“Johnson, we expect better,” read a protester’s sign at the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice rally held Monday on the Quad. Congressional Rep. Tim Johnson (R-15) was criticized by protesters at the rally for supporting the HR-4437 bill. Community members are pressing Johnson to support a comprehensive immigration reform bill instead.

HR-4437 primarily seeks to secure the border between the U.S. and Mexico by erecting a fence and charging undocumented immigrants with a felony if they are found on U.S. soil. Those in opposition to HR-4437 see the bill as being overly punitive.

Johnson, however, continues to support HR-4437 despite the pressure he received Monday. Phil Bloomer, press secretary for Johnson, said HR-4437 is a good and necessary piece of legislation.

“We need to strengthen our borders because they are leaking,” Bloomer said. “Illegal immigrants are taking advantage of social service networks and are crippling our hospitals and schools.”

Bloomer said Johnson voted for HR-4437 with the understanding that the bill would be the beginning of a comprehensive package of immigrant reform.

“It’s the critical beginning point to strengthening our borders,” he said. “(HR-4437) is only part of it.”

The other parts of the package include a guest worker program. President Bush’s version of a guest worker program would offer temporary work status to undocumented immigrants, according to the White House Web site.

Bloomer said the program would more specifically require all undocumented immigrants to pay a fine for illegally entering the U.S. They will need to continue to work and pay taxes, take citizenship classes and “embark on the same paths other immigrants do.”

“Whether it’s a two-year or four-year program . illegal immigrants would go to the back of the line to become a legal citizen like everyone else,” he said.

State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D-103) was also a target of criticism at the rally.

Jakobsson was faulted for her decision to vote against HB-4003, a bill that would provide driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants without social security cards in Illinois, said Diana Mora, junior in LAS and president of Latino student organization, La Colectiva. Jakobsson said, however, she was in support of “a bill that allows immigrants who don’t have social security cards to have driver’s licenses.”

Mora said she has called Jakobsson’s office to get an explanation but has not received a response.

Jakobsson said she was in support of Monday’s rally even though she was the target of negative press.

“Rallies show democracy and action and our constitutional right to assemble,” she said. “That was just what people were doing.”

She added that the rights of undocumented immigrants are an important issue to her and to everyone in Illinois.

“I always look at legislation very carefully and continue to work so that immigrants are able to get reforms,” she said.