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Immigrant rights group slam Obama, Democrats
Leaders of nearly a dozen grass-roots immigrant rights groups excoriated President Obama and congressional Democrats on Monday, accusing them of moving too slowly to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and citing a record number of deportations in 2009.
"Our community is angry. Our members feel betrayed," said Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. "We never believed in our wildest dreams that President Obama would have a record like this."
The critique, among the harshest to date from Obama's erstwhile supporters, comes as the president is struggling to deliver on a campaign promise to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and with time running out for legislative action before this fall's midterm elections.
Advocates have promised to bring tens of thousands of demonstrators to Washington for a March 21 protest and to punish Democrats at the polls in November if an immigration bill is not brought to a vote.