"We not only are the people who cook your food and clean your houses, but we spend money too," stressed [Leny Herrera], a Gramercy Park resident who came to the U.S. from Colombia over 14 years ago. "America needs us just as much as we need the opportunities here."

[Naisha Mercado]'s father Ruben, 39, a nurse in the Bronx, had allowed his daughters and nieces to skip school because he said the cause was just that important. "The resolution of Washington's immigration policy crisis is long overdue," he said. "It is time they come up with some real criterion and work towards them."

"In the meantime, 111 continue to show up on days like this," [Lorna Calderon] said, "It's very important for our worries to be visible."

Demonstrations & protests -- United States--US