Well golly gee, ain't that too damn bad. When to we have to cater to illegals aka law-breakers?
Posted on 11/06/2004 2:15:52 AM PST by NewRomeTacitus
MEXICO CITY, Nov 5 (IPS) - A torch honouring Mexico's patron saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe, was carried across the border into the United States on Friday, as part of a two-month relay from Mexico City to New York aimed at demanding respect for the rights of Mexicans and other Hispanic immigrants in the United States.
Like many other Latinos in the United States, the majority of Mexicans living there are unhappy with the re-election of President George W. Bush.
"Bush's victory was not good news for a lot of people, but it's a fact, and what we have to do now is work even harder to defend immigrants and stop the trampling of their rights," said Arnulfo Chino, a spokesman for the Tepeyac Association, a New York-based network of organisations that promotes the social welfare and human rights of Latino immigrants.
Since 2001, the Tepeyac Association has joined with Catholic church representatives to organise an annual torch relay that covers over 5,500 kilometres in the space of just over two months.
Some 5,000 runners take part in carrying the torch from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City to Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
The relay, which began Oct. 10 and will end on Dec. 12, is a way of drawing attention to the plight of Mexican immigrants in the United States, and of demanding their right to services like health care and education and the opportunity to work without being subject to harassment or exploitation.
According to Chino, the torch relay that passes through dozens of cities in Mexico and the United States has taken on new significance after the U.S. presidential elections on Tuesday, because the re-election of Bush "represents a challenge for immigrants," most of whom voted for rival Democratic candidate John Kerry.
Preliminary estimates indicate that close to eight million people of Latin American origin or descent voted in the elections on Tuesday, a significant jump in comparison with the 5.9 million who voted in 2000 when Bush was elected to his first term as president.
This time around, however, Bush managed to garner nine percent more votes from the Latino community than four years ago, taking 44 percent, as compared to 53 percent for Kerry.
Aside from the fact that Bush's proposed immigration policy is less than satisfactory, said Chino, Mexicans are also concerned by the adoption on Tuesday of Proposition 200 in the state of Arizona, which borders Mexico.
The proposition requires people to present proof that they are living legally in the United States in order to have access to services like health care and education, and is widely viewed as anti-Mexican.
The Mexican government and immigrant organisations have announced that they will seek to prevent the enforcement of Proposition 200 by legally challenging its constitutionality.
For Raúl Hinojosa, director of the North American Integration and Development Centre at the University of California, Los Angeles, Bush's win will likely lead to limited immigration reforms and could possibly create new problems for "a community that already suffers constant violations of its rights," meaning the Latino immigrant community.
Bush has proposed the issuing of temporary work permits for undocumented immigrants already working illegally in the United States and others who want to work there in the future.
Kerry, on the other hand, spoke of taking steps to legalise the status of undocumented workers, a plan that was more closely aligned with the desires of the Mexican government and many immigrants' rights organisations.
"Obviously, Kerry's proposal was better, but Bush won, and we will have to work to ensure that his plan includes the legalisation of the millions of immigrants who have been living here for many years now," said Chino.
Between 1993 and 2003, some 3,000 Mexicans died while trying to cross the border into the United States, while 12 million were detained and deported for being in the country without visas or residence permits.
Despite the increasingly tight control exercised by the United States over its southern border, roughly 390,000 Mexicans manage to enter the country every year. There are already an estimated 39.9 million immigrants of Latin American origin in the United States, of whom the majority are Mexican, and five million are undocumented.
U.S. immigration officials regularly carry out raids to catch and deport undocumented migrant workers.
Moreover, for many Mexicans, the only means of entering the United States is by depending on migrant smugglers.
Immigrants living in the United States will be facing even more difficult times than they have up until now, according to Oswaldo Cabrera from the Latin American Coalition, a non-governmental immigrants' rights organisation.
But the spokesman for the Tepeyac Association stressed that people should not lose hope in better days ahead.
The torch relay in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe "could help the Latin Americans living in the United States to unite and to fight harder and better for our rights," he said.
"We hope that Our Lady's message will reach President Bush, too," he added.
Along the long route already covered by the torch relay, large crowds of Mexicans came out to cheer the runners on, while Catholic priests offered mass to commemorate its passage in numerous cities along the way.
The torch is carried by amateur runners who switch off every two or three kilometres. The Catholic church calls them "messengers of the dignity of a people divided by the border."
According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared in the form of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, a poor Mexican indigenous peasant, and left her image imprinted on his cloak on Dec. 12, 1531.
This "miracle" is celebrated by Catholics in Mexico every Dec.12, the date on which the torch relay ends in New York City with a mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral.
Rationale -
Our federal government is on the verge of giving Social Security benefits to millions of illegal aliens from Mexico. Not only does this make no sense, but it would entice millions more people to become illegal aliens. Please send this fax asking your U.S. representative to take action to BLOCK this senseless giveaway (recieved via email from NumbersUSA. Sign up and let them do the footwork!) No Social Security, no personal security and no breaks for aliens leaching our tax dollars while corrupting our system while native-born Americans do without!
Election's over and the kid gloves are off - it's time to save our nation.
Time to close the borders....with flamethrowers.
No Offense, but if I'm a legal immigrant from Mexico and I knew of people sneaking in and were offered amnesty, I'd be pi$$ed.
Well golly gee, ain't that too damn bad. When to we have to cater to illegals aka law-breakers?
There is no right to immigrate to the US.
Just as there is no right for me to immigrate to Mexico.
When they can figure that out there can be some common ground to discuss the details. Until then, screw'em.
Our country should always be the beacon for legal immigrants seeking a better life. These pushes for amnesty are an insult to you and everyone else who abide by the rule of law and sully the very foundation set down by our Constitution. Rewarding lawbreakers for their actions breeds chaos. That's too high a price for easy votes and cheap labor.
Yeah? And what might that be? Oh, it's the same old crap where the white racist Spanish ruling class wants the idiots of America to pick up the tab for the Mestizos and Indians of Mexico. That the white racist Spanish ruling class forces out of Mexico. Forces their problems onto our laps.
Slap a patina of religion on it and see if it will fly
This is no message from the Virgin. This is garbage from the rulers of the corrupt ditch known as Mexico.
Those here illegally have no rights other than being deported.
Then go home parasites. Get the eff out
Well, we are going to have 5 million + jobs to fill after the libs head to Canada, New Zealand, and France.
Interesting how they use this religious symbol. Interesting how the Virgin of Guadalupe won't improve their situation in their homeland but she will get them a new country.
Cinco de Mayo is a good party. It celebrates a military victory by the Mescans over the French.
Wow now even the BVM hates Bush. He must be a powerful guy to get attention from such highly placed enemies.
I guess that's OK with me, but I'd have to apologize to my online French friends.
I already celebrate cinco de mayo. A whole bunch of French surrendered to the Mexicans on that glorious day :)
Yesterday I was working in Dell computer's plant when a young man tugged on my shirt, grunted and pointed toward something he thought needed my attention. After he did this for the third time I looked him in the eye and said "Learn English!" The shocked look on his face told me that he understood what I told him. I fully expect that, rather than taking my advice, he'll find some advocate who'll find that I was "oppressing" him; possibly endangering my job.
I don't care anymore. As a soldier I had to learn the rudiments of foreign languages when stationed elsewhere. If they want to earn money here they need to concede to the same effort or leave. If we don't push to make English our official language soon it will never be done.
The guy was very rude since he knows enough English to say something while he points. Rather than laying hands on you, grunting, and invading your space. Low class and crude.
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