Posted on 03/28/2006 6:35:20 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Thousands of students took to streets again Tuesday in Western states to protest proposed toughening of immigration laws but law enforcement authorities began cracking down by rounding up demonstrators as truants and issuing citations. Small numbers of arrests were reported.
"We're not going to allow lawbreaking to take on a new dimension," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said after a second day of students roaming streets and attempting to march onto freeways - a dangerous tactic that alarmed officials.
"When kids are walking on freeways, that's not free speech," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Some 11,600 students cut classes in Los Angeles County, and thousands of others demonstrated from Central California to San Diego and elsewhere in the West.
As many as 3,000 students rallied at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix and a similar number left their schools in Texas. More than 1,000 students rallied near the Las Vegas Strip after being directed away from casinos.
In California's agricultural Central Valley, 1,000 students thronged Fresno City Hall, waving Mexican, Salvadoran and U.S. flags, and carrying signs reading "Who will pick your fruits?" and "The economy would collapse without us."
"We're not kids, we're the future. We're the ones that are going to be sitting inside this building one day," said Carlos Zelaya, 18, pointing to City Hall.
The student protests coincided with U.S. Senate debate on a congressional measure to determine the future of millions of immigrants now living in the United States illegally.
Many demonstrators waved Mexican flags and said their cause was protecting Hispanics from discrimination and possible deportation.
"It's not right," said Eddie Rodriguez, 15, of Carson High School, wearing a Mexican flag bandanna on his head. "The United States is nothing without immigrants. The United States is nothing without Mexicans."
In the giant Los Angeles Unified School District, which is nearly 73 percent Hispanic, teens rallied despite rain and campus lockdowns, but the number - about 8,800 - was well down from the tens of thousands who marched freely Monday.
Police were tougher Tuesday. About 100 students were detained, cited for truancy and returned to their schools in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles. Police Chief William Bratton said truants could face up to 20 days of community service in addition to costly fines.
Freshman Mercedes Estrada, 15, of San Pedro High School, got a $250 truancy citation.
"I thought it was wrong. I was just trying to support my friends," she said.
Officials suggested that accountability could go much further than individual students.
"It's important for parents to understand that beginning today, we are going to be very strongly behind our truancy laws here in the city," Mayor Villaraigosa told reporters. "We think it's important for parents to understand that they have a responsibility to ensure that their children are in school."
Sheriff Baca said he had a word of warning for leaders of the marches, which he said, "I believe are not students but adults, and people who are not part of the school system."
"When you take a child out of school, for whatever purpose may be, that child is your responsibility," Baca said.
Some students were unhappy with the marchers, complaining they didn't know what they were protesting about.
"I don't think any of them actually read the 40-page proposed bill. They were just jumping the gates to get out of school," said Amanda Ellis, 15, of San Pedro High.
She spent the first three hours of school in lockdown in her French class.
"They wouldn't let us go to the bathroom or anything," she said.
The marchers were mostly peaceful but there were some confrontations.
In the city of Carson, helmeted Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies scuffled with protesters from other schools who tried to encourage a walkout at Carson High School. Plastic water bottles were hurled and a boy was tackled and detained.
Handfuls of arrests were reported in Orange County, and in Central California at Watsonville and Salinas.
Besides lost educational hours, Monday's walkouts cost the Los Angeles Unified School District more than $500,000 in state funding based on student attendance.
At the district's Huntington Park High School, Principal Robert Hinojosa said there would need to be a two-hour make-up exam for the California Standards Test, which requires at least 95 percent of students at a school to participate. The test is taken at year-round schools like Huntington from March 27 to April 1, he said.
Huntington's attendance was well below 95 percent Tuesday because of 10 to 20 students walking out, students staying home because of safety concerns, and rain, he said.
LAUSD spokeswoman Monica Carazo said she didn't know if any other schools would need to retake the test because of walkouts.
"I don't think any of them actually read the 40-page proposed bill. They were just jumping the gates to get out of school," said Amanda Ellis, 15, of San Pedro High.
Smart girl, Amanda Ellis! She's right!
I think these are the test that show the quality of education the kids are receiving, so an F grade would be a poor reflection on the teachers and staff.
While I think most of the kids were just using this as an excuse to skip school (and unforunately become free rent-a-crowds for the illegal-alien supporters), if any are actually aliens (legal or not), they will have to keep records of these citations if they ever want to apply for naturalization. The naturalization forms ask about arrests and even traffic citations (but not parking tickets).
Why would they need a little thing like a permit when many of them broke the US immigration laws to get here in the first place. These are not necessarily the "peace loving job seekers" I keep hearing about. This is every bit as dangerous to this country as communism was (and still is).
This just slays me. Baca turns his back on lawbreaking every day by ignoring the immigration status of illegals.
Ya better study a little of US history you moron - cutting grass, cleaning hotel rooms, and serving McDonalds for slave wages outside the law hardly qualifies as "Building America"! No US history lesson for these guys . . . . . how outrageous will this get before the armchair American rises up against this. We are the ones that should be flooding every major city in America with marches and shout these ba$tard$ down.
Was there any arrests?
Of oourse not, Vista is a sanctuary city. In the last 10 years most of it has turned into a bario, little TJ!
There is a lot of those little "sanctuary cities" cropping up around Southern Cal, isn't there?
Those were my thoughts--exactly! He has nurtured this, encouraged this, and praised this.
So why do you want to stay here if it's nothing?
If this kid is a citizen he is a disgrace.
If he is an illegal he should be deported immediately.
Gosh, Eddie, you may be right and the entire economy would fold without fruit pickers and valets... but I'm willing to take that chance!
Actually, I love Mexican food. If I could find some made by legal immigrants!
hmmmmmm...a name for an anti-illegal, take back our country, grassroots army.....(thinking)
ROTFLMAO!!
Good ole Nativo... misused, abused funds in the Santa Ana school district and still not in jail?
There is a hidden message there somewhere!
California state Sen. Richard Alarcon speaks to students gathered near the Van Nuys Federal Building Monday to protest proposed immigration reforms. Authorities reported that more than 36,000 students from Los Angeles County schools walked out of class to join in protest marches. Other protests were reported across the state and in Washington, Phoenix, Detroit and Yakima, Wash.
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