Immigration supporters launch campaign

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NEW YORK, March 25 (UPI) -- Immigration law overhaul supporters announced they are launching a social media campaign to tell the stories of people who entered the United States illegally.

Organizing for Action, a political group that grew out of President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, said the online campaign will appear on Twitter, Facebook and blogs starting this week.

The group has gathered stories from 7,000 people, many of whom came into the United States illegally or were brought as young children by their parents, The New York Times reported Monday.

Officials with the group said the plan is to show support for congressional efforts to overhaul immigration laws to provide 11 million illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

"It is clear that America's immigration system is broken, with so many employers that game the system by hiring undocumented workers and 11 million people living in the shadows," said Jon Carson, the executive director of Organizing for Action and a former director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. "Neither is good for the economy or the country."

A bipartisan group of eight senators are expected to unveil an immigration bill early next month with the hope it will receive support from both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate, the Times reported.