Posted on 04/19/2006 12:38:57 PM PDT by SmithL
LOS ANGELES -- Organizers of the movement that has led hundreds of thousands of immigrants onto the nation's streets are split over whether to press ahead with the next big protest — a May 1 national work stoppage and student boycott.
Backers of the protest want to dramatize the importance of immigrants to the U.S. economy by leaving construction sites and restaurants undermanned, crops untended and hotel rooms uncleaned. They also hope empty classrooms will demonstrate that immigration reform is a major issue for future voters.
But others fear such protests will make immigrants look anti-American, annoy the public and alienate lawmakers who are still wavering over how to reshape U.S. immigration policy. They worry, too, that thousands will get fired from their jobs.
Encouraging youngsters to skip school "just adds fuel to the argument that we don't care about our children's education," said Jose Lagos, a community organizer with Honduran Unity in Miami.
Some are now afraid the split in their ranks could suppress participation May 1 and cause the movement to lose momentum.
"Our credibility as a community is on the line," said Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance for Human Rights, a Southern California organization pushing the boycott. "We've shown our power politically, but if we can't show it economically we are going to lose it."
Over the past few weeks, unions and religious and Hispanic groups have mustered nationwide protest marches supporting a chance at U.S. citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
Some organizers hope to see turnout so large that will protect participants from retribution.
"If immigrants continue demonstrating in large numbers, are they going to fire all of them?"
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Good.
You lost that already.
I hope the turnout is huge - it helps visualize how big the problem is.
No, just enough of them to send a message.
Juan Valdez is still in Columbia with his trusty goat, right or has he come up here too?
Those protests did NOT change the minds of Americans. Illegal is illegal Plain and simple. Stopping work will make no difference to us Americans who have to work and will probably have to take up whatever slack there is. But that is no different than when a legal co-worker takes vacation or a day off their co-workers take up the slack for the day. It won't effect the economy or out work environment. Telling their children to take off of school is only huring their kids.
He buses tables in Chicago. The goat has been deported.
...there is more than enough fuel for the fire just from the LA dropout rate or the % of second generation unwed births...
""If immigrants continue demonstrating in large numbers, are they going to fire all of them?""
They're already discredited in the communities. They have NO right to demand anything of America or Americans!
A similar thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617742/posts
Why, hell yes! If the the illegals stop doing the jobs that we won't do, we'll start catering to a better class of illegals elsewhere. We're gonna aim those 'Hoovers' at Canada!
Ditto that. Oh, what the heck, Yes, fire all of them. It might hurt for a bit...like pulling off an band-aid...but the sting will go away soon enough.
Not the sharpest tools in the shed if they're just figuring that out.
Sure was fun waving that mexican flag and telling us gringos where to stuff it, though, wasn't it? Hope it was worth it.
Not only will they fear the backlash, many politicians will experience the backlash! This is the new abortion issue for me. No compromises. (Absolute enforcement against employers + no amnesty + no guestworkers= my vote)
That's a good start! With jobs - the invaders are being paid and making money to send back to corrupt mexico.
With schools, WE are the ones paying!!
Good idea is to GO HOME and protest in your own damned country!!
No, no, there will not be any backlash. G'head, g'head, have your protest.
Oh, and flip a few of the gringos cars over and set them on fire. Yeah, remember how that worked for those French youths that didn't want their employers to fire them? It can work for you, too.
Can anyone translate the above into Spanish and post it in some Spanish-speaking forums based in major US cities?
There's that word again "movement" they have a movement all right to take over, I wish they would move right on out of here.
"Immigrants" EXCUSE me use the right word ILLEGAL CRIMINALS!
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