David Rodriguez stood in the back of the gymnasium for most of the rally Wednesday at St. Mark Catholic Church in Kenosha.

But, as the call went out for local leaders in immigration reform, specifically efforts to make driver cards available in Wisconsin for undocumented residents, Rodriguez walked toward the stage.

He stood with dozens of other men, women and children. He joined hands. And he promised to help change the way immigrants are treated in the United States.

“It’s important to me, to all people,” Rodriguez, 33, of Kenosha, said afterward.

More than 300 people attended the rally, hosted by Congregations United to Serve Humanity, which announced its campaign for immigration reform as a local effort coordinated as part of a national campaign.

“We know that if we work on this together, we can find ways to bring about comprehensive immigration reform,” said Sandy Milligan, CUSH president.

“This is all about living our faith in the public arena,” she added. “...We’ve kind of been hiding in the shadows. And we believe it’s time for CUSH to step out from the shadows, take action and say, ‘Yes, we can! Si, se puede!”

In unison, the crowd repeated Civil Rights activist Cesar Chavez’s famous phrase. “Si, se puede! Si, se puede!”

Rabbi Dena Feingold was asked to explain the driver card issue during the rally.

The cards, she said, could provide a legal alternative for driving for those who could not provide a Social Security number to get a traditional driver’s license, as is required by federal law.

Driver cards must be approved by state legislators, hence the rallies, meant to catch the attention of state lawmakers. If passed, the cards could be issued to those who passed a driving and vision test and were of legal driving age.

The cards would cost $28 and expire after two years.

“It’s not going to solve all the problems of immigrants,” Feingold said. “But it’s one thing we can do to improve people’s lives.”

Three busloads of people attended the rally to represent the national Gamaliel Foundation, which works with local groups such as CUSH, Racine Interfaith Coalition and SOPHIA (Stewards of Prophetic, Hopeful, Intentional Action) in Waukesha.

“Some people say that the church shouldn’t be involved in this,” said Ron Hopkins, with SOPHIA. “But our policies make people live in fear, our policies break up families. This policy is a human rights disaster. This is exactly where our church should be.”

Hopkins urged people to remember that immigration reform would not necessarily mean amnesty for illegal or undocumented immigrants. But efforts, such as driver cards, could be a way to work toward basic human rights including worker’s compensation for immigrants who contribute to the U.S. economy.

The time to make those changes is now, if people step forward, said Norma Chavez-Peterson, who came from San Diego, Calif., to represent the Gamaliel Foundation.

“We need your commitment,” she said.