Caption: "Almost ready. Members of several organizations prepare the posters that will use in the march."
Posted on 05/01/2007 4:51:02 AM PDT by VU4G10
LOS ANGELES - Demonstrators demanding a path to citizenship for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants hope that nationwide marches will spur Congress to act before the looming presidential primaries take over the political landscape.
Marches, meetings and voter registration drives were planned Tuesday from California to New York, a year after 1 million flexed their economic muscle in a nationwide boycott during last year's May 1 activities.
Though this year's turnout will likely be lower, organizers say immigrants feel a sense of urgency to keep immigration reform from getting pushed to the back burner by the 2008 presidential elections.
"If we don't act, then both the Democratic and Republican parties can go back to their comfort zones and do nothing," said Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. "They won't have the courage to resolve a major situation for millions of people."
In Miami, Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean was scheduled to speak to a coalition of immigrant groups, while Ricardo Chavez, the brother of famed agricultural labor leader Cesar Chavez, was expected address crowds in Milwaukee.
In Washington, D.C., about 400 members of Asian groups from across the country were set to make a lobbying push with lawmakers. Students planned to march in Chicago.
In New York, groups are planning an "American Family Tree" rally, where immigrants will pin paper leaves on a large painting of a tree to symbolize the separation of families because of strict immigration laws.
The event is a response to a White House immigration reform proposal in March, said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
The plan would grant illegal immigrants three-year work visas for $3,500 but also require them to return home to apply for U.S. residency and pay a $10,000 fine. It has been roundly criticized by immigrant groups.
Two large demonstrations were planned in Los Angeles County — home to an estimated 1 million illegal immigrants. Some groups in the area have called for an economic boycott and hoped for a repeat of last year, when thousands of immigrants and students stayed away from work and school in a sign of solidarity.
Other groups have rejected the boycott, arguing it puts immigrants' livelihoods at risk and deprives children of valuable classroom time.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, both strong immigrant supporters, urged students to stay in school.
Despite divisions over tactics and other issues, immigration groups and supporters said the diverse events will show the movement is stronger than ever.
"Just because the 12 million people who don't have legal residency don't attend a march doesn't mean they don't want it," said Eduardo "Piolin" Sotelo, a popular Spanish-language disc jockey. "I tell my listeners that no matter what they do, just don't stop doing something."
After last year's protests, reform legislation stalled in Congress and bipartisan proposals for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship have gotten more conservative.
Organizers said Tuesday's turnout will be lower because stepped-up raids in recent months have left many immigrants afraid to speak out in public — a major change over rallies in 2006 when some illegal immigrants wore T-shirts saying "I'm illegal. So what?"
"These raids have torn apart families," said John Crockford, a member of the Central California Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
In Fresno, organizers planned a rally focusing on children whose parents had been deported. The San Joaquin Valley is home to thousands of seasonal workers who work illegally each year in the fields and construction industry.
In Los Angeles, marches were set to include demands for a legalization program, a stop to the raids and an anti- Iraq war message. City and transportation officials were planning for as many as 500,000 people in downtown, believing it could be the largest in the city so far this year.
Nobody should flame you. Only problem with rounding them up, is that the Stryker brigades are overseas, and those vehicles would make for good roadblocks. Plus you’d need a lot of National Guardsmen. Or a militia of citizens. But the militia might shoot ‘em...
I wish they’d go on a hunger strike and protest food.
It would keep them quiet...
You’ll find this interesting- El Paso has put in a special lane to help speed up the children coming in for school.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1825580/posts
They signed up as many illegals as they could last time. How do you think the democrats took the house and senate?
When I see that, all I can think of is the massive social programs and how much they're costing the American families. We work two days a week just to support the democrat base and their illegal friends the way it is already.
It may become a huge shock to Rep. Loretta Sanchez that it is a crime for an immigrant who is not a naturalized U.S. citizen to vote ["Rallies spark year of debate," April 29]. She recently said, "wouldn't it be great ... if all those people had gone door-to-door one day and registered people to vote in the immigrant communities." See the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
Caption: "Almost ready. Members of several organizations prepare the posters that will use in the march."
Hi sw....have you seen this? Up to 10 MILLION ILLEGALS ENTERED LAST YEAR ALONE!! TomGuy posted it again the other day...IMO it deserves a thread of it’s own. Imagine how many have crossed already this year!!
“According to a report released in late 2006 by the House Committee of Homeland Security, UP TO 10 MILLION people entered the United States illegally and un-inspected LAST YEAR.”
http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2007/01/03/270/10242622.txt
Where’s the Army when we need them?
No, we need mmmmmoore sanctuary cities where legal citizens are discriminated against. We need Mexican flags disrespecting America. After all , Bush sucks and America sucks. We need illegals to keep our crime rates up, and health services down. We need moreeeeeeeeee. Hola.
10 million last year alone? Dear Lord, help us.
I'm watching for potential riots today.
sw
He's going to totally ignore the anarchy in the streets today. (I don't know what else to label these demonstrations by Illegals?)..
Let us pray..
""Dear Lord, open our President's eyes, and anoint him with the courage to defend our Borders and protect our Nation from illegal trespassers.. Lord, hear our prayers.." Amen.
I was in the dentist's office yesterday, and the assistant was going on about how young guys from El Salvador are cruelly and unfairly taken out of American schools and deported back to El Salvador, where they get in trouble because they were denied the education they need. Unfortunately, I had a bunch of cotton and implements in my mouth, so I couldn't ask her the very question you asked, except insert "El Salvadoran" instead of Mexican.
Javier Rodriguez, the organizer of these marches was just on CNN calling for the impeachment of Pres. Bush. These new ‘immigrants’ aren’t even aware of who is on their side! Do you really want them voting?
http://maydaymovement.blogspot.com/
Do these “young guys” have MS 13 tattoos?
CHEAP LABOR
Isn’t that what the whole immigration issue is about?
Business doesn’t want to pay a decent wage
Consumers don’t want expensive produce
Government will tell you Americans don’t want the jobs
But the bottom line is cheap labor
The phrase “cheap labor” is a myth, a farce, and a lie
~ there is no such thing as “cheap labor.”
Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children.
He takes a job for $5.00 or $6.00/hour.
At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax,
yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return,
he gets an “earned income credit” of up to $3,200 free.
He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent
He qualifies for food stamps
He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay)
health care (not to mention that they’re clogging up our emergency rooms and shutting down our hospitals)
His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school
He requires bilingual teachers and books
He qualifies for relief from high energy bills
If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled,
they qualify for SSI.
Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare.
All of this is at that taxpayers expense.
He doesn’t worry about car insurance, life
insurance, or homeowners insurance.
Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins
and printed material.
He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to
$30.00/hour in benefits.
Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour
Left after paying their bills and his.
The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime,
graffiti and trash clean-up.
The government says that they’re good for our economy.
Most illegals work here and send their tax free earnings back to their families in Mexico. Whose economy are they helping???
Cheap labor? ;
YEAH RIGHT!
Wake up America!
P.S. If by forcing Americans to pick lettuce, the price goes up, grow some yourself in your garden. It is probably better for you, and gives you a feeling of satisfaction.
HARSH YOU SAY??
1. There will be no special bilingual programs in the
schools, no special ballots for elections, and all government business will be conducted in our language.
2. Foreigners will NOT have the right to vote, no matter how long they are here.
3. Foreigners will NEVER be able to hold political office.
4. Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No
welfare, no food stamps, no health care, nor any other
government assistance programs.
5. Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage.
6. If foreigners do come and want to buy land that will be okay, BUT options will be restricted. You are not allowed to own waterfront property. That property is reserved for citizens naturally born into this country.
7. Foreigners may not protest; no demonstrations, no waving a foreign flag, no political organizing, no “bad-mouthing” our president or his policies. If you do you will be sent home.
8. If you do come to this country illegally, you will be
hunted down and sent straight to jail.
Harsh, you say?...
The above laws happen to be the immigration laws of “MEXICO “!
Bear in mind that NO Americans are ever allowed to march and protest, showing any signs of civil disobedience. In the marches in Mexico, San Cristobal de las Casas, the Mexican gov’t took videos and many EUROPEANS were given 24 hours to evacuate the country. They did a POOR choice picking May 1... Maybe May 5th....Cinco de Mayo, but May lst is more of a Bolsheviks day......
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