Thousands march for immigrant rights in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Houston

[Peter Farruggio <pfarr@cal.berkeley.edu>]

> From: Angela Valenzuela <Valenz@mail.utexas.edu>
>
> The Senate Judiciary Committee began debate on 
> undocumented immigration on March 16, however 
> deferring their vote until after the recess. The 
> Committee resumes the debate on Monday, March 
> 27. Hence, thousands march for immigrant rights 
> in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and 
> Houston. I don?t have specifics on the march in 
> San Antonio, though I do on Houston (see below).
>
> -Angela
>
>  <http://www.cnn.com>
> Hispanics march in Milwaukee against immigration bills
>
>
> (CNN) -- Thousands of demonstrators marched in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on
> Thursday to oppose tough anti-immigration legislation sponsored by their
> Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner.
>
>
>
> Jose Molina carries a Honduran flag during a rally for immigration
> rights Thursday in Milwaukee.
>
> House Resolution 4437 would make all undocumented immigrants felons and
> require all employers to verify the immigration status of its employees.
>
> The House already has passed Sensenbrenner's bill, and Sen. Bill Frist,
> R-Tennessee, has introduced a companion bill in the Senate that also
> would make it a felony to be in the United States without the proper
> paperwork.
>
> Sensenbrenner said in a statement last year that his bill would help
> "regain control of our borders and prevent illegal immigration" as well
> as "help strengthen and promote our compassionate and welcoming legal
> immigration system." (Watch how Democrats would prefer a more holistic
> approach -- 2:08)
>
> About 30,000 protesters on Thursday marched into downtown Milwaukee as
> part of a demonstration titled "A Day Without Latinos" in which Latinos
> were encouraged to take time from their jobs to march, according to
> Voces de la Frontera, which organized the event. A police spokesman said
> the crowd was between 10,000 and 15,000.
>
> Dozens of Milwaukee businesses also closed Thursday in protest.
>
> "A Day Without Latinos," the theme of the Milwaukee protest, borrows its
> name from a 2004 comedy called "A Day Without a Mexican," in which
> California wakes up one day to find that its Hispanic residents have
> inexplicably disappeared.
>
> The Milwaukee march was one of several recent protests organized across
> the nation by groups opposed to immigration bills considered by
> Congress.
>
> The Senate Judiciary Committee has until Monday to vote on the competing
> legislation, but one Senate aide said the prospects on Senators taking
> action did not seem bright. The aide called negotiations in the Senate
> "slow going" and predicted a showdown over the bill.
>
> Critics of the legislation say Sensenbrenner is trying to deport the 11
> million to 12 million people who are in the United States illegally.
> Proponents say keeping tabs on immigrants is vital to national security.
> President Bush echoed that sentiment in comments to reporters Thursday.
>
> "Part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest-worker program that
> encourages people to register their presence, so that we know who they
> are and says to them, 'If you're doing a job an American won't do,
> you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job.' " (Watch Bush
> push for a 'civil' debate over immigration -- 1:53)
>
> But Democrats are saying the Frist and Sensenbrenner measures go too
> far.
>
> "This bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably
> even Jesus himself," said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York.
>
> The Web site for Voces de la Frontera, which in Spanish means Voices
> from the Border, states that in addition to turning immigrants into
> felons and pressuring employers, Sensenbrenner's bill also could affect
> immigrants' driving privileges and emergency medical care.
>
> Voces de la Frontera, a Milwaukee-based organization focused on
> educating low-wage and immigrant workers about their rights, said in a
> statement that Sensenbrenner's bill essentially "would destroy our human
> dignity."
>
> Other protests are planned in Atlanta, where an alliance of Hispanic
> organizations is encouraging Latino residents to participate in a
> commercial boycott and work stoppage Friday to demonstrate how Latinos
> help bolster the Georgia economy.
>
> On Saturday more than 2,500 groups plan to participate in a rally in Los
> Angeles, California. The state ranks first in Hispanic population,
> according to the Census Bureau. Organizers are predicting that up to
> 500,000 people will attend, and they hope to outdo Chicago, Illinois,
> where an estimated 300,000 protesters demonstrated two weeks ago.
>
> Chicago's record turnout was achieved because Sensenbrenner and Frist
> have introduced some of "the most restrictive immigration legislation in
> 70 years," said Doug Rivlin, spokesman for the National Immigration
> Forum.
>
> "It doesn't fix our immigration system. It only drives it underground,"
> he said.
>
>
>
> (c) League of United Latin American Citizens.
> Please see our web site at www.LULAC.org for more information.
>
> >AP/Mar 24, 5:36 PM (ET)/By TIM MOLLOY
> >
> >LOS ANGELES (AP) - Thousands of people across the country protested
> >Friday against legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants, with
> >demonstrators in such cities as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Atlanta
> >staging school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.
> >
> >Congress is considering bills that would make it a felony to be
> >illegally in the United States, impose new penalties on employers who
> >hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-
> >Mexican border. The proposals have angered many Hispanics.
> >
> >The Los Angeles demonstration led to fights between black and
> >Hispanic students at one high school, but the protests were largely
> >peaceful, authorities said.
> >
> >Chantal Mason, a sophomore at George Washington Preparatory High,
> >said black students jumped Hispanic students as they left classes to
> >protest a bill passed the House in December that would make it a
> >felony to be in the U.S. illegally.
> >
> >"It was horrible, horrible," Mason said. "It's ridiculous that a
> >bunch of black students would jump on Latinos like that, knowing
> >they're trying to get their freedom."
> >
> >In Phoenix, police said 10,000 demonstrators marched to the office of
> >Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, co-sponsor of a bill that would give illegal
> >immigrants up to five years to leave the country. The turnout clogged
> >a major thoroughfare.
> >
> >"They're here for the American Dream," said Malissa Greer, 29, who
> >joined a crowd estimated by police to be at least 10,000 strong. "God
> >created all of us. He's not a God of the United States, he's a God of
> >the world."
> >
> >Kyl had no immediate comment on the rally.
> >
> >At least 500 students at Huntington Park High School near Los Angeles
> >walked out of classes in the morning. Hundreds of the students, some
> >carrying Mexican flags, walked down the middle of Los Angeles
> >streets, police cruisers behind them.
> >
> >The students visited two other area high schools, trying to encourage
> >students to join their protest, but the schools were locked down to
> >keep students from leaving, said Los Angeles district spokeswoman
> >Monica Carazo.
> >
> >In Georgia, activists said tens of thousands of workers did not show
> >up at their jobs Friday after calls for a work stoppage to protest a
> >bill passed by the Georgia House on Thursday.
> >
> >That bill, which has yet to gain Senate approval, would deny state
> >services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5
> >percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants.
> >
> >Supporters say the Georgia measure is vital to homeland security and
> >frees up limited state services for people legally entitled to them.
> >Opponents say it unfairly targets workers meeting the demands of some
> >of the state's largest industries.
> >
> >Teodoro Maus, an organizer of the Georgia protest, estimated as many
> >as 80,000 Hispanics did not show up for work. About 200 converged on
> >the steps of the Georgia Capitol, some wrapped in Mexican flags and
> >holding signs reading: "Don't panic, we're Hispanic" and "We have a
> >dream, too."
> >
> >Jennifer Garcia worried what would the proposal would do to her
> >family. She said her husband is an illegal Mexican immigrant.
> >
> >"If they send him back to Mexico, who's going to take care of them
> >and me?" Garcia said of herself and her four children. "This is the
> >United States. We need to come together and be a whole."
> >
> >On Thursday, thousands of people filled the streets of Milwaukee for
> >what was billed as "A Day Without Latinos" to protest efforts in
> >Congress to target undocumented workers. Police estimated more than
> >10,000 people joined the demonstrations and march to downtown
> >Milwaukee. Organizers put the number at 30,000.
> >
>
> Jóvenes Inmigrantes Por Un Futuro Mejor-UH
> Young Immigrants for a Better Future-UH
> University of Houston
> Campus Activities Mail Box #32
> Houston TX. 77204
> www.uhjifm.org <http://www.uhjifm.org/>
> www.uhjifm.blogspot.com <http://www.uhjifm.blogspot.com/>
> jifmuhcentral@gmail.com
>
> NEWS ADVISORY
> For more information and on-site contact:
> Julita Rincon, 832.298.3404
> Donajih R. Robles, 832.455.4074
>
>
> ?Walk for a DREAM?
>
> Saturday, March 25
>
>
> What:        ?Walk for a DREAM?  March and Rally
> This march is symbolic because ALL students are 
> encouraged to continue their education. They 
> then graduate from college, but undocumented 
> students are not able to work because of their immigration status.
>
> When:        Saturday, March 25, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 2p.m
>
> Where:       Chestnut St. & Henry St./Near 
> ?Northside? by Jeff Davis High School (1101 
> Quitman Houston, TX 77009), proceeding to the 
> University of Houston-Downtown (1 Main St.) 
> where we will end with a rally (12:30-2 pm). 
> Left side of UH-D?s free speech platform.
>
> Why:          Every year thousands of immigrant 
> students graduate from high school and because 
> of their immigration status they cannot continue 
> their professional careers. A bipartisan 
> proposal called the DREAM Act (Development, 
> Relief and Education for Alien Minors) would 
> facilitate access to postsecondary educational 
> opportunities for immigrant students in the 
> United States who currently face barriers in 
> pursing a college education. The ?DREAM Act? 
> would also allow hardworking youth who have long 
> resided in the U.S. the chance to adjust their 
> status, enabling them to contribute fully to our society.
>
> Who:          Jóvenes Inmigrantes por un Futuro Mejor-Texas
> (Young Immigrants for a Better Future) is a 
> student driven organization advocating for 
> immigrant student rights and for the enactment of the DREAM Act.