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Reno Pro-Immigration Rally Aims Barbs At Nevada AG

Community activists held a pro-immigration rally on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of President Obama's executive order that would keep 5 million immigrants from being deported. Reno Public Radio's Julia Ritchey was there.

About 30 people with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada held up signs and chanted at a protest primary targeting Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.

Laxalt joined 25 other states in suing the Obama administration to block his executive action to protect families from deportation.

Earlier this month, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s injunction against Obama’s two immigration initiatives, which are called the Deferred Action for Parents (or DAPA) and the Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Laxalt has called the two initiatives unconstitutional and applauded the court rulings.

Gustavo Velasco moved to Reno from Mexico with his family when he was 14 and says he feels betrayed by the attorney general’s actions.

“I feel like that they forget that we all come from immigrants. We all migrated; we all seek opportunity; we all seek a better life. We all seek to just be part of a place and fit in a place where we feel comfortable.”

The Obama Administration announced it will appeal the most recent ruling to the Supreme Court. 

Julia Ritchey is a former reporter at KUNR Public Radio.
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