By KATERYNA STUPNEVICH

Supporters of immigration reform are hoping that their five-day road trip across the state will push Sen. Charles Schumer and other elected officials to take action by passing new legislation to aid immigrants.

The caravan trip on Feb. 15-19, coordinated by the New York Immigration Coalition and the Reform Immigration for America Campaign, consisted of stops in 10 cities and towns around New York State. The dozen advocates who took part in the road trip joined rallies wherever they went.

“The point is to raise the call for immigration reform,” said Norman Eng, a spokesman for the New York Immigration Coalition. “There are a lot of people, all around the state, who care deeply about this issue and we want to make sure that our members of Congress are with us on this.”

The participants are urging Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is playing a key role in the Senate in the immigration issue, and other officials to support legislation that reunites immigrant families, restores due process, protects workers’ rights, and provides accessible paths to naturalization and citizenship.

Chung-Wha Hong, the executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said it is vital that a commitment to comprehensive immigration reform be followed through because the longer the process gets delayed, the more immigrants continue to suffer.

“In the course of this five-day trip, nearly 5,000 people will be deported and more than 5,000 will be detained, and we’ll be no closer to a workable, common-sense immigration system that serves the national interest,” she said at the outset. “So we’re taking to the road, traveling across the state, bringing our message to our representatives on their home turf, joining our voices with their constituents, and making it clear that the typical Washington response of doing nothing is simply not acceptable.”

During the rallies, advocates in favor of immigration reform said that the changes would provide a “much-needed boost to our economy,” through additional tax revenue. They also said that the naturalization of undocumented immigrants would enhance the economy through their consumption, investments, and businesses.

According to a recent study conducted by the Immigration Policy Center and the Center for American Progress, immigration reform would add $1.5 trillion to America’s gross domestic product over the course of 10 years. On the contrary, in the next 10 years, mass deportations would decrease the gross domestic product by $2.6 trillion, the study said.

Aside from the financial benefits, the participants also said there were moral reasons for immigration reform. They said that deportations increased by almost 50 percent between 2003 and 2008 – leaving countless families divided. They have also said that “enhanced enforcement has had a deadly effect” during the last 15 years.

The road trip initiated in New York City and included stops in Carmel, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Sodus, Pittsford, Greece, Batavia, Buffalo, and Ithaca. It concluded in Brooklyn on Feb. 19.