A group of determined young runners from both
sides of the U.S.-Mexico border arrived Monday in San Antonio during a
4,000-mile international trek aimed at generating support for basic
rights for undocumented immigrants.
Adan Zanes bears a torch
through San Antonio. He ran to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Catholic Church on Monday as part of the Antorcha Guadalupana.
Karen L. Shaw/Express-News
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The group, which headed for Gonzales this morning, began its
journey Oct. 29 at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where the
Virgin of Guadalupe is said to have appeared before Juan Diego.
Since then, the runners have taken turns carrying a torch across
1,000 miles in Mexico and South Texas.
Over the next month, they plan to cover another 3,000 miles, before
ending their journey Dec. 12, the day of the feast day of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
When the group crossed the border Nov. 6 in Brownsville, it had
about 200 runners. But about 150 of them had to stay in Mexico because
they didn't have work visas.
"It was an emotional moment, just leaving them like that," said
Mario Najera, coordinator of the Antorcha Guadalupana run sponsored by
the Asociacion Tepeyac de New York.
While most of the runners are in their 20s and 30s, some are in
their teens, Najera said.
Ultimately, the nonprofit group hopes to build momentum for federal
and state legislation that could ensure better wages and working
conditions for immigrants. The group also seeks passage of a law that
would grant legal status of the estimated 9 million undocumented
immigrants, of which about half are believed to be from Mexico.
The Antorcha Guadalupana is a tradition in cities in Mexico, and
practiced in recent years in New York. Under the tradition, runners
carry torches to neighborhood Catholic churches, to show that pride
and faith is alive in their community. Last year, Cardinal Edward Egan
challenged runners to carry a torch from Mexico City to New York.
With about 35 core runners from Mexico and New York now traveling
through Texas, the group is drawing interest from local runners in
each city it visits, Najera said.
"We'll probably reach thousands of runners by the time we're
through," he said.
Typically, runners are asked to donate $20 to participate in the
torch run, with proceeds benefiting the association. For more
information on participation, call (212) 633-7108.
Adan Zanes, a 19-year-old student from Puebla, Mexico, now studying
in New York to get a General Educational Development diploma, said he
participated over the weekend in the run, joining the group from
Corpus Christi to San Antonio so he could help carry a message, just
as the Virgin carried a message for Juan Diego to construct a church.
"We are workers, but we are compared to terrorists," said Zanes.
"We are not terrorists."
The runners were honored at a Mass late Monday at the Immaculate
Heart of Mary Church.
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