Immigration reform rally in DC

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Local activists say they want immigration reform and they want it now. Nearly 500 people from Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore joined upwards of 100,000 people on Capitol Hill, Sunday, rallying for immigrant rights.

Early Sunday morning, buses pulled in to Virginia Beach. Local immigrants, their friends and family were waiting and ready to make their move. It's something they say they're used to.

"It took about 6 months before I got my permanent residency and then I waited five years and I became a citizen," says Tina Patricio, a Mexican immigrant.

Patricio says it's a process many want to go through legally, but can't afford the wait. Organizers of Reform Immigration For America and the Making a Difference Foundation say that's one of the main reasons for the trip to D.C..

"We're looking for practical solutions to solving America's broken immigration system," says Meghan McNamera of Reform Immigration For America.

It's a solution tens of thousands of people say President Obama promised he'd work toward in his first year as president. Many boarding the buses, Sunday, say it's a broken promise and immigration reform is a must.

"What that means to us is providing an easier pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants, making it a fair process for people to go through which consists of paying a fine as well as going through background checks, making sure that we know who is in our country," says McNamera.

Little Jennifer Colato hopes the tiny voice she uses to translate for her father will be heard by members of Congress.

"My dad said we are going to Washington, D.C. so we can get our papers," says Colato.

450 voices from Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore joining upwards of 100,000 people marching on Capitol Hill for the right to call themselves Americans.

"It's freedom. It's freedom,"  says Patricio.

The rally on Capitol Hill is scheduled from 1pm - 5pm followed by a march from 5pm-6:30pm.