Protesters decry Lipinski's vote on immigration bill

Hispanic community activists gathered Wednesday in front of the office of U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) on the Southwest Side to protest his vote for a bill that would impose stricter regulations on undocumented immigrants and make illegal entry into the country a criminal act.

The group of about two dozen protesters also announced the formation of the Committee for the Progress of the 3rd Congressional District, a set of business and community leaders who intend to find a candidate to run against Lipinski in 2008.

"The Mexican community is incensed by his voting in the bill," said Juan Salgado, director of the non-profit Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "Immigration is one of the main reasons Chicago continues to be prosperous ... This is just not sensible."

House Bill 4437--introduced by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) and titled the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005--would make illegal entry, formerly a civil violation, a felony. It also would make helping and transporting illegal immigrants already in the country a crime.

Later in the article, Juan refers to the "concerns of the Hispanic population in the 3rd District", a clear inference to them being a voting block.

Usually when these illegal alien crusaders use the terms "Mexican community", "Hispanic population", and "Latino community" they are still only talking about illegals.

Point is, if this is true, it would indicate that this crowd will fight against any meaningful "immigration" reform, even Dem sponsored.

Let's hope that not only are they a small (though loud) group, let's hope that they don't vote.

Then you're going to love today's article:

Guatemala City, Dec 29 (EFE).- Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein on Thursday described as "an insult to Latin America" the U.S. proposal to build a wall along its border with Mexico.

"We take it as a total insult to all Latin America that a government calling itself a friend and partner in the region only wants our money and our goods, but sees our people as if they were an epidemic. They treat us as if we were a sub-hemisphere of criminals," Stein told reporters.

The vice president was talking about United States plans to build an wall along its border with Mexico to halt the thousands of immigrants that every day try to enter the country illegally. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill two weeks ago.

To reporters' questions about whether U.S. migration policy could "chill" diplomatic ties between Guatemala and the United States, Stein answered that "there will be a need to reconsider" relations.

"Not just by building walls and passing tough laws that criminalize the search for better economic opportunities" can migration problems be solved, he said. The U.S. proposal is not only "absolutely intolerable and inhuman, (but) it forces us to consider other choices in terms of international alliances," Stein said.

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Are you understanding from this excerpt that Mr. Stein has any other plans to offer economic opportunities to his people than encouraging them to migrate? And he thinks that we want their money and goods? If there's anything in your house that's made by Guatemalans, could you tell me what it is, please? I'll go out and buy some so that it will be a true statement to say that we want their money and goods.

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