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Local NewsImmigration Group To Protest President at Labor Day ParadeBy Tom MurrayMILWAUKEE - Monday unions and worker advocate groups will march down Wisconsin Avenue to celebrate Labor Day. Among them, at least one group angry with the president. A vocal immigration rights group will carry signs like, "Obama - stop the deportations." The group is upset with the president they helped to elect. Even though he cannot vote, Mario Ramirez went door-to-door last year to win support for Barack Obama. Now, Ramirez is frustrated. "He promised to pass immigration reform," he told TODAY'S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray. "I didn't see any changes at this time." Freya Neumann, a voter and teacher, will also march. She believes she did her part as a campaign volunteer. "We brought you all those Latinos," she said. "We gave you our votes. Now, where are you?" Obama promised quick immigration reform in his quest for the White House. "This election is about twelve million people living in the shadows," he said in a speech on September 10, 2008. But, at a summit in Guadalajara, Mexico this August, Obama conceded that immigration as dropped below healthcare, energy and financial regulation reform on the priority list. "When we come back next year, we could be in a position to act on it," he said during a joint press conference with leaders of Mexico and Canada. "Am I going to be able to snap my fingers to get this done? No." Voces de la Frontera fears as the 2010 election approaches, Congress will be less likely to support controversial immigration reform. "The really hard issues that need debate and need to be brought out and addressed have to happen in 2009," Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Voces de la Frontera Executive Director. A right to work and an easier path to citizenship are rights the organizations wants most. The Laborfest parade starts from Zeidler Union Square Park on Michigan Street, snakes downtown and ends at the Summerfest grounds.
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