SAN DIEGO – Members of several pro-immigration rights groups presented thousands of letters supporting amnesty for illegal immigrants to Sen. Dianne Feinstein's and Barbara Boxer's offices Tuesday morning.

The bulk of the 10,000 letters, which were signed by residents, citizens and illegal immigrants, were gathered during the May 1 boycott, officials said.

“We realize immigration laws are broken and need to be fixed, ” said Ben Monterroso, executive director of the Service Employees International Union, Local 2028. “ . . . We want them (Congress) to know that the issue of immigration needs to be resolved in a comprehensive way. It cannot be done with enforcement only.”

Along with gathering the 10,000 letters, activists said they registered 5,000 new voters during the protests in recent weeks.

The union also announced it has joined forces with “We Are America – Somos America,” a national coalition.

The coalition has planned two educational forums for Saturday. One will start at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Nazarene on University Avenue in San Diego. The other will start at 4 p.m. at the Church of Resurrection on Conway Drive in Escondido.

Organizers say the forums will provide updates on proposed immigration laws and offer ways to continue calling attention to the pro-immigration cause.

“I think the next march for us is the march to the ballot,” Monterroso said.

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