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November 28, 2009

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Liberty’s powerful pull

Sunday, May 7, 2006 | 9:07 a.m.

More than 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island in New York Harbor between 1892 and 1954.

As their ships arrived and they cast their eyes upon America for the first time, they were greeted by the imposing and inspiring Statue of Liberty.

While most of today's immigrants arrive via other paths, the Statue of Liberty remains perhaps the most potent iconic image of America. What does she represent to them? Freedom? A new life? Opportunity?

Last Monday night, immigrants and their supporters packed Las Vegas streets as they marched for more than two hours from downtown's Fremont Street Experience to the Strip, where they ended at New York-New York at the foot of the casino's Statue of Liberty replica.

With U.S. immigration reform at a pivotal moment, it seems fitting that Clark County's immigrants chose that rallying point as they struggle to make a new life and to be recognized for the role they play in America.

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