As part of a national day of action, a small group of protesters in San Antonio on Thursday joined others across the nation in calling for the end of deportations, following a request from several members of Congress.
Under President Barack Obama, nearly two million undocumented immigrants have been removed from the country according to the Pew Research Institute and the Department of Homeland Security.
With about 20 other protestors outside a federal building in downtown San Antonio, Chavel Lopez with the Southwest Workers Union says people should have the right to migrate.
“As human beings we have a right to migrate across anywhere on this planet. We have a right to living wages, the right to organize, the right unionize," Lopez said.
In addition to the end of deportations, the activists are calling for an immigration package that contains a clear pathway to citizenship, fosters a policy that strengthens the immigrant middle class and does not militarize the border.
Earlier this month, 30 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama calling for a pause in deportations.
Lopez says the protest was being held on December 12 to line up with the Catholic feast day of the Virgin de Guadalupe, who is considered the patroness of indigenous people in the Americas.
