Friday, March 24, 2006

"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 3/24/'06 10:15 AM

3/24/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
  • Bush urges civility in looming debate over immigration (AP)
  • Economic boycott targets immigration bill (Savannah Morning News)
  • Immigration bill wins House approval (Savannah Morning News)
  • House OKs get-tough measures (Augusta Chronical)
  • House approves illegal immigration bill (Gwinett Daily Post)
  • Ga. Legislature struggles to solve a federal problem (Macon Telegraph)
  • House OKs immigration legislation (AP)
  • Hispanics need to raise goals (Red and Black)
  • Boycott call divides Latinos (Gainsville Times)
  • House passes immigration bill; Senate votes next (Gainsville Times)
  • House passes immigration bill (AP)

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http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=102274
Posted Friday, March 24 at 10:00 AM

us capital Bush urges civility in looming debate over immigration

by The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - President Bush Thursday urged lawmakers to avoid pitting groups against each other as the immigration debate in Washington intensifies.

``When we discuss this debate, it must be done in a civil way,'' Bush said after he, Vice President Dick Cheney and top strategist Karl Rove met with groups allied with him in the debate. ``It must be done in a way that brings dignity to the process. It must be done in a way that doesn't pit people against another.''

But Bush and the leader of his party in the Senate are starting out with different ideas about the best way to address the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the country.

Bush wants Congress to create a program to allow foreigners to gain legal status for a set amount of time to do specific jobs. When the time is up, they would be required to return home without an automatic path to citizenship.

Bush said his message to foreigners is: ``If you are doing a job that Americans won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job.''

Immigration is a divisive issue for the country and the Republican Party. It splits two main GOP constituent groups businesses and social conservatives.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., says he understands the economic concerns being expressed by businesses, but his focus is on the main concern voiced by the social conservatives national security.

``The most important thing is that we keep our borders safe, we keep America safe,'' said Frist spokeswoman Amy Call. ``It's obvious there are drugs, there are criminals coming through those borders. There are also people from known terrorist organizations coming through those borders.''

The public appears to be more on the side of tougher border control. Three-quarters of respondents to a Time magazine poll in January said the United States is not doing enough to keep illegal immigrants from entering the country. Roughly the same amount said they favor a guest worker program for illegal immigrants, but 46 percent said those workers should have to return first to their native countries and apply. About 50 percent favored deporting all illegal immigrants.

Frist's bill sidesteps the question of temporary work permits and would tighten borders, add Border Patrol agents and punish employers who hire illegal immigrants. He has left open the possibility of replacing his legislation with a measure being drafted by the Senate Judiciary Committee that includes a guest worker program.

``We've scheduled two weeks of debate,'' his spokeswoman said, underscoring the divisiveness of the issue. ``We need all two weeks.''

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., backed by labor unions, has said he will do all he can, including filibuster, to thwart Frist's legislation. So has Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., who said legislation seeking to criminalize undocumented immigrants is not in line with Republicans' stated support for faith and values and ``would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself.''

While the Senate Judiciary Committee considers the issue Monday, Bush plans to attend a citizenship ceremony in Washington. And more demonstrations were planned in the nation's capital.





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http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/032306/3733117.shtml
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/032406/met_6869846.shtml

Economic boycott targets immigration bill

Vicky Eckenrode and Brandon Larrabee
Savannah Morning News

ATLANTA - Latino legislators Thursday called for calm among members of the Hispanic community who are planning a widespread economic boycott today, including walking off jobs and closing their businesses in the state.

Hispanic media outlets have been discussing the proposed work stoppage in recent days as a response to Senate Bill 529, the Legislature's push to crack down on illegal immigration. The grass-roots plans also includes stopping purchases for a day to show how their money circulates through local economies.

The bill passed the House on Thursday.

As one of this session's most discussed issues, the legislation has resulted in fear and anxiety within the illegal immigrant community, State Sen. Sam Zamarripa, D-Atlanta, said.

"Senate Bill 529 has terrified the Latino community," said Zamarripa, the upper chamber's sole Hispanic member. "Children are not going to school because there are rumors that say (immigration officials) will deport them. They won't go to Wal-Mart because they think there's going to be a raid."

In reality, SB 529 does not block access to classrooms or emergency health care. It requires adults to prove their legal status to many other tax-funded services.

Zamarripa and State Rep. Pedro Marin, D-Duluth, as well as Latino lobbying groups, said Thursday they opposed plans for undocumented workers to walk off their jobs as a way to highlight their impact on the state's economy, from construction to manufacturing plans.

They said they did not want workers putting their livelihoods in danger but added that some businesses have given permission for their employees to participate in the one-day stoppage as a sign of support.

"We have to keep the economy of Georgia moving," Marin said.

Instead, Zamarripa and Marin called for church and religious leaders to reach out to the immigrant community as a way to bring moderation to the debate.

The discussion spilled over into the chambers of the General Assembly.

In an impassioned speech on a hushed Senate floor, Zamarripa asked legislative leaders to work to tamp down the anxieties of Latinos.

"This community does not understand the details and intricacies of legislation," he said. "All they know is they feel unwanted, they feel criminalized, and they don't feel like they have the basic respect and dignity that they think ordinary people should have. ... Do not pour gasoline on this fire."

Teodoro Maus, a community leader who said he came up with the idea to send the message today, said he does not consider it a boycott.

"What I'm supporting is the proposal to have a day of dignity," said Maus, lead adviser of the Coordinating Committee of Community Leadership action group in Atlanta. The biggest impact is to our community ... to understand that we can work together, that we can act together."

Meanwhile, the measure's main sponsor lashed out at a Spanish-language newspaper that printed a rudimentary map showing the approximate location of his home.

State Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, said Mundo Hispanico had crossed a line between appropriate criticism and an implicit threat to his family.

"You can intimidate me all you want," Rogers said. "But this is my wife, and these are my children."







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http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/032406/3733130.shtml
Immigration bill wins House approval

Vicky Eckenrode
(404) 681-1701
vicky.eckenrode@morris.com

ATLANTA - Members of the Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill addressing illegal immigration.

Senate Bill 529 passed 123-51 amid criticism that the reform measures target Hispanics, who have moved to Georgia by the thousands in recent years to work in the state's construction, poultry processing and agricultural industries. The Hispanic community has planned an economic boycott today, encouraging immigrants to refrain from making purchases and to stay home from work.

"I rise in support of right versus wrong; legal versus illegal," State Rep. Dan Lakly, R-Peachtree City, said. "In my view, there comes a time when the state must rise up and send a message to the federal government."

While members of both parties said the federal government's immigration policy has fallen short, Democrats argued that stemming illegals is not the state's responsibility.

Research groups say that at least 350,000 illegal immigrants are living in Georgia.

SB 529 would require labor officials to check workers' legal status for anyone doing business with the state government; have law enforcement officials determine the nationality of people who are arrested; and make adults prove they are in the country legally before receiving most state tax-funded services.

In committee, the House also added collection of a 5-percent fee on money that illegal immigrants wire home.

Because the House changed the bill, it now heads back to the Senate for a final vote. If the upper chamber disagrees with the changes, a conference committee will be appointed to hammer out the differences..

State Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who originally sponsored the bill, said he wanted to review the House changes and decide today whether to object to the wire transfer fees.

Under the legislation, businesses also would have to address illegal immigrants through the state's tax rules. If a worker makes $600 or more a year, the employer would have to verify identification or not be able to use the income as a business tax deduction.

State Rep. John Lunsford, R-McDonough, who carried the bill in the House, outlined a number of ways the legislation does not totally cut off the hiring of undocumented workers.

He said businesses would not be required to verify whether workers turn in forged identification. Workers hired before January of 2008 - when the tax rule kicks in - would not be subject to verification.

"Nothing in this legislation prevents an employer from hiring someone illegally in our state and paying them," Lunsford said. "What we're addressing is the taxation portion of it."

Democrats charged that the light stance toward employers was a hypocritical approach.

State Rep. Tom Bordeaux, D-Savannah, compared the legislation's impact on Hispanics to the crossroads the state faced during the civil rights movement of the 1950s.

"Are we going to create a permanent under class where if you're brown you're scared to start a business, you're scared to go to the hospital?" he said. "We've got a chance to mold what this state looks like, and we're either going to be poor financially and spiritually or we're going to be richer."






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http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/032406/met_6870666.shtml
House OKs get-tough measures

By Vicky Eckenrode | Morris News Service
Thursday, March 23, 2006

ATLANTA - Georgia immigration policy would deny some state services to adults living here illegally and impose a surcharge on wire transfers from illegals, under changes approved by the House on Thursday.

The Hispanic community has planned an economic boycott today, encouraging immigrants to refrain from making purchases and to stay home from work.

Senate Bill 529 passed 123-51 amid criticism that the reform measures target Hispanics who moved to Georgia by the thousands in recent years to work in construction, poultry processing and agricultural industries. Though members of both parties said the federal government's immigration policy has fallen short, state Democrats argued that stemming illegals is not the state's responsibility.

Research groups say that at least 350,000 illegal immigrants are living in Georgia.

SB 529 would require labor officials to check workers' legal status for anyone doing business with the state government; have law enforcement officials determine the nationality of people who are arrested; and make adults prove they are in the country legally before receiving most state tax-funded services.

In committee, the House also added collection of a 5-percent fee on money that illegal immigrants wire home.

Because the House changed the bill, it now heads back to the Senate for a final vote. If the upper chamber disagrees with the changes, a conference committee will be appointed to hammer out the differences.

Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, who originally sponsored the bill, said he wanted to review the House changes and decide today whether to object to the wire transfer fees.

Under the legislation, businesses also would have to address illegal immigrants through the state's tax rules. If a worker makes $600 or more a year, the employer would have to verify identification or not be able to use the income as a business tax deduction.

Rep. John Lunsford, R-McDonough, who carried the bill in the House, outlined a number of ways the legislation does not totally cut off the hiring of undocumented workers.

He said businesses would not be required to verify whether workers turn in forged identification. Workers hired before January 2008 - when the tax rule kicks in - would not be subject to verification.

Democrats charged that the light stance toward employers was a hypocritical approach.

Rep. Tom Bordeaux, D-Savannah, compared the legislation's impact on Hispanics to the crossroads the state faced during the civil rights movement of the 1950s.

"Are we going to create a permanent underclass where if you're brown you're scared to start a business, you're scared to go to the hospital?" he said. "We've got a chance to mold what this state looks like, and we're either going to be poor financially and spiritually or we're going to be richer."






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http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=1&url_article_id=13128&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
House approves illegal immigration bill
03/24/2006

By Dave Williams
Staff Writer
dave.williams@gwinnettdailypost.com

ATLANTA — The House passed legislation Thursday aimed at curbing illegal immigration in Georgia but not before tightening some provisions of the bill that cleared the Senate and easing others.
The measure, which passed 123-51, is on the short list of this year's top priorities for Republicans in control of both legislative chambers. Polls have consistently shown illegal immigration to be a major concern of voters in Georgia and other states.
The bill addresses criticism that illegals are draining state coffers by requiring adults seeking many public services to prove they are U.S. citizens are in the country legally.
It targets complaints that illegal workers are depressing wages and taking jobs away from legal residents by requiring companies seeking government contracts to verify that their employees are not illegal immigrants.
During a debate that lasted fewer than two hours, the bill's supporters said the state needs to do something to stem the flow of illegal immigration into Georgia because Congress has failed to act.
"The people of this country want our borders secure. ... They do not want to be overtaken by illegal immigrants,'' said Rep. Dan Lakly, R-Peachtree City. "The states need to rise up and send a message to the federal government.''
But opponents said the bill appears to be aimed more at punishing illegal immigrants than at reducing their incentive to come to Georgia by cracking down on employers who hire them.
At the urging of lobbyists for the farm industry, the House committee that approved the bill earlier this week significantly delayed the effective dates for the provision requiring government contractors to verify their workers' legal status.
Meanwhile, companies that are not working for the government would be subject to even less scrutiny. Under the bill, businesses that pay an illegal worker more than $600 per year would not be able to write that amount off on their taxes.
Rep. Brian Thomas, D-Lilburn, who introduced a bill with tougher restrictions on employers, accused lawmakers of caving in to businesses that rely on illegal workers.
"We as a state can hold all employers in Georgia responsible for knowingly and willingly hiring illegal workers,'' he said. "(But) we don't really want to stop the flood, do we?''
Rep. Pedro Marin, D-Duluth, one of three Hispanic lawmakers in the General Assembly, warned that shutting off illegal immigrants from the work force would drive up the costs of food, building materials and home furnishings.
But Rep. Alan Powell, D-Hartwell, said illegals deserve to be treated as criminals.
"What part of 'illegal' do people not understand?'' he asked. "It's illegal to be here undocumented.''
While the House version of the bill takes a more lenient stand toward employers than the bill passed by the Senate, House members also inserted a tough provision originally passed by the lower chamber as a separate bill.
The provision, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, would require illegal immigrants to pay a 5 percent surcharge on any money they wire out of the country.
Because of the changes the House made, the bill now goes back to the Senate.
If senators don't agree with the House changes, as is likely, the two chambers would appoint three members each to a conference committee to try to reach a compromise.







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http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/opinion/14170609.htm
Posted on Fri, Mar. 24, 2006
Ga. Legislature struggles to solve a federal problem

With Congress (and its reigning Republican party) seemingly hopelessly divided over how to deal with illegal immigrants, immigration reform legislation on the federal level this election year is unlikely.

Predictably, state legislatures have been getting into the act and Georgia's is no exception. The economic and political stakes are high and the problem it addresses are real, but it is doubtful that the 15-page Senate Bill 529, the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act, will be much help.

The House passed its version of the bill 123-51 on Thursday; the Senate must approve the changes before it goes to the governor for signature.

Sponsored by state Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, it would withhold state services from adults living in Georgia illegally, fine companies that knowingly employ illegals, crack down on traffickers in illegal human labor, charge the state Department of Labor with administering a program verifying the immigration status of workers (costing the state about $2.2 million).

A last-minute addition from an existing House bill would impose a punitive 5 percent surcharge on money wired home by workers who can't prove their legal status.

If that last one doesn't kill the bill - one Democratic senator alluded to it as a "poison pill" - it is likely to get it tied up in court.

The rest of the bill represents something of a compromise worked out by Rogers and representatives of clashing interests over several months. Business groups, pro- and anti-immigrant advocates and Georgia's labor commissioner all had their say.

Some Democratic legislators feel it is a problem only Washington has the legal and political tools to deal with. But in Washington, though, the problem remains entangled in clashing ideologies and economic interests.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a bipartisan Senate group's plan that would increase enforcement would also let many of 11 million or so undocumented immigrants now here pay fines for breaking the law. They would pay taxes, learn English and, after several years, apply for citizenship.

Critics in the more conservative House condemn that as "amnesty" for willful lawbreakers. So there's a stalemate splitting the Republican majority. Further, both parties are courting Hispanic votes in big-stakes states such as California, Florida and Texas, while also having to mollify American workers fearing loss of jobs.

Georgia is divided too. Representatives of our biggest industries - agriculture, tourism and hospitality, construction, carpet manufacture - insist immigrant labor is needed to keep prices for their products competitive and affordable. (Some say costs could double without immigrant labor.)

No one will admit employing illegals, but a lot of them must be doing so. Estimates of illegals in Georgia range from 250,000 to 800,000, and most of the adults are likely to be employed.

Not only economic factors, but family values and compassion suggest that programs to punish lawbreaking must also offer viable options and incentives for legal immigration. (Certainly they should not punish hard-working people from sending money to support their families back home.)

State legislators would do well to search for those more elusive solutions until Washington discovers them.






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http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/14172490.htm
Posted on Fri, Mar. 24, 2006
House OKs immigration legislation
Bill's opponent activists encourage work stoppage
By Doug Gross and Greg Bluestein
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA - The Georgia House on Thursday approved sweeping changes to the state's immigration policy that would deny some state services to adults living in the United States illegally and impose a 5 percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegals.

Immigrant communities responded by encouraging a work stoppage today in protest while frazzled lawmakers from both sides of the debate called for calm.

It was the latest twist for what is perhaps one of the most contentious - and ambitious - measures taken up by the Legislature this session.

Supporters say the plan, which passed by a 123-51 vote, is a vital homeland security measure that frees up limited state resources for Georgia residents who are legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers who are merely responding to the demands of some of the state's largest industries.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, also sanctions companies that knowingly employ undocumented workers and imposes stiff penalties on human trafficking.

This week, House lawmakers also tacked on the surcharge proposal and added a worker verification program, which would be administered by the state Department of Labor.

The changes must first be approved by the Senate before going to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The measure drew fiery responses from critics and supporters of the proposal.

"The people of this country want our borders secure," said state Rep. Dan Lakly, R-Peachtree City. "The people of this country do not want to be overrun and overtaken by illegal immigrants."

Opponents sought to portray immigration as a federal issue, not a state decision.

"This bill is not the right first step," said state Rep. Pedro Marin, D-Gwinnett. "It addresses symptoms of the problem, not the cause of the problem - broken borders."

Immigration has been one of the more controversial issues under the Gold Dome, attracting droves of activists from both sides and intense scrutiny.

Sen. Sam Zamarripa, the Senate's lone Hispanic member, said nervousness and, in some cases, misunderstanding of the reform effort has created an environment of fear among the state's immigrant communities.

"A community already in the shadows is terrified," said Zamarripa, D-Atlanta. "This is an unprecedented level of fear."

Zamarripa said rumors are rampant that if illegal immigrants go to Wal-Mart they will be picked up in raids.

Parents are keeping their children out of school because of concerns that immigration officials will round up and deport students without proper documentation, he said.

Meanwhile, activists called for a "day of dignity" today when immigrants would refrain from buying anything and skip work if possible. The observance has been promoted on Spanish-speaking media throughout Georgia.

Teodoro Maus, of the Coordinating Committee of Community Leaders, said the action is not a boycott but a signal of the immigrant community's impact on the state's economy.

He said some workers had received approval from their employers not to come to work and that some 40 butcher shops and 30 supermarkets will shut down in solidarity.

"Don't buy anything on Friday; see what happens," Maus said at a Capitol news conference. "If you can, don't go to work."

Both Zamarripa and Rogers urged people on all sides to remain calm in the days ahead.

"I urge each of you to have a little responsibility," Zamarripa said. "Do not pour gasoline on this fire."

Associated Press writer Shannon McCaffrey contributed to this report.







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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/0324gwxboycott.html
Leaders urge Latinos to protest bill

By BRIAN FEAGANS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/24/06

A coalition of state Hispanic leaders is calling on immigrants in Georgia not to buy anything today and stay home from work if possible as a show of economic might.

It's unclear how the one-day effort could affect poultry plants, restaurants and other businesses that rely heavily on immigrant labor. And organizers stopped short of calling it a boycott, saying they want workers to participate only if it doesn't jeopardize their jobs.

The effort is designed to protest a sweeping anti-illegal-immigration measure making its way through the Georgia Legislature, said Julian Herrera, a Norcross pastor and spokesman for the Alianza 17 de Marzo de Georgia (March 17th Alliance of Georgia).

The alliance is named for the day that pastors and Spanish-language media executives met in a Smyrna restaurant and decided to take action, Herrera said. "We're sending a strong message that if you pass a law that punishes these people, then they will leave," he said. "Who is going to build the homes? Who is going to do landscaping?"

The partial boycott comes amid a flurry of rallies around the country in protest of federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Police estimated that more than 10,000 people gathered Thursday in Milwaukee for a demonstration dubbed "A Day Without Latinos."

Herrera said the alliance, with the help of Spanish-language radio stations, might put out a call Friday morning for Hispanic immigrants to gather at a yet-to-be-named location in Norcross.

Metro Atlanta business owners, meanwhile, don't know what to expect.

Jerry Moore, co-owner of seven Burger Kings in Gwinnett County and one in DeKalb County, said his managers were getting mixed messages from a staff that's more than half Hispanic. Moore had already developed one contingency plan should many employees stay home. "We could treat it like a snow day and have just the drive-through open," he said.

Then again, much of his restaurants' clientele is Hispanic, too. "We may be short-staffed, but we may have more people than we need," Moore said.

Word of the call to stay home from work had Spanish-language radio stations buzzing Thursday with callers debating whether to comply. And at the General Assembly, Sen. Sam Zamarripa called on Georgians to pray over the weekend rather than stay home from work.

"The undocumented community has called for a peaceful work stoppage tomorrow, and I am not in a position to stop it," said Zamarripa, who has tried to soften the anti-illegal immigrant measure. "I understand their confusion; most of us do not fully comprehend the reach of SB 529."

The bill would prohibit adult illegal immigrants from getting many public benefits, financially penalize private employers who hire workers in the county unlawfully and establish harsh penalties for human trafficking.

Supporters of the bill say it is the first step needed to address the growing number of people who enter the country illegally and burden schools, prisons and the health care system while paying few taxes and driving down wages for legal residents. Critics say the bill unfairly criminalizes poor laborers without seriously discouraging the people who hire them.

Jesus Brito was among the Hispanic business owners who planned to shut down today in protest. Brito, who was born in Mexico but is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, said he won't open his four Atlanta-area supermarkets so his 70 workers could participate as well.

Michael Pinzon, who promotes acts in Latino clubs around Atlanta, said many dance halls would stay closed on what is normally a lucrative night. A Mexican band scheduled to play at one club on Roswell Road will perform Saturday night instead, he said. "If people don't stand up and do something," said Pinzon, a second-generation Colombian American, "then they won't be heard."

The proposed work stoppage also spilled over into at least one school. A homemade flier circulating through the halls of Meadowcreek High in Norcross urged students contemplating a "skip day" to attend school today instead. Cutting class "will only prove to the pro-bill advocates that we neither want to be nor need to be in school," the flier said.

The legislation working its way through the General Assembly would not affect illegal immigrants' access to k-12 education.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.






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http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/24/442357c7ab240
Published , March 24, 2006, 06:00:01 AM EDT
Hispanics need to raise goals

Today is being called by some a day without Hispanics.

Most of the Hispanic community in Georgia has agreed to boycott American products and services and also go on a strike. This measure has been taken in order to protest recent bills against illegal immigrants.

As a Hispanic, I have to say I feel outraged and terribly sad to know this kind of legislation could soon amend the state constitution leaving the children of illegal immigrants without basic services like education, health and rights of citizenship.

I also believe a strike is not the appropriate way to approach this situation.

Contacting state representatives, rallying and even asking pro-immigration organizations to lobby in our favor seem more dignified solutions.

We need to show who we are and how much we are worth through our work and not through the lack thereof. Let's have higher goals aiming to what the state can achieve in a day with Hispanics and not without Hispanics.

PATRICIA ZURITA
Grad. Student, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Public Relations






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http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20060324/localnews/79668.shtml
Boycott call divides Latinos

By RICK LAVENDER
 The Times

Photo
Scott Rogers The Times

Jose Munguia, right, and Filimon Saldana, left, stock fruit in the produce department Thursday afternoon at La Flor De Jalisco. The Atlanta Highway supermarket will close for the day today in recognition of the Hispanic work stoppage day.

Lupe Velazquez and her husband will be at work in their Atlanta Highway grocery today. Their school-aged children will be in class.

For Lupe, "education is the most important thing."

But the small grocery Narciso Vazquez runs on Hancock Avenue will be closed. And his three children will be at home.

"The point is to show to ... the government we've got our rights, we've got power," Vazquez said.

The opposing approaches to a statewide call encouraging Latinos to skip shopping and work if possible today underscores the uncertainty of how the day will unfold.

Activists and Spanish-speaking media have promoted the "day of dignity" as a way to highlight immigrants' influence in the state economy.

The boycott originates in debate over a remake of state immigration policy that will bar illegal immigrants from some services and add a 5 percent surcharge on wire transfers from undocumented residents.

The House easily passed the bill Thursday, tackling it a day sooner than expected. The Senate must approve the amended legislation before it goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The controversy has fed rumors and pleas for calm. It also has resonated in Hall County, where the Latino, or Hispanic, population is projected to top 51,000, more than a third of the population, by 2009.

As of Thursday:

  • Poultry companies expected some no-shows. How many was a guess.

    At Baldwin-based Fieldale Farms, which employs 4,700, "We're hopeful we'll be able to process chicken in some sort of normal fashion," said Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tom Hensley.

    Mar-Jac Poultry looked for limited layouts among its 1,200 workers as soon as Thursday's overnight shift. Normal attendance policy will apply, plant manager Phillip Turner said. Absences require approval. "There's not going to be any special action taken one way or the other," Turner said.

  • Wal-Mart on Shallowford Road, a shopping focal point for Latinos, planned for "business as usual," manager Anthony Howard said.

    The same held for El Sombrero restaurant on Browns Bridge Road and Los Alacranes, a corner grocery at Auburn Avenue and Hazel Street. Los Alacranes' Jose Reyes said he will not close. "I came from Mexico to the United States to work."

  • Rumors rumbled like thunder. No, Gainesville did not receive or deny a request for a march by protesters. No, immigration officials weren't going to raid Wal-Mart or schools searching for illegal immigrants.

    "A community already in the shadows is terrified," said state Sen. Sam Zamarripa, the Senate's lone Latino member. "This is an unprecedented level of fear."

    Ramon Arteaga will close his La Flor de Jalisco supermarkets on Atlanta Highway and Industrial Boulevard for the day, but out of concern about a backlash against the stores or employees. "I don't think they're doing the right thing," Arteaga said of the boycott, rating it ill communicated and confusing.

  • The outlook for schools will be cloudy until the first bell rings. Gainesville schools sent a letter to parents stressing schools as safe haven and saying children need to be in class.

    Lupe Velazquez said her daughter, who attends Mill Creek High School near Buford, asked if she could stay home like many in her Spanish class. Lupe's response: "No way."

    She and her husband, Gabriel, stress education with their four children. Two are in college. The youngest is in elementary school.

    Lupe, who runs El Mercadito at 1870 Atlanta Highway with Gabriel, understands the protest. But she maintains that it targets "American" businesses, which she'll avoid shopping at today, not Latino-owned ones like their store. "So I don't see a reason to close."

    To Narciso Vazquez, father of a seventh-, a fifth- and a first-grader, the emphasis fits the action. He called it "alionsa Latina," which he described as an old Spanish phrase referring to community coming together.

    Closing his seven-day-a-week grocery Carniceria La Chiquita at 1181 Hancock Ave. for a day is hard, Vazquez said. "But we've got to do it."

    Teodoro Maus of the Coordinating Committee of Community Leaders would agree. He said some workers had received approval from employers not to come to work and that some 40 butcher shops and 30 supermarkets will shut down in solidarity.

    "Don't buy anything on Friday; see what happens," Maus said at a Capitol news conference. "If you can, don't go to work."

    Local leaders question that effort.

    State Rep. James Mills, R-Chestnut Mountain, a co-sponsor of a bill that would levy a surcharge on international wire transfers, called the talk of boycotts and work stoppage "a smokescreen."

    "When the facts are against you, some people would rather create a smokescreen than talk about the facts," Mills said. "There are a few people who are misleading a whole crowd and that's unfortunate."

    Gainesville City Councilman George Wangemann worried about community and sales tax fallout.

    "I think there are ways and means of working with people," said Wangemann, who leads an annual forum reaching out to area immigrants.

    Officials urged people on all sides to remain calm in the days ahead. "Do not pour gasoline on this fire," said Zamarripa, D-Atlanta.

    The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials called for prayer about the bill, sponsored by Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, even as it urged residents to contact lawmakers to oppose it.

    According to fliers distributed locally, a protest is set for 10 this morning at the Capitol.

    Times reporter Harris Blackwood and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Contact: rlavender@gainesvilletimes.com, (770) 718-3411

    Originally published Friday, March 24, 2006








    • -----------------------------------------
    http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20060324/localnews/79672.shtml
    House passes immigration bill; Senate votes next

    From staff, wire reports

    Photo

    James Mills

    State Rep. James Mills said Thursday that Georgia is sending a message that there will be consequences for illegal immigrants living in the state.

    His comments followed Thursday's state House vote to approve sweeping changes to the state's immigration policy that would deny some state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5 percent surcharge on any wire transfers they make.

    "We have an illegal immigration problem in Georgia and we're going to start taking some steps to deal with it," said Mills, a Chestnut Mountain republican.

    The wire transfer amendment is similar to legislation Mills co-sponsored in the House. The House since has tacked on an incentive for wire transfer outlets.

    "We will give the wire transfer business 1 percent of the fee collected," Mills said.

    Immigrant communities have responded by encouraging a work stoppage Friday to protest while frazzled lawmakers from both sides of the debate have called for calm.

    It was the latest twist for what is perhaps one of the most contentious, and ambitious, measures taken up by the legislature this session.

    Supporters say the plan, which passed by a 123-51 vote, is a vital homeland security measure that frees up limited state resources for Georgia residents who are legally entitled to them.

    Opponents say it unfairly targets workers who are merely responding to the demands of some of the state's largest industries.

    "I don't know what part of illegal someone doesn't understand," Mills said. "If you are here legally and have proper documentation, then you are welcomed and we encourage you to become a part of this culture.

    "But if you're here illegally and have broken laws to get to the position you're in, then there will be consequences for that illegal action."

    The bill, sponsored by Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, also sanctions companies that knowingly employ undocumented workers and imposes stiff penalties on human trafficking.

    This week, House lawmakers also tacked on the surcharge proposal and added a worker verification program, which would be administered by the state Department of Labor.

    The Senate must first approve the changes before the measure goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue. The House-passed surcharge bill had previously appeared to be stuck in committee and thought dead for the session.

    "I hope the Senate will rethink their position and accept the overall immigration reform bill," Mills said.

    He said the bill contains a "severability clause" in the event that one portion of the bill was struck down by a court, the remaining portion could continue to be enforced.

    The measure drew fiery responses from critics and supporters of the proposal.

    "The people of this country want our borders secure," said state Rep. Dan Lakly, R-Peachtree City. "The people of this country do not want to be overrun and overtaken by illegal immigrants."

    Opponents sought to portray immigration as a federal issue, not a state decision.

    "This bill is not the right first step," said state Rep. Pedro Marin, D-Gwinnett. "It addresses symptoms of the problem, not the cause of the problem: broken borders."

    Immigration has been one of the more controversial issues under the Gold Dome, attracting droves of activists from both sides and intense scrutiny.

    Contact: news@gainesvilletimes.com, (770) 718-3401








    -----------------------------------------
    http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=102265
    Posted Friday, March 24 at 6:54 AM
    House passes immigration bill

    by The Associated Press

    ATLANTA - The Georgia House Thursday approved sweeping changes to the state's immigration policy. The measure would deny some state services to adults living in the U-S illegally and impose a five percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegals.

    It is the latest twist for what is perhaps one of the most contentious measures taken up by the Legislature this session.

    Supporters say the plan, which passed by a 123-51 vote, is a vital homeland security measure that frees up limited state resources for Georgia residents who are legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers who are merely responding to the demands of some of the state's largest industries.

    The bill, sponsored by Senator Chip Rogers of Woodstock, also sanctions companies that knowingly employ undocumented workers and imposes stiff penalties on human trafficking.

    House changes must first be approved by the Senate before going to Governor Perdue for his approval.

    posted by ICAtlanta @ 3/24/2006 04:24:00 PM