Groups unite on immigration issue - Big march planned for next Sunday, April 9th

Trying to harness the momentum of marches nationwide, local leaders are planning a series of events, culminating with a massive demonstration next weekend to support undocumented immigrants.

The organizers of the April 9 event are from about 30 community and religious groups in the county, including some that traditionally do not take to the streets.

“We can't remain silent while the people, many of whom pray in our churches, keep living in the shadows and facing the fear of deportation,” said Rosemary Johnston of the Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights, one of the organizers.

The marches have a common goal: to promote passage of laws that would offer undocumented immigrants the opportunity to live in the country legally and to reject a law that would turn them into felons.

Tomorrow, a march in Barrio Logan will dovetail with the annual parade to honor César Chávez.

Next Saturday, April 8, the American Friends Service Committee, a longtime civil rights group, is organizing a march from Chicano Park to Pantoja Park, near Kettner Boulevard and G Street. The largest event is being planned for April 9, called the “March for Dignity, Respect and Hope.” Local leaders said they have tapped a key organizer of the Los Angeles march that drew about 500,000 people last Saturday to help spread the word about this one.

The march is to start at 2 p.m. at Balboa Park, at Laurel Street and Sixth Avenue, and end at the County Administration Building on 1600 Pacific Highway.

The idea for the local mega march coalesced during a meeting Monday at the University of San Diego.

“Our people are tired of abuse,” said Ben Monterroso, of the Service Employees International Union, which represents janitorial workers.

Those on hand discussed the current debate in the Senate on immigration reform and the marches in Los Angeles and elsewhere and decided that San Diego needed to be involved.

Organizers met last night to continue to fine-tune their plan. They are from all sectors of the community, including from student groups.

The Rev. Scott Richardson, of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, invited participants to protest passionately but peacefully.

Organizers are asking participants to wear white T-shirts to symbolize peace and not carry Mexican flags as a sign of respect for the United States.

“Let's not make the mistakes of the past when we protested against (Proposition) 187,” said local activist Enrique Morones in reference to the ballot initiative that sought to ban public services to undocumented immigrants in California.

The Parent Institute for Quality Education, which educates Latino parents, proposed setting up a phone bank to spread word about the march.

“Organizations that previously hadn't taken to the streets to protest are reacting because they're seeing that working people are being criminalized,” said the institute's Paty Mayer.

Kevin Malone, of the San Diego Organizing Project, a group of faith-based organizations, said fliers would be distributed in 25 churches this weekend to invite people to the march.

In North County, Arnoldo Marin, another coordinator of the march, said he was trying to determine how many buses would be necessary to take people to San Diego.

Among of those organizing the April 9 march are: the Latino/Latina UnityCoalition; Catholic Charities; the Catholic Diocese; Justice Overcoming Boundaries; the MAAC Project, the Parent Institute for Quality Education; Excellence and Justice in Education; Izcalli; and Círculo de Hombres.

What we get in return for massive illegal immigration:

Closing hospitals

Increased health care costs.

Overcrowded prisons

Diseases we had all but eradicated

An underground economy

Increased crime

Identity Theft

Higher taxes

More police and schools

Increasing rate of unemployment of Americans

Lower standard of living for many Americans

Draining off of our social benefits

Gangs

Increased terrorism risks

Devaluation of our citizenship

Erosion of our national identity.

Lower tax revenues, since much of their work is off the books.

Smuggling

Increased drug flow

Human slavery and trafficking

Legal immigration for relatives of citizens takes a back burner

Once nice neighborhoods now turned into barrios

Lowering of our educational standards

Massive welfare fraud with fake ID’s

Dissolving of our borders

Loss of sovereignty

Blurring/loss of culture

Loss of language

Billions of dollars sent out of the country by illegals

Lower wages

The worst pollution in the Northern Hemisphere is right on our southern border, from mountains of refuse being left there by border crossers.

Closing hospitals that go bankrupt treating illegals. 80 California Hospitals have closed because of this. Illegals are breaking the back of our medical system. Many illegals come to the US just to get treated for their diseases....and it is free. This also causes increased healthcare costs for Americans.

Unlicensed, uninsured, untaught and often drunk drivers causing havoc on our roads

Diseases we had all but eradicated....multi drug resistant (MDR) TB, Leprosy, Chagas Disease(1 in 3 die), malaria, plague, polio, dengue, head lice, hepatitis A, B, and C.

Each illegal with MDR-TB coughs and infects 10 to 30 people, who will not show symptoms immediately. Latent disease explodes later. MDR-TB has a 60% death rate. It can be treated over 24 months at a cost of $250,000 and toxic side effects.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, was so rare in America that in 40 years only 900 people were afflicted. Suddenly, in the past three years America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy. Leprosy now is endemic to northeastern states because illegal aliens and other immigrants brought leprosy from India, Brazil, the Caribbean and Mexico.

Increased crime, gang activity, particularly MS-13, identity theft, drug flow. smuggling, humand trafficking and slavery. Overcrowing of prisons....30% of federal inmates are illegals.

Higher taxes to cover costs of schools, police and law enforcement and maintenace of higher prison populations.

Refusal to adapt to the English language and forcing some school districts to think of hiring Mexicans from Mexico to teach the children of illegals in American schools

Increasing rate of unemployment of Americans who are displaced by illegals.

Depression of wages and a lower standard of living for many Americans hitting hardest at minority workers and those without high school degrees

Draining off of our social benefits....36 to 42 percent of illegal aliens are on welfare.

Higher housing, food and energy costs.

Illegals are living 20-50 people in a single home times an unfathomable number of homes in neighborhoods across America. They are breaking in unoccupied residences and living in boathouses.

Numerous neighborhoods have been reduced in value because of overcrowing by illegals.

Increased terrorism risks

Devaluation of our citizenship

Erosion of our national identity.

Lower tax revenues, since much of their work is off the books. Much of the economy is underground. Illegals send billions of untaxed dollars back home each year....It is Mexico's 3rd largest source of income.

Contributes to the dramatic population growth overwhelming communities across America--crowding school classrooms, consuming already limited affordable housing, and straining precious natural resources like water, energy, and forestland.

Substantial harm to American citizens and legal immigrants, particularly those in the most vulnerable sectors of our population--the poor, minorities, and children.

The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that the average Mexican illegal alien costs U.S. taxpayers a whopping $55,000 each. Some bargain, eh?

To name just a few. Let me know if you can think of any more to add to the list.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.