SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Thousands of people packed Balboa Park in San Diego on Sunday to mark World Day of Migrants and Refugees, an annual observance held by the Catholic Church on the last Sunday of September.
The event was hosted by faith and community leaders from across the county, including more than 50 local faith leaders representing different religions.
Nancy Alvarado was among those who came to hold up a sign and show support for the migrant community.
"I've always had friends and loved ones who are migrants who are immigrants, some with papers and some without," Alvarado said.
"I believe the right to move in search of a better life is a human right and so supporting today doesn't mean only today if we're people who are consistent our message is consistent across the board," Alvarado said.
With immigration enforcement a major concern in San Diego, faith leaders said the event is important now more than ever.
"We're really going to say it with our presence and with our words and with our song and prayer that human beings are dignified and sacred regardless of whether we have documentation or not," Father Scott Santa Rosa of Our Lady Guadalupe Parish said.
Following speeches, thousands of people took to the streets for a procession, spreading one message: "We are all sacred."
"Being here to gather from all different cultures and languages, we can raise that awareness that we can live in this world in this place in peace and harmony," Bishop Michael Pham said.
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