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National and local Hispanic groups urged federal lawmakers at a rally Tuesday to support immigration reforms during this congressional session. "We all know that this system of immigration is broken," said Kansas City, Kan., native Janet Murguia, executive director of the National Council of La Raza in Washington. La Raza, the country's largest Hispanic civil rights organization, and several local groups sponsored the event at El Centro Inc. in Kansas City, Kan. The rally was one of 70 similar events held throughout the country this week as a way to present a unified message to Congress. Ian Bautista, El Centro's president and chief executive, asked those gathered to push for reform at every level. La Raza hopes lawmakers will consider a comprehensive look at immigration reform. However, in the short term, the group wants Congress to pass two initiatives known as the Dream Act and AgJobs. The Dream Act would provide opportunities for many undocumented children to receive in-state tuition rates at colleges. Undocumented children already receive education from kindergarten through high school. It doesn't make sense, Murguia said, "to say at the end of that trail -- at the 12th grade -- you're done. It's inconsistent to the American tradition." [more

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