Sons and Daughters Connect With Message of the March

As their bus chugged down Georgia Avenue, 17-year-old Randy Ruano and his Einstein classmates engaged in an impromptu debate about the pros and cons of immigration policy.

Should all immigrants be allowed to come to the United States? Should they be required to learn English as a condition of earning citizenship?

The students said they opposed any move by Congress to make criminals out of immigrants who came to the United States illegally. Many were struggling, though, with how the immigration system could be changed in ways that would make it fair for everyone.

"Give them all papers," one boy shouted.

"Immigrants should be working and learning English to be able to stay," a girl yelled.

"Why do they have to learn English?" another girl challenged.

"See? It's not as clear-cut as you might think," Elizabeth Alex, a community organizer from CASA of Maryland, told the students. CASA, a nonprofit immigrant rights group, organized the bus caravan.

Mario Cortez watched in amusement as his son Jose shouted out the bus window and waved a miniature American flag. By the time the bus crossed the District line, Mario was beginning to get into the spirit of things. As his son looked on, he stood up and led students in a robust cheer: " El pueblo unido jamás será vencido " -- a village united will never be divided.

Staff writer Ian Shapira contributed to this report.