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| Mass highlights migrants' plight | Mass highlights migrants' plight |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Thousands of people are expected to take part in a church service, march and rally in London to draw attention to the exploitation of migrant workers. | Thousands of people are expected to take part in a church service, march and rally in London to draw attention to the exploitation of migrant workers. |
| The Archbishop of Westminster will celebrate the special Mass for Migrants at Westminster Cathedral on Monday. | |
| It will be followed by a march to Trafalgar Square for a rally. | It will be followed by a march to Trafalgar Square for a rally. |
| There are thought to be hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants in Britain, and organisers of the events say a new underclass is emerging. | |
| Campaigners want the government to introduce policies that would help illegal immigrants gain citizenship. | Campaigners want the government to introduce policies that would help illegal immigrants gain citizenship. |
| The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, told the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday that all migrants, illegal or legal, should be welcomed and treated with respect. | |
| Estimates vary widely as to how many illegal immigrants are living in the UK. The Home Office estimate up to 570,000, while pressure group Migration Watch puts the figure at up to 870,000. | |
| Many illegal immigrants had been in Britain for years, said Mr Murphy-O'Connor. | |
| "And so I think a way's got to be found whereby they can become citizens and have the advantages of that... | "And so I think a way's got to be found whereby they can become citizens and have the advantages of that... |
| "Many of them are married, settled down and so they live in a kind of shadow land. That's not right and it's not fair." | "Many of them are married, settled down and so they live in a kind of shadow land. That's not right and it's not fair." |
| Underclass | Underclass |
| The event is being held in support of the Strangers into Citizens campaign. | The event is being held in support of the Strangers into Citizens campaign. |
| It says illegal migrants are exploited by employers who pay them poverty wages, undercutting British workers and depriving the country of millions of pounds of tax revenue. | It says illegal migrants are exploited by employers who pay them poverty wages, undercutting British workers and depriving the country of millions of pounds of tax revenue. |
| It wants the government to allow illegal immigrants who have worked in the UK for more than four years to be given two-year work permits, potentially paving the way for them to gain citizenship. | It wants the government to allow illegal immigrants who have worked in the UK for more than four years to be given two-year work permits, potentially paving the way for them to gain citizenship. |
| The measure would also help reduce the huge backlog of cases in the immigration system, it says. | The measure would also help reduce the huge backlog of cases in the immigration system, it says. |
| The multilingual Mass, on the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, will begin with a procession of parishes and faith groups, and will include music from Africa and Latin America. | The multilingual Mass, on the Feast of St Joseph the Worker, will begin with a procession of parishes and faith groups, and will include music from Africa and Latin America. |
| Intercessions will be read in six different languages including Romanian, French, Portuguese, Yoruba and Tamil. | Intercessions will be read in six different languages including Romanian, French, Portuguese, Yoruba and Tamil. |