500,000 Pack Streets To Protest Immigration Bills

[Azat]

The rally, part of a massive mobilization of immigrants and their supporters, may be the largest L.A. has seen.

By Teresa Watanabe and Hector Becerra

Times Staff Writers

 

March 26, 2006

 

A crowd estimated by police at more than 500,000 boisterously marched in Los Angeles on Saturday to protest federal legislation that would crack down on undocumented immigrants, penalize those who help them and build a security wall along the U.S.' southern border.

 

Spirited but peaceful marchers — ordinary immigrants alongside labor, religious and civil rights groups — stretched more than 20 blocks along Spring Street, Broadway and Main Street to City Hall, tooting kazoos, waving American flags and chanting, "Sí se puede!" (Yes we can!).

 

Attendance at the demonstration far surpassed the number of people who protested against the Vietnam War and Proposition 187, a 1994 state initiative that sought to deny public benefits to undocumented migrants but was struck down by the courts. Police said there were no arrests or injuries except for a few cases of exhaustion.

 

At a time when Congress prepares to crack down further on illegal immigration and self-appointed militias patrol the U.S. border to stem the flow, Saturday's rally represented a massive response, part of what immigration advocates are calling an unprecedented effort to mobilize immigrants and their supporters nationwide.

 

It coincides with an initiative on the part of the Roman Catholic Church, spearheaded by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, to defy a House bill that would make aiding undocumented immigrants a felony. And it signals the burgeoning political clout of Latinos, especially in California.

 

"There has never been this kind of mobilization in the immigrant community ever," said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "They have kicked the sleeping giant. It's the beginning of a massive immigrant civil rights struggle."

 

The demonstrators, many wearing white shirts to symbolize peace, included both longtime residents and the newly arrived, bound by a desire for a better life.

 

Arbelica Lazo, 40, illegally emigrated from El Salvador two decades ago but said she now owns two businesses and pays $7,000 in income taxes each year.

 

Jose Alberto Salvador, 33, came here illegally four months ago to find work to support the wife and five children he left behind. In his native Guatemala, he said, what little work he could find paid $10 a day.

 

"As much as we need this country, we love this country," Salvador said, waving both the American and Guatemalan flags. "This country gives us opportunities we don't get at home."

 

On Monday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to resume work on a comprehensive immigration reform proposal. The Senate committee's version includes elements of various bills, including a guest worker program and a path to legalization for the nation's 10 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants proposed by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.)

 

In addition, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has introduced a bill that would strengthen border security, crack down on employers of illegal immigrants and increase the number of visas for workers. Frist has said he would take his bill to the floor Tuesday if the committee does not finish its work Monday.

 

Ultimately, the House and Senate bills must be reconciled before a law can be passed.

 

President Bush has advocated a guest worker program and attracted significant Latino support for his views.

 

In his Saturday radio address, Bush urged all sides of the emotional debate to tone down their rhetoric, calling for a balanced approach between more secure borders and more temporary foreign workers.

 

Largely in response to the debate in Washington, hundreds of thousands of people in recent weeks have staged marches in more than a dozen cities calling for immigration reform.

 

In Denver, police said Saturday that more than 50,000 people gathered downtown at Civic Center Park next to the Capitol to urge the state Senate to reject a resolution supporting a ballot issue that would deny many government services to illegal immigrants in Colorado.

 

Hundreds rallied in Reno, the Associated Press reported.

 

On Friday, tens of thousands of people were estimated to have staged school walkouts, marches and work stoppages in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and other cities.

 

In addition, several cities, including Los Angeles, have passed resolutions opposing the House legislation. At least one city, Maywood, declared itself a "sanctuary" for undocumented immigrants.

 

Despite the significant opposition to the crackdown on illegal immigrants shown by the turnout in recent rallies, a recent Zogby poll found 62% of Americans surveyed wanted more restrictive immigration policies, and a Field Poll last month found that the majority of California voters surveyed believed illegal immigration was hurting the state.

 

"Polling has consistently shown that Americans don't want guest workers or amnesty," said Caroline Espinosa, spokeswoman for NumbersUSA, a Washington-based immigration control group that says its e-mail list of 1 million and 140,000-member roster of activists have more than doubled in the last year.

 

Espinosa said current levels of both legal and illegal immigration would push the U.S. population to 420 million by 2050, "leading to a tremendously negative impact on the quality of life in the United States."

 

According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey a year ago, the nation's 35.2 million immigrants — legal and illegal — represent a record number. California led the country with nearly 10 million, constituting 28% of the state's population overall and one-third of its work force.

 

The swelling number of immigrants has clearly influenced the political calculus of those involved in the issue, including political and religious groups. The Republican Party, for instance, is split among those who want tougher restrictions, those who fear alienating the Latino vote and business owners who are pressing for more laborers — mostly Latin Americans — to fill blue-collar jobs in construction, cleaning, gardening and other industries.

 

Some Republicans fear that pushing too hard against illegal immigrants could backfire nationally, as with Proposition 187. Strong Republican support of that measure helped spur record numbers of California Latinos to become U.S. citizens and register to vote. Those voters subsequently helped the Democrats regain political control in the state.

 

"There is no doubt Proposition 187 had a devastating impact on the [California] Republican Party," said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political consultant. "Now the Republicans in Congress better beware: If they come across as too shrill, with a racist tone, all of a sudden you're going to see Republicans in cities with a high Latino population start losing their seats."

 

The effects of the nation's growing Latino presence also are evident in religious communities. This week, for instance, the president of the 30-million-member National Assn. of Evangelicals is scheduled to issue a statement supporting immigration reform, including a guest worker program. It will be in concert with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, conference president.

 

Rodriguez, whose Sacramento-based group serves the nation's 18 million evangelical Christian Latinos, said it took "a lot of persuasion" to broker the joint statement with Ted Haggard, president of the evangelicals group. Rodriguez said he warned the group that failure to support comprehensive immigration reform would have long-term political repercussions.

 

Latino evangelical Christians voted for Bush at a 40% higher rate than Latinos overall, he said, but they would probably turn away from conservative candidates and causes without support on immigration.

 

"I had to do a lot of asking: Will Hispanics ever vote for conservative candidates again, or partner with white evangelicals if they were silent while our brothers and sisters and cousins were being sent out of the county on buses?" Rodriguez said.

 

Churches were just one force behind Saturday's rally.

 

Several immigrant advocates said that the ethnic media were a significant factor in drawing crowds. News outlets repeatedly publicized it and even exhorted marchers to wear white shirts. Churches announced the rally too. Although a police spokeswoman estimated the crowd at 500,000 based on helicopter surveillance, rally organizers said it was closer to 1 million.

 

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa briefly addressed the rally.

 

"We cannot criminalize people who are working, people who are contributing to our economy and contributing to the nation," Villaraigosa said.

 

In contrast to demonstrations 12 years ago against Proposition 187, Saturday's rally featured more American flags than those from any other country. Flag vendors were soon overwhelmed by demonstrators holding out dollar bills.

 

Father Michael Kennedy, a longtime immigrant advocate and pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, said that past demonstrations were more heavily Mexican or Mexican American, but the House bill had rallied protesters across religious, national and ethnic lines.

 

One was Korean immigrant Dae Joong Yoon, executive director of the Korean Resource Center in Los Angeles. Yoon said the Korean community was more inflamed over the House bill than Proposition 187 because it would penalize not only undocumented immigrants but also businesses that hired them and anyone who helped them.

 

He said the Korean-language media has intensified coverage of the House bill in recent weeks.

 

"The Korean community is shocked and outraged over this inhumane legislation," Yoon said. "Everybody would be affected by it."

[Azat]

did the Armenian community even try to unite and participate in this rally or as with everything else will will just rip the benefits of the hard work of the other communities?

[kakachik77]

Armenians only care about the Genocide...the current problems can go to hell...this is the mentality of the community at large.

[skhara]

I think, this one, Armenians should stay out of.

[Azat]

Why is that skhara? My guess would be over 25,000 illegal Armenians reside in US. People who come in as a tourist and stay. It will dramatically effect them is this becomes law

[skhara]

I don't like the idea of Armenians being "illegal immigrants", like Mexicans and such.

[Azat]

I dont either, but there are many

[aSoldier]

Yeah it's no wonder the US Immigration Laws take years off your life.

[Zartonk]

It is not a matter marginalization for us, many Armenians are at the moment facing deportation and this will not improve their status.

[Arpa]

did the Armenian community even try to unite and participate in this rally or as with everything else will will just rip the benefits of the hard work of the other communities?

Is there a bigger "Armenian Community" somewhere else?

Dear Azat,

I hate to burst your bubble.

Many of us who arrived at these shores of “freedom” did not use such false, lame excuses of persecution and using the back doors of being outcasts as homosexuals, or Jehovah’s Witnesses. We entered the US through the “front doors” at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. My story is little different.

Recently I received a phone call from a long lost second/third cousin from Montreal to see if I could house a family of expatriates from Yerevan Province , who ahd arrived as “visitors” until they can re-enter Canada as legal immigrants.

We all had to endure the rigorous background check of "criminal past" and affiliation to unmentioanble clubs like "communism" or "pinkoism". Are ther any more checks and balances to ses if one subecribes or not to

Islamic, (kill all "infidels") extremism, or for that matter, Cathloic/Mexican extremism of the cult of Mary ?

Many of us who entered the US through the “front door” may have had the choice to immigrate to the Stalin/Lenin infested Yerevan Province, but as that land was averse to “foreigners” who spoke with that “funny” Western Armenian dialect, many of us Chose to immigrate to America, rather than Armenia where the dialect is neither Western or Eastern Armenian, but rather Northern or Southern “American”.

One wonders, if during those days Armenia was the “independent” (of Lenin and Stalin) country for all those who profess to be “Armenian” that it is today, is it? we would consider immigrating there instead of here?

Why is “EMigration” is still a more popular word than “IMMigration”?

 

 

 

Whe I entered America I had dried/ preserved fruits from Damascus. Fortunately the immigration offocer recognized then as sead/preserved, not threat to agriculture and he stamped the “passed”.

Nowadays, go to any so called “Armenian” grocery store, be it in Glendale or Watertown and read the labels.

No, not dried figs from Ijevan but from Izmir, not preserved apricots from Martakert but from Malatia and Marash. Are those latter towns still part of eastern or western Armenia?

Edited March 28, 2006 by Arpa

[Azat]

Arpa jan you and I with thousand and thousands of other Armenians did enter the US thru the front door, but many of our brothers and sisters did come through illegal means.

 

As for the second part of your answer. it drives me absolutely crazy when i see Turkish goods in Armenian stores. I have had many occations when looking at the label the grocer would make a comment like 'its very good its from turkey'

 

i guess we are the idiots as Armenians still buy that stuff.

[Arpa]

Arpa jan you and I with thousand and thousands of other Armenians did enter the US thru the front door, but many of our brothers and sisters did come through illegal means.

 

As for the second part of your answer. it drives me absolutely crazy when i see Turkish goods in Armenian stores. I have had many occations when looking at the label the grocer would make a comment like 'its very good its from turkey'

 

i guess we are the idiots as Armenians still buy that stuff.

Azat.

I love you. Tsav@d tanem.

You do realize that for every (illegal) immigrant to Glendale there is at least one “emigrant” from yerevan.

Reminds one the late 19th and early 20th centuries when everyone who could walk the distance left their homes in Van, Sebastia and Yerevan and headed for Istanbul.

Is it different now?

Glendale…?

I know. I know. You’re gonna ask me why I don’t pick up and immigrate to Yerevan.

Do rats go back to a “sinking ship” when everybody, including the captains are abandonning?

If even those rats are abandoning that proverbial “sinking ship”, why would this rat even consider to relocate?

We all love that “sinking ship”… we dream about it, we sing about , we write heart wrenching poems about it…..from a safe distance.

 

 

Speaking of heart rending nostalgic songs/poems.

Any one know the words to this old song?

I don’t remember all the words, who wrote it and when. I can’t find it.

I will reconstruct the opening.

 

Yes im Ashkharhi Garoun@ k’ouzem.zvart ou vsem.

Havqer@ kaytar, tsaghikner@ var, arev@ anmar.

Ays otar yerkri arevn e khavar, tsaghikner@ kor, yev havqer@ lour.

Akh~ im askharhi garoun@ k’ouzem, zvart ou vsem .

 

Who will stay and try and fix the leaks to save it from sinking?

Turks?

Azeris?

They will be glad!!!

Remember this?

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=12703&hl=citizen

Edited March 29, 2006 by Arpa

[Sip]

This is a much much bigger issue than a few thousand Armenians. The problem is the hundreds of thousands spilling (back and forth) over the southern border. What is it ... something like 12,000 a day? That cannot be good and something has to be done right away.

[shaunt]

My ideal immigration bill:

 

-Armed forces on the borders

-No Guest Worker program

-Mass deportations

-Immigration banned

[Azat]

shaunt - wow. how much are you willing to pay your gardener? how about at the local Hilton? what about Wal-Mart? you guys think it was an accident to wal-mart when they discovered some undocumented people working there? PLEASE. dont be so naive.

 

Everyone knows and no one has done anything about it for years and because we have done nothing we CANT deport them at all as by our actions we have accepted them as part of US.

[aSoldier]

Azat, did you know that 392 thousand illegal immigrants are deported every year?

[Azat]

yes I do but 12 million are not. Why do you think that is? we cant find them when their kids are in our schools, they rent homes, pay utilities?