In the spring of 1982, the US Congress was debating passage of the Omnibus Immigration Control Act. The purpose of the proposed law was to limit the number of immigrants who could enter the country legally, including those coming to join their families.

This flIer promotes the march and rally held in Seattle on May 8, 1982 by a coalition of immigrant rights groups protesting the pending immigration bill. The march began at the Immigration and Naturalization Service building on Airport Way and ended with a rally at the Federal Building in downtown Seattle.

Father Jean Juste, Alejandra Rivera, Leonel Gomez, Padre Miguel Holland, and Lynn Domingo spoke at the rally. They told of mistreatment of Haitian, Salvadoran, and Mexican refugees at the southern U.S. border and of harassment of Mexican American citizens. They also said that the new bill would result in thousands of deportations as well as the exclusion of many people who could now legally immigrate.

Caption information source: The Seattle Times: May 9th, 1982, p. 20.