adult children of U.S. citizens seeking green cards, according to the New York Times. Hes requested more immigration officers and signed an executive order authorizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to widen the net of illegal immigrants to deport to include anyone, not just those with serious criminal records.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrests are up nearly 40 percent since January, with an average of 400 arrests across the country every day.

Late last month, a group gathered in Greensboro to denounce the rising numbers of ICE arrests of people without criminal records.

And two Greensboro churches are offering sanctuary to immigrants who illegally entered the country years ago. Both women were annually checking in with ICE and getting stays on deportation orders until this year.

Juana Luz Tobar Ortega, an Asheboro grandmother who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, has been living at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church since May 31.

She is thought to be the first North Carolina resident to seek sanctuary from immigration officials at a church.

Minerva Cisneros Garcia, who has lived in Winston-Salem for 17 years, and two of her three sons moved into Congregational United Church of Christ on June 28.

Greensboro resident Michael Wildman, who attended Saturdays march with his wife and two young children, said immigration is a moral issue and voters need to elect better officials who understand that.

Im a person of faith, Wildman said. We have to welcome others.

OConnor was impressed by the number of people participating in the march. She said she hopes politicians pay attention to the unrest over certain laws and bills and make some changes.

Its sad that we have to protest to draw attention to issues that should be commonsense, OConnor said. The great part about this country is we can voice our opinions to force change.

Contact Andre Taylor at 336-373-3465 and follow @andretaylorNR on Twitter.

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Hundreds march through downtown Greensboro for immigration ... - Winston-Salem Journal