With No Progress on Immigration Reform, Activists Ready to Take to the Streets Again
By Diego Graglia &bull 9/28/09 • Categorized as Immigration News, Immigration Reform 
A May Day march for immigration reform in Downtown Los Angeles this year - (Photo: j.r.mchale.)
In the face of delays by the Obama administration on an immigration bill, pro-immigration advocates are ready to take to the streets again to demand comprehensive immigration reform.
Univision.com’s Jorge Cancino reports that groups in several states are organizing marches that will take place between Oct. 10 and 13 to coincide with Hispanic heritage celebrations. They want to pressure the White House and Congress to move forward on immigration reform, despite all signs suggesting that debate will be delayed at least until 2010.
“We will go out on the streets on Saturday Oct. 10 to pressure Barack Obama’s government and Congress to start, not passing reform, but at least introducing some type of package so that we can start a serious conversation about the immigration issue,” Juan José Gutiérrez, director of Movimiento Latino USA in Los Angeles, told Cancino.
According to the report, similar marches will be held in New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Oregon, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachussets, Illinois and New York.
Massive pro-reform marches were held nationwide in 2006, the last time a bill was debated in Congress. Since then, pro-immigration demonstrations have not reached similar numbers. This year, there were marches in several cities for May Day, but most of them did not attract more than a few hundred people. Both in New York and Los Angeles, there were several different marches, showing some disunity among the pro-reform groups.
The march in Washington will take place on Tuesday Oct. 13 outside the Capitol, Lucero Beebe-Giudice, communications director of Tenants and Workers United, told Cancino.
“We’re at a key moment for determining the future of our community,” she said.
Today we march tommorow we vote bring my people out of the shadows the se people who watch our children clean our house pick food and take care our elderly they deserve a part of the American dream
The only thing an illegal alien deserves is a one-way ticket home.
Secure the border NOW! Enforce existing law NOW! E-verify NOW! End birthright citizenship NOW!
Say no to the Chamber of Commerce cheap labor lobby and the racist, ethnocentric advocacy hate groups like La Raza (THE Race), Mecha, and Lulac.
Say no to illegal aliens, the Outlaw Employers who profit from them at OUR expense, and the corrupt Rogue Politicians who ENABLE both. Say no to SHAMnesty!
ALL OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS SUPPORT LOU DOBBS 100%
BECAUSE HE TELLS “THE TRUTH” ABOUT ILLEGAL
IMMIGRATION.
JOHN FISHER
No more amnesties! Quit rewarding foreigners for violating our laws!
I wish the media would do a complete blackout on this march. What other country in the world would give newspaper or TV space to criminals who support other criminals? I’d like for them to keep marching, preferably south, but each march re-inforces my determination to keep calling Washington and asking why they don’t stand up for their own citizens instead of foreign lawbreakers.
Americans will fight any future amnesty.
No more amnesty ever again.
So these border criminals are going to “protest” in our nation again. I wonder if the same signs are going to appear? Whites go back to Europe, the border crossed us, we didn’t cross the border,kill the gringo, etc.etc. Also will the huge Mexican flags be flying eveywhere, again, with the small American flag beneath them and turned upside down? Just wondering.
Hello; Just think in January 2010 we can all celebrate the two year anniversary of: The E-verify Law, the I.C.E. Program, and the start of the U.S. Recession! (Followed by the Global Recession!)
Then a Resurgence in Racisim worse than in the 1960′S
Yahoo!
When the E-verify Law started it forced a mass exodus of good, hard working Hispanic people, as thier homes ofr apartments were vacated they went into forclosure virtually overnight, triggering the collapse of the American Banking System! As these vacated dwellings hit the real estate market home values plummeted!
Americans then dumped thousands more homes into forclosure as the values dropped below their homes worth!
These good Hispanic people were allowed to knowingly come here for many years! They were allowed to work, legally own homes, have legal citizen children, and their HARD LABOR was one of our E-conomy’s greates assets!
Thousands of childrens(citizens!) lives have been ruined for no reason of their own except for being born! Families have been broken! At least (108)innocent people have died in jail with out even being sentenced!
(I believe thousands more died of exposure after being deported to the harsh Mexican desert with nothing, not even a drop of water! This is no different than leaving a child or animal in a hot car to die!) The desert is littered with their bodies!
The U.S. Census Bureau counted them as citizens all along, and used their count to base the size of our Government services on; Police,Fire,Teachers, City & county workers,Ect., Ect! The remaing hard workers like myself are still paying approx:(1) million now excess Government employees that were hired to manage these immigrants for nearly two years.
(Legally they should have been fired the day E-verify took E-fect!) It can not continue!
Since E-verify & the I.C.E Program the Government has had to give (1) Stimulus Package, (2) Bail-outs, (2) Cash for Clunkers!
THIS IS ONLY TREATING THE SYMTOMS!
People are sitting on un-employment and welfare that will not do the HARD LABOR JOBS that these good Hispanics were glad to do! These people love us & thought they were part of us & had come to a good country!
UNTIL SOME ONE IS DOING THESE HARD LABOR JOBS, ALLOWING OTHERS TO DO THEIR JOBS, OUR COUNTRY WILL STRUGGLE!
If you think their are (12)million of them left here or even alive, I believe you are way wrong!
STOP THE RACISIM AND HATE!
An 1840’s French Historian said: America is great because it is good, when it ceases to be good, it ceases to be great.
REAL AMERICANS ARE GOOD!
(We don’t kick defenseless people, or blame them for problems we created!)
To these hard working good people, I say thank you!
Sincerely:
David Nichols
Gilbert Az.
YES, lets start deporting all the illegal aliens. They are a burden on society.
America is for Americans, anyone wishing to come here must have permission first, that means applying to come legally. People do NOT have a right to come to America, no matter what their reasons are. Illegal aliens come here because they simply want to and they cannot or will not do it the LEGAL way. Illegal aliens only have themselves to blame and should receive no consideration. The U.S. owes them nothing.
Those who come here illegally, steal our IDs and ignore our laws have already demonstrated they lack the honesty and decency to ever become American citizens. They have NO right to be in our country demanding anything. Right now our country does not NEED immigrants. With 15 million U.S. workers unemployed we don’t need anymore guest worker programs (there are already over 20). There isn’t a shortage of American workers willing to do any type of job. There’s a shortage of employers willing to pay a decent wage.
Today, the U.S. is broke, we cannot support millions upon millions of poor, uneducated illegal aliens. We refuse–absolutely refuse, to be sold on another path to citizenship. As Americans we want our borders secured and our existing immigration laws enforced and we don’t want any taxpayer resources going to illegal aliens. If Obama and the Democrats try to give amnesty to millions of illegal foriegn nationals, they are through. They will pay a very heavy price in coming elections if they refuse to listen to the majority of the American People. NO amnesty!
Ignorance is Bliss: Those who have NO CLUE or QUALIFICATIONS about Immigration are those who show their IGNORANCE
There is NO SUCH WORD AS ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT” in Blacks Law Dictionary, or In Merriam Websters Dictionary. Get Educated .
“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that the claim by some conservative activists that illegal immigration is to blame for all of the state’s fiscal problems is ignorant and bigoted.”
Arturo E. Ocampo of Tracy has been a practicing attorney since 1985, In the 20-plus years I have spent studying, lecturing and litigating immigration issues, two things have always amazed me. The first is the amount and intensity of hate spewed against undocumented workers. The second is the amount of misinformation that is published about them.
On this second point, the quote from Mark Twain is illustrative. “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” I suppose this may be true in part because misinformation, like a lie, requires no accuracy, validation or research; all of which are time-consuming practices.
The recent letters alleging that all undocumented workers are “criminals,” and specifically Veronica Suarez, whose plight was written about in the Tracy Press recently, is a criminal are factually incorrect.
According to the facts (as stated in Sharon Franceschi’s Sept. 7 commentary) Saurez entered the U.S. on a valid visa, overstayed her visa when it expired, resulting in her unlawful immigration status. None of these acts, as stated by Franceschi, constitute a crime under federal or state law. Overstaying a valid visa under the Immigration and Naturalization Act is a civil violation of the law, not a criminal violation. Being in the U.S. in under undocumented status is not a criminal violation, but a civil violation of the INA.
The facts, as stated by Franceschi, do not indicate that Suarez has committed any crime. To call her a criminal is erroneous at best, and libelous at worst.
Furthermore, it is an Americanism that a person is innocent until proven guilty. So until Suarez (or any other undocumented person) is charged and found guilty of a crime, it would be inappropriate to call them “criminals.”
It is important to note that there is a very large difference between civil and criminal violations of law. The distinction is so important that the law makes the erroneous allegation that one has committed a crime of slander or libel, (which means liability is automatic even without proof of damages). One who violates the civil law is no more a criminal than someone who has breached a contract or accidentally damaged another’s property.
It is true that entering the United States without inspection is a misdemeanor under the INA. The misdemeanor is completed once an individual’s entry is complete. Suarez, according to Franceschi, did not enter without inspection; she entered with a valid visa. According to U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services statistics, about 40 percent of undocumented persons enter legally and overstay their visas (which, as stated above, is not a crime). Consequently, at least 40 percent of the undocumented population has committed no crime in regards to their immigration status.
Therefore, one cannot assume that a person has committed a crime simply because they are undocumented.
Franceschi is also in error in her allegation that getting married and having children while being undocumented in the U.S. is a violation of the law. It is not. Franceschi goes on to say that Suarez “apparently bought a house illegally.” It is unlikely that Franceschi knows exactly how Suarez purchased her home. Consequently, any allegation of illegality is, at a minimum, irresponsible.
It is also important to note that the Immigration and Citizenship Services doesn’t consider all undocumented persons criminals. When the Immigration and Citizenship Services publishes information about its enforcement activities involving undocumented workers, it are always sure to make a distinction between “criminal” and noncriminal aliens.
Another myth is that the term “illegal aliens” is a term of art or is legal jargon. This term is not found anywhere in the INA or in Blacks Law Dictionary. The INA refers to undocumented persons as either an EWI (entered without inspection) or as someone who has overstayed their visa. “Illegal aliens” is a term invented by anti-immigrant groups designed to put undocumented persons in the worst possible light and to instill fear in Americans. It is intentionally designed to associate undocumented persons with criminality.
This xenophobic view that undocumented persons are “simply criminals” comes from the historical stereotype that the foreign-born, especially undocumented immigrants, are responsible for higher crime rates. This misconception has deep roots in American public opinion and popular myth. This myth, however, is not supported empirically and has repeatedly been refuted by scientific studies. Both contemporary and historical data, (including U.S. governmental studies) have shown that immigration is associated with lower crime rates.
The studies have uniformly shown that recent immigrants (including the undocumented) are less likely to be involved in violent crime, and that when there is an increase in immigration patterns, violent crime decreases. This has been shown to be true in large cities with heavy immigrant populations.
In the most recent of these studies, The Myth of Immigrant Criminality and the Paradox of Assimilation (2007), from the Immigrant Policy Institute, it was found that among men age 18 to 39 (who are the vast majority of inmates in federal and state prisons and local jails), immigrants were five times less likely to be incarcerated than the native-born in 2000.
During the Proposition 187 debate, then-Gov. Pete Wilson published statistics that stated that
12 percent to 15 percent of the state prison population had Immigration and Citizenship Services holds or potential holds. The Department of Corrections analyst who compiled these numbers said Immigration and Citizenship Services holds are placed on inmates who were born outside of the U.S. (therefore 12 percent to 15 percent of the prison population was immigrants). The immigrant population at the time in California hovered at about 25 percent, showing immigrants were much less likely to be incarcerated than the native born in California.
In short, the data shows you are much safer if your neighbor is an immigrant.
Franceschi owes Suarez an apology. I am also surprised that the Tracy Press allowed a commentary to run without checking the facts. Although commentaries are designed to allow for the expression of differing opinions, the First Amendment is not as generous with misstatements of facts — especially when the facts can be libelous.
For the immigration debate to be a healthy one, we should strive for a debate based on facts, not myth or tired stereotypes. We should also not let our position on this topic strip us of one of the great qualities we possess as people — the ability to be compassionate.
Arturo E. Ocampo of Tracy has been a practicing attorney since 1985, with an expertise in immigration rights and class action lawsuits on behalf of immigrants, including the way the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was implemented, Border Patrol’s raids and Proposition 187. He is director of diversity and equal employment opportunity for the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District.Ignorance is Bliss: Those who have NO CLUE or QUALIFICATIONS about Immigration are those who show their IGNORANCE
College District.
Most of the immigrants from Europe came during times when surviving in the U.S. was a struggle. Why did the Hispanics only come in large numbers when there was a near guarantee of survival?
Until the G.I Bill made college available to average Americans, new immigrants could fit into the American economy, and then culture, with little training. How much is someone who has trouble reading and writing his native language going to contribute to the society he has could only enter by a criminal act?
Japanese immigrants went to Latin America a century ago to do the stoop labor that only the poorest Latins did in their native lands. If the Japanese have prospered in the meantime, what has held the Latins back?
I hope they do protest. The last time they did it the economy was better and it pissed a lot of people off who normally didn’t think much about illegal immigration. Now that the economy is down the tubes, everyone is concerned about jobs. Americans will even be more angry and the chance of an amnesty will become even slimmer. These people need to return to their home countries and protest.
Oh and David Nicoles, there are no jobs Americans won’t do if they are paid a fair wage. Watch the show Dirty Jobs and see for yourself. To want our laws enforced as well as disagreeing with President Obama does not make one a racist. You need to read something other then the La Raza and SPLC play book.
David Nichols says, “These people love us,etc.”
Flash back two or three years to the Gran Marches of the millions of “people who love us”, and we read the following signs, “Gringo go back to Europe,” “the border crossed us, we didn’t cross the border,”,”kill the gringo”,”this is our land” gringos out”, etc.
“These good hispanic people were knowlingly allowed to come here”……
No they weren’t knowingly allowed to come here. The past several traitorous administrations, knowlingly allowed them, and even transported them here, NOT THE AMERICAN CITIZENRY, WHICH WAS KEPT IN THE DARK FOR YEARS.
Since we have been blessed with so many of these good people, Americans have suffered, multiple drunk driving deaths from illegal foreign nationals, docment and welfare fraud, the bankrupting of Americans social services that Americans paid into, and on and on.
Mr. Nichols, are you another one of those decent Americans who is exploiting these people to enrich themselves and passing the costs of their upkeep to the American citizenry? Is that why you have a love affair with illegal foreign nationals who shouldn’t be here. Is that why you charge racism, because you might lose out some how? Don’t you care about wage depression that these folks have caused due to unscrupulous employers? I’ve been all over this nation, and noticed that Americans are doing all of the jobs you claim illegal aliens only do, especially in places that they have not arrived in yet. You need to travel around the U.S. some more and see what many Americans do. You are either being disengenuous or outright ignorant of what Americans do for a living. The racism B.S. you spout is just that. Don’t call Americans racist when they are concerned about their jobs, social services, and nation in general. Your being a JERK.
I think the Mexican people collectively have the intellectual capacity to govern themselves. Unfortunately, the Mexican people do not share my optimism. The protests, the false bravado, is all to hide the shame. There is a self esteem issue here.
Mr. Nichols, you are full of b-s. Illegal aliens bought houses they couldn’t afford using liar loans they got from mortgage brokers eager to expand their customer base even if it meant selling to illegal aliens. Those houses would have been foreclosed on anyway because the tenants couldn’t keep up the payments. Just this week, the Washington Post reported on a scheme by Hispanic real estate/mortgage brokers to help illegal aliens fraudulently buy houses which were turned into illegal apartment houses. Their greed finally brought them down because they were crowding 17 people into a house meant for a fraction of that.
You should also note that the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens are free to accompany their parents back to their homelands and to have said homelands provide for the care of their children. There’s no reason why Mexico, for example, can’t provide bilingual education for the U.S. citizen children whom it also recognizes as Mexican nationals.
And Mr. Ocampo, entering without inspection is a felony involving prison time, although the government usually treats it as a misdemeanor to expedite the removal of the lawbreakers. Likewise, re-entering the country illegally after being deported is a felony. Then, there’s the little matter of fraud and identity theft which many illegal aliens engage in in order to work or gain other benefits.
“Truth”, there IS such a term as “illegal alien”, however, which is the wording in sec. 8 of the U.S. code dealing with illegal immigration.
Go ahead and march, boneheads. Then watch the reaction of a society whose CITIZENS are dealing with a 10% unemployment rate.
Hello again;
These Hispanic people were marching wearing white tee shirts & proudly carrying American flags!
Americans are good, I don’t always take the easy road, but I always take the one that I believe is right, no matter how hard!
Before you show how nasty you can be, please take a look at the path you are choosing!
Stand Proud America!
Stop the Racism & Hate!
Editor:
I do hope the invaders of our country hold another “Coming Out Party.”
Their first one awakened millions of American citizens to the invasion of our country from mostly south of our border!
Keep it up folks! Keep showing yourselves with your arrogant demands!
The American people have tolerated enough!
Oct. 10-13 is a great time to pressure the Obama administration even though the irony is thick since October is Hispanic Heritage month. But the activists groups are right, send them home, get them out, or make them citizens so they can work for us. If they plan to live over here they have to be citizens and work for it. There is a reason it is hard to become a citizen and a reason it is hard to jump the border.
There are over 22,393,927 illegal immigrants in the US according to immigrationcounters.com and I believe that is enough. They have stolen over 11,260,837 American jobs that is also enough.
Go ahead and march and don’t forget to use the very old, very tired, very ineffective references such as “racists” and “xenophobes”. Hold your signs that tout Che and all the other communist heroes you laud. Chant “Si se puede” and “No human is illegal”. Wave a thousand Mexican flags. Include the gang bangers with the handkerchiefs covering their faces in your marches. Use your babies and children as political tools.
Do it all, because we want those citizens who aren’t aware of the devastation of the illegal alien invasion to wake up, become angry and fight against amnesty in numbers larger than yours.
When all these lawbreakers assemble to protest and march, this would be a golden opportunity to march them right on to buses and take them back to Mexico.
Adiós law breakers!!!
Hello again;
I don’t always take the easiest road, however I always take the one that I believe is right!
To the persons making the nasty comments about these good Hispanic “Human Beings”, I can only say to you, you need to step back and look at the path you are choosing!
We Americans are good!
Stand Proud!
Stop the Racism, Stop the Hate!
Sincerely:
David Nichols
Gilbert Az.
anothersteve, you know Steve, I’ve heard that unemployment figure also, but it’s always from the Main Stream News Media. When I started reading internet articles, I noticed that most independent economists, not employed by universities or Wall Street, etc. put the figure between a shocking 14-18 percent, some even as high as 22 percent. I thought about this for awhile, and concluded that maybe they are right. Afterall, the traitors that lead this nation or are bribed by them, have outsourced all of our heavy industries, electronics, and just about every other production(work that produces something) business they could.
Of course they promised the American citizenry that those lost jobs would be replaced by other work, high tech, etc. where Americans would be retrained, for free. Ah,Ha. Sure. Instead, politicians are writing into law, H1-B visas, H2-B visas, importing nurses, doctors, teachers, tech workers,…. What would you call this kind of stuff, Steve? I call it high treason against the taxpaying citizenry.
Visit the NumbersUSA and join us in the fight against illegal immigration.
Truth-I’m sick and tired of having to waste my time reading the plagiarized comments which you have pasted multiple times on this subject. Get lost. You wouldn’t know the truth if it was handed to you. I suspect you are a La Raza charter member. Prove me wrong.
David Nichols— you should stop the racism and hate–against the American citizenry, but I guess you’re incapable of seeing the citizenries side of the issue, when you’re probably exploiting illegal immigration, like so many “Americans” do. Why don’t you go into politics, Sir, you’d be among a lot of American haters, from the way so many politicians constantly talk and vote against the best interests of Americans in favor of foreign nationals illegally in the country. Yep, you’d feel right at home.
Call it what they want.
They don’t want immigration reform they want Amnesty and Open Borders.
Bobby; I am a proud American, my son in-law is in the 82nd Airborne and is currently serving in Iraq!
I would gladly fight for my President and my Country right now!
I have not exploited these good people I have worked hard with them all of my life!
They are good proud people, most of whom are family units made up of citizens & un-documented’s.
In my entire life I have never seen a single Hispanic person panhandle, they only want to work hard, and many of them have fought loyally for our Country!
I do believe in controling all of our Borders!
However it was E-vil to knowingly allow, & even recruit these people here for 5,10,20,even 30 years
allow them to legally own homes have legal citizen children, then after thirty years of admitted Police Policy to allow them, unles they committed a serious crime, to all of the sudden turn on these Human Beings/Families, and treat them as less than dogs!
Bobby do you remember the Real Terrorists that attacked us All! (Probably Not!)
Fact: The E-verify Law went into effect January 2008!
Fact: This Re-cession matches E-verify month for month!
Fact: Since E-veify Took E-fect The Government has had to give (1) Stimulus Package, (2) Bail Outs, & (2)
cash for Clunkers Programs!
This Re-cession did not just happen!
And for the people that think it will simply bounce back, keep your micky mouse ears on, & keep smiling!
I STAND FOR RIGHT AND FOR HUMANITY!
Sincerely:
David Nichols
Gilbert Az.
Mexico is a de facto narco state. The Mexican government recently decriminalized heroin, meth, crack, marijuana, cocaine and any drug you can name in “personal” quantities. The Mexican government is corrupt from top to bottom and has been for decades. Mexico is NOT a poor country. It has huge oil reserves, robust tourism, and a very wealthy elite class of some of the richest people on earth. What the Mexican government doesn’t have is a social safety net, welfare, or free social services for its poor citizens. Mexico’s idea of welfare is to guide its poor to the US border. Mexican illegal aliens remitted more than 25 BILLION back to Mexico last year, this is the country’s 2nd largest source of funds. These billions leave the US economy forever! The total cost to the US economy is more than 350 BILLION annually. The cost in lost lives to criminal illegals in immeasurable. More than 50,000 Americans have been killed and murdered since 9/11/01. More than 200,000 Americans have been sexually assaulted by illegals including tens of thousands of American children! The US is being invaded by millions of foreign nationals, this is an act of WAR! Americans must demand a ZERO tolerance towards ALL illegal immigration. WAKE UP AMERICA!
Ill march any day for immigration reform.and doing away with I601 waivers it is a disgusting proscess.I have been seperated from my wife and 3 year old daughter for 2 years. shame on the USA