"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/11/'06 12:30AM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/11/'06 12:30AM
4/11/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
Just say no to limbo (AJC)
Athens immigrants protest (Athens Online)
Thousands March In Atlanta; Protest Immigration Reform (WSBTV)
Latinos March in Atlanta, Elsewhere (CBS 46 Atlanta)
- RALLYING FOR RIGHTS (PBS)
- Crackdown Advocates Plan Rallies (WXIA)
- Atlanta immigrant rights protest draws 50,000 (AP)
- Latinos march for immigrant rights (AJC)
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http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/10/immigration/index.html
Illegal immigrants unite to demand rights
Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded Monday that illegal immigrants get a chance to live the American dream -- as politicians argue over competing visions for immigration reform. "We come to this country not to take from America, but to make America strong," said one organizer.
Some Dems champion reform at rallies-----------------------------------
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/0411edimmigration.html
Just say no to limbo
Senate should, for once, put politics aside and move forward with compromise on immigration reform
Published on: 04/11/06
The U.S. Senate's failure last week to vote on the best hope for comprehensive reform of the nation's fractured immigration laws is yet another example of politics-as-usual in Washington. Indeed, strategists for both parties may be happy to see the issue stay red hot — without any real action — through the November mid-term elections.
The compromise measure approved last week by the Senate Judiciary Committee was far from perfect, but it at least contained the basic outline of what needs to be done to bring millions of illegal immigrants out from the shadows of the underground economy created by our current failed system. The bill gained the backing of both the White House and Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), and it probably would have gotten 70 votes had it been brought to the floor.
Unfortunately, partisan maneuvering prevented a vote from taking place before the Senate recessed for Easter. Democrats blocked proposed amendments to the bipartisan compromise, either for partisan advantage or out of well-grounded fear that an eventual compromise with the more hard-line House would produce a bad bill.
Whatever the motivation, the tactic played into the hands of Republicans such as Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who opposes the bill and continues to incorrectly classify any measure that contains a pathway toward citizenship for illegal immigrants as amnesty.
The committee's measure would significantly tighten border security and create more effective workplace enforcement to reduce the demand for illegal laborers. Most importantly, it outlines ways to deal humanely and effectively with most of the illegal immigrants already here.
Among other things, it creates a guest-worker program of 625,000 temporary immigrants a year, nearly half of them agricultural workers. It also establishes a path to legality for the 7 million illegal immigrants who have been here five years or more, allowing them to seek citizenship after paying back taxes and $2,000 fines, passing health and criminal background checks and gaining rudimentary language skills and knowledge of the nation's laws.
Those who have been here for two to five years would be required to go back across the border to get temporary visas that might allow them to return to the United States legally.
The bill puts spouses and children of legal residents — those most likely to have the deepest roots in the new country — on the fast track for legal residency. These families would now be rewarded for their decision to abide by the law — and their stamina in waiting in line for green cards — instead of being punished for it, as is the case under the current law.
Overall, the Senate Judiciary Committee's plan signals that this "nation of immigrants" knows how to keep immigration both legal and humane, and that it recognizes the contribution immigrants can make. As the signs carried by Latinos and immigrant-rights supporters at Monday's rally in Atlanta stated, "We are not criminals. We are hard workers."
Voters should demand that the Senate finish its business and that President Bush act more forcefully in pushing members of his governing party, particularly those in the House, to compromise in producing comprehensive — not mean-spirited — immigration reform.
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http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/041106/news_20060411054.shtml
Athens immigrants protest
Story Photos - Click to Enlarge
Mexican native Marcos Sanchez, of Doraville, chants "Si, se puede," translated to "Yes, we can," during the Day of Dignity march on Dresden Drive in Atlanta on Monday. Tens of thousands of Mexicans and Latin Americans marched together for the rights of illegal immigrants carrying signs and chanting.
Click thumbnails to view
ATLANTA- About 50 Athens-area immigrants joined an estimated 50,000 others from around the state Monday morning, turning an Atlanta neighborhood off Buford Highway into a river of white T-shirts and American flags and chanting, "Si se Puede!" or "Yes we can!"
The phrase is popular at political rallies in Latin American countries, said José, a undocumented Mexican immigrant who works a construction job in Athens.
"If there was a way for us to get here legally, we'd all be here legally," José said. "No one wants to break the law. We just want to give our families the chance to make a better life for themselves."
The demonstration in Atlanta was part of a national day of action billed as a "campaign for immigrants' dignity." Across the country, hundreds of thousands of immigrants marched in dozens of U.S. cities Monday.
"Today we become adults; we found we have the capacity to speak with one voice," said Teodoro Maus, the former Mexican consul in Atlanta, who helped organize the march. "Yes, we can. We can integrate. We can be part of this country. We can be treated with respect and self-esteem."
In Atlanta, men from the same construction crews wore white T-shirts with phrases like, "We're not criminals. We're electricians," and carried signs with slogans including, "Let me work legally."
The two-mile march and rally were to oppose recently passed state legislation that would require state and local government agencies to verify the immigration status of adults applying for taxpayer-provided benefits.
It also would require that companies doing business with the state check the legal status of new employees, and that jailers report illegal immigrants arrested for felonies or DUI to federal immigration authorities.
The bill awaits Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature to become law.
Thousands of marchers signed a petition Monday urging Perdue not to sign the bill, according to the volunteers with the coalition of immigrant rights groups who organized the event.
Demonstrators also strongly voiced their opposition to pending federal legislation that passed the U.S. House in December and provides for the building of more walls along the U.S.-Mexico border, making it a felony to help undocumented immigrants or to be in the country illegally. It now is a civil violation.
Some local employers gave workers the day off Monday to attend the rally at the plaza.
Some workers marched in restaurant or hotel staff uniforms, and many construction workers wore T-shirts, baseball caps or hardhats emblazoned with their company's logo.
One 10-man construction crew from a local concrete-pouring company wore matching baseball caps and said their boss let them all take the day off for the rally.
"It's important that we're here so that it's visible that there's unity in this community," said Artemio, one of the men on the concrete-pouring crew.
Even if the march does not stop current immigration legislation from becoming law, it marks one of the first times in Georgia where a relatively new immigrant class came out as one body to demonstrate their size and clout, said Sister Margarita Martin, who operates the Oasis Católico Santa Rafaela, a convent and community center at Pinewoods North trailer park. "It was important because it symbolized everyone coming out into the open and declaring that they exist," she said. "For people who are usually working and living below the radar, that's important."
Monday's protest capped a boycott on March 24, when some locals joined a national effort and didn't show up for work, closing some restaurants and slowing production at construction sites and poultry production plants.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 041106
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VIDEO: Thousands Take Part In Immigration Rally VIDEO: Residents, Businesses Affected By Rally VIDEO: Immigration Rallies Across The Country
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Thousands March In Atlanta; Protest Immigration Reform
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http://www.cbs46.com/Global/story.asp?S=4751023&nav=menu140_2
Latinos March in Atlanta, Elsewhere
April 10, 2006 02:39 PM
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The Georgia protesters had two targets: congressmen weighing immigration reform and state legislation now awaiting Governor Perdue's signature that would require adults seeking many state-administered benefits to prove they are in the U-S legally.
Nineth Castillo, a 26-year-old waitress from Guatemala who joined the Atlanta march, said she has lived in the United States for eleven years "without a scrap of paper."
Asked whether she was afraid to parade her undocumented status in front of a massive police presence, she laughed and said: "Why? They kick us out, we're coming back tomorrow."
In North Carolina and Dallas, immigrant groups called for an economic boycott to show their financial impact. In Pittsburgh and other cities, protesters gathered at lawmakers' offices to make their voices heard as Congress considers immigration reforms.
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http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/index.html
Tens Of Thousands Attend Immigration Protest
ATLANTA (AP) Tens of thousands of immigrants spilled into the streets of Atlanta today in a national day of action billed as a "campaign for immigrants' dignity." Police estimated at least 50,000 people, many in white T-shirts and waving signs and American flags, joined a two-mile march from a largely immigrant neighborhood northeast of Atlanta.
The Georgia protesters had two targets: congressmen weighing immigration reform and state legislation now awaiting Governor Perdue's signature that would require adults seeking many state-administered benefits to prove they are in the U-S legally.
Nineth Castillo, a 26-year-old waitress from Guatemala who joined the Atlanta march, said she has lived in the United States for eleven years "without a scrap of paper." Asked whether she was afraid to parade her undocumented status in front of a massive police presence, she laughed and said: "Why? They kick us out, we're coming back tomorrow."
In North Carolina and Dallas, immigrant groups called for an economic boycott to show their financial impact. In Pittsburgh and other cities, protesters gathered at lawmakers' offices to make their voices heard as Congress considers immigration reforms.
(***04/10/06 @ 9:30pm***)
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http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/jan-june06/immigration_4-10.html
| RALLYING FOR RIGHTS | |
 April 10, 2006  | |
 | With a controversial overhaul of immigration laws stalled in Congress, demonstrators marched in record numbers across the country as the growing Latino community mobilized into action. |
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| GWEN IFILL: We begin with the today's big immigrants' rights rallies. NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman narrates this report. KWAME HOLMAN: This scene was repeated in dozens of cities across the country today, as hundreds of thousands of immigrant-rights supporters rallied for what they called a campaign for immigrants' dignity. With an overhaul of immigration laws stalled in Congress, demonstrators have joined the debate in record numbers, hoping to persuade lawmakers to help the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants settle legally in the United States. Appropriately, the largest gathering took place in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, where Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy rallied the estimated 200,000 on hand. SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), Massachusetts: I look across this historic gathering, and I see the future of America. KWAME HOLMAN: One of those marching in Washington today was legal immigrant Saul Soloranzo of El Salvador. SAUL SOLORANZO, Salvadoran: Today, we are here to present our voice and our petition for a legalization program, because so many immigrants are helping this country. Our labor is needed and is recognized, but -- so, the status of the people here should be recognized. KWAME HOLMAN: A bill in the United States Senate would allow a majority of illegal immigrants to remain in the country while seeking citizenship, but it was shelved last week, amid partisan blame-laying. The House passed its own bill in December, but it's laced with several controversial provisions, one that would enforce criminal penalties against anyone in the country illegally. That bill, known as HR-4437, has been the main point of protest for demonstrators. Again, Saul Soloranzo. SAUL SOLORANZO: HR-4437 is the worst bill that there could be. It's not good for America. It's not good for immigrants. And it's not good for this country. And we hope that, at the end of day, that will not be part of any legislation. That bill criminalizes immigrants, and turn people that work with people into criminals. And that's not right. That's not the way to go. And we want to send a message to those legislators that are proposing and pushing for those type of legislations that we have more than 50 million voters. And they can be penalized by not making the right choices. KWAME HOLMAN: Today, an estimated 50,000 people marched through a suburban neighborhood in Atlanta, home to one of the country's fastest-growing immigrant populations. Today's nationwide demonstrations followed weekend protests in more than 20 cities, including Dallas, where an estimated 500,000 people gathered, the largest demonstration ever in Texas. But these huge pro-immigrant rallies also have brought out critics. UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1: I am tired of people coming across with impunity. We don't know who is here. We don't know what diseases they have. UNIDENTIFIED MALE 2: There's 360 million Americans that need to start standing up for their country, before we give it away. KWAME HOLMAN: In Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, anti-immigrant members of a group called The Border Guardians set fire to a Mexican flag. But many on the march in Washington today argued that immigrants should be recognized for their valuable contributions to American society. JAMIE GURAY, Salvadoran: We're here to protect our immigration rights and also to show that we are also contributing to this country in a major way: economically. We're a major economic force in the United States. And we -- and we contribute culturally to this society. KWAME HOLMAN: Leaders of today's demonstrations vow to keep the pressure on Congress until comprehensive reform is passed. |
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| The debate and classifying the demonstrators | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GWEN IFILL: Nowhere has the debate over immigration reform mobilized action more than along this country's expanding Latino community. For more on that, we're joined by Reverend Luis Cortez, the president of Esperanza USA, a national network of Hispanic churches and ministries; Yanira Merino, the national immigration coordinator for Laborers International Union of North America, which represents 800,000, mostly construction workers, in the United States and Canada; and Victor Cerda, the former acting director of detention and removal operations for the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under the Department of Homeland Security. Reverend Cortez, I would like to start with you. We saw the faces of the people protesting, demonstrating in cities across the country today. Who are they? It's American citizens who are frustrated with the inability of Congress to come up with comprehensive reform, the type of reform we need in order to -- to have peace in this country. I think it's very important to show that, in all of these protests, it has been a peaceful protest, because it's people with their families. This is, in fact, a protest of family values. He want to unite our families in this country. We think it's important for Congress to do that. GWEN IFILL: Ms. Merino, why -- why the outpouring today and in recent weeks, when, for so many years, we have never seen anything quite like this? YANIRA MERINO, National Immigration Coordinator, Laborers International Union Of North America: Well, I think everybody was waiting to see a bill coming out of the Senate. And a lot people, a lot of immigrants put their hopes to see that, that that was going to be resolved, looking to have a comprehensive immigration reform that was going to answer to the crisis that we have right now. When the -- when the Senate failed last week to come out with something, and the proposals that were coming out of the Senate were unworkable, that was when people really see that the only way is by us going to the street and raising our voices. GWEN IFILL: Well, but this plan -- this -- this demonstration was planned before the Senate decided to act or not act last week. Is this something that has been in the works for a long time? YANIRA MERINO: Well, I have to say, the attacks to the immigrant community have been since 9/11. I mean, we have been target to be blamed for almost everything that it happens, which is not fair, because, although we recognize that there is challenges affecting this vast minority of immigrants, but also we bring a lot and we contribute to this country, as previous immigrants waves have contributed to this country. |
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| Why is this issue on the rise now? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GWEN IFILL: Mr. Cerda, explain what your -- from your point of view, where -- why this timing? Why now? Why this argument? And I think you're seeing from both sides of the spectrum. You have people who recognize that there are people here who keep coming for jobs that are difficult to fill. And, at the same time, you're looking at, on the enforcement side, on the national security side, an immigration policy, immigration laws that have not been enforced, cannot be enforced, and result in some vulnerabilities in our security. I think those two factions are out there. They have plausible, realistic concerns there. And people want to see Congress make changes that hopefully will address our -- our -- you know, our -- our malformed immigration policies and laws that we have had for the last 20 years. GWEN IFILL: So, this is seeking to put a different interpretation on the -- on the term security? VICTOR CERDA: I think it's security-plus. There are people -- and, you know, my perspective is, we do need to enhance security, through better enforcement of the immigration laws, through better border security. But, at the same time, I think there is a group of people who also understand that security alone isn't going to cut it. It has not done it. And we do need to look at a potential guest-worker program to address an economic need that exists here in the United States. GWEN IFILL: Reverend Cortez, I noticed in your earlier response, you talked a lot about the families who you said are now part of this, the face of this protest. I wonder if that hasn't been a strategic decision on the parts of organizers to kind of try to humanize the issue? INS has not functioned for a long time. It has not been able to do what it needs to do. And, therefore, a lot of people who have come into this country legally are waiting 10 and 12 years to get called. Because of INS not functioning, we have divided families. No one is asking, by the way -- I think this is very important to state -- no one is asking for an open border here. It is recognized that we need to protect our border. But, also, the criminalization of all -- the federal criminalization of 12 million undocumented people is actually what we don't need for security in this country. You are now making 12 million people susceptible to terrorists, if they were to get into the country, because those 12 million people will have to hide. We have serious concerns with what happened in the Senate, and we are very concerned that the two parties chose to make political -- play political checkers, instead of -- of looking at the human need and to look at a bipartisan approach, which is what we actually need in this country. |
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| A changing message and law-enforcement | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GWEN IFILL: Ms. Merino, let me ask you another tactical question. I noticed that, in Kwame's piece there, we saw people -- a sea of American flags. One of the criticisms of the first weekend of protests a couple of weeks ago was, there seemed to be a sea of Mexican flags. And people thought this was anti-American. Was there a decision made that, we are going to try to emphasize the red, white and blue? I noticed the Pledge of Allegiance was recited at the -- at the -- at the protest on the Mall today. We're here. We work. We have families. Most likely, we are going to end up staying in this country, because we already have roots in those communities. So, we have adopted not only the pledge, but also the -- the banner. It's difficult sometimes to let go of your roots. That's what it is. And I think the presence of all other flags reflected that. So, as organizers, we ask people to understand that the message that we want to give is that we -- we would like to be American citizens, and the flag represents a symbol, but it also represents a symbol for immigrants. This country has given us many opportunities. And we have respect and appreciated that. And it is by carrying the flag is a message that we want to send to the rest of America. We're willing to. It was not a problem. GWEN IFILL: When you say it's difficult to let go of your roots, how deep does that go? How -- there are some Americans who look at this protest and say here are people who want to do their own thing. They want to hold on to their own culture, yet, they want the rights of being Americans. YANIRA MERINO: But I think that it doesn't contradict to each other. America is a society when we -- we come together, and we culture -- culture -- I mean, our -- our beliefs and our cultures. And I think that's why it's so important to be here. I think that you're here, you adopt, you love this country. You are loyal to this country. But you always keep thinking where I came from and respect that. That doesn't mean that your loyalty to the country that is giving you the opportunity to better yourself you will forget that, because you will not. GWEN IFILL: Mr. Cerda, let's talk about the law enforcement side of this, because that's -- that's where you came from. It seems -- you said that a guest-worker program is necessary. But you also said that border enforcement is -- is -- should be primary. Am I interpreting what you said should happen first? GWEN IFILL: So, how do you do that, especially when part of the -- part of the reason, impetus for this rally today, these rallies today, was that, at least with the House version of the bill, there were some effort to criminalize illegal overstays of visas and illegal immigrants? How do you -- which comes first, and how do you know that -- that toughening enforcement doesn't obliterate the possibilities for anything else? VICTOR CERDA: I think you have got to look at, in terms of -- there's multiple angles that -- you know, first, we have many lessons from history on enforcement, many options, many targets tried, but we have ultimately, in my opinion, have failed to truly secure the borders, to create a system that works. You have to look at the countries involved. You have got to look at foreign countries. And they need to be partners with us. We need to look at Mexico as a strong partner more than in the past. We need to look at the resources on the border and in the interior. And I think a very important aspect here is to look at the employers who will continue to try to hire undocumented workers. If you implement the guest-worker program, but, yet, you have employers out there who are still hiring people who would then be discouraged from participating in the guest-worker program, you're going to have still a problem there. GWEN IFILL: So, there shall should be employer sanctions, ways of basically deputizing employers to enforce the law? VICTOR CERDA: I think you -- not in terms of deputizing employers, but frankly giving more resources to Homeland Security, so that they do crack down on those employers, and also making the penalty a little bit more harsher than what it is. To them, it's cost of doing business, a risk that they will accept, in terms of hiring illegal workers. But if you make it perhaps a criminal penalty, if you really make it an economic negative for somebody to consider hiring a worker, I think you will have a -- a impetus to deter people from going in -- into the country illegally. |
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| The protestors' rights | ||||||||||||||||||||
| GWEN IFILL: Reverend Cortez, there has been so much activity in churches around the country mobilizing people for these marches. Why has there been such a high profile, not only for Latino churches, like you represent, but also in the Catholic Church in particular across the board, to get people out to these marches, to get involved in this kind of legislation? We are to be a more open and receiving people. In addition, we have our history as a country, where we have always allowed immigrants and we have always allowed immigration. It was easier in the past. All you had to do was get here, and you would become a citizen. People have forgotten that. They have forgotten that the Irish, the Germans, the Italians, when they arrived, didn't have to go through the same immigration process you have to do now, where you have to wait 12 years sometimes. So, I think the church understands and the people of faith understand both our religious traditions, as well as our -- our -- our country's tradition. We understand it. And we are trying to communicate. One thing that is clear, we have not heard from our brothers on the evangelical right. They have been silent, even though the scriptures are clear. And, we, as an organization, Esperanza USA, have asked them to step forward. We're waiting to hear from them. And we look forward to hearing from -- from -- from that constituent, from that religious constituent, who, on this family-values issue, has chosen to remain silent. GWEN IFILL: And, Ms. Merino, the constituency you represent, laborers, there is some concern among some American-born laborers that, in fact, this kind of legislation is going to take jobs away from them. So, the only real way to resolve this is by giving them a status, so that cannot be used against them. They have to have full rights. And we're advocating for very strong worker protections, because in order to -- for an employer to respect that, an employee has to have the right to say, you know, I'm not -- this is -- this is violating my rights. GWEN IFILL: It doesn't... YANIRA MERINO: And I have the right to speak up. GWEN IFILL: It doesn't sound like employer sanctions and worker protections necessarily work together. YANIRA MERINO: That's -- that's correct. That's correct, not from our part. But we're saying that -- we are saying -- the unions are saying -- or at least my union, the Laborers International Union, believe that in any -- any comprehensive immigration reform, a strong worker protection is the key to guarantee protection for all workers in this country. GWEN IFILL: Is this a turning point, Mr. Cerda, in the -- in this immigration-rights movement? You hope that it's another opportunity where -- you know, nobody can take credit for solving the immigration problem in this country, because we have had it throughout the years. So, this is another opportunity for Congress, for the Senate, to step up to the plate and possibly offer a solution that may advance the -- the cause here, in terms of getting uniform policies. (CROSSTALK) GWEN IFILL: Even you two don't necessarily agree on what the elements of that solution should be. VICTOR CERDA: That's correct. And -- and, again, I think that flows to the... GWEN IFILL: Or you three, I guess. VICTOR CERDA: ... complexity of the issue. You know, worker sanctions, enforcement, even the religious causes and issues there are all -- are all on the table right here. But the reality is, that's what makes it a difficult job for those senators up there. And they have a challenge in front of them. GWEN IFILL: Mr. Cerda, Ms. Merino, and Reverend Cortez, thank you all very much. Thank you. |
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Clad in white to symbolize peace, and waving American flags, protesters voiced their frustrations with a state-passed bill that, if Georgia's governor signs it, will cut social programs for those here illegally. 
REVEREND LUIS CORTEZ, President, Esperanza USA: Well, it's ministers. It's homemakers. It's mostly American citizens. It is a misnomer to believe that the people who are marching are, in fact, not American citizens. 
VICTOR CERDA, Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Official: I think the argument has been building up over the last 20 years, when Congress last made change in our immigration laws. 
I think the reality is that you have 40 -- 40 million legal American citizens who happen to be Hispanic. That 40 million number has about five million family members who don't have their documents. Most people who don't have documents came into this country legally. 
YANIRA MERINO: Well, I mean, we want to give a message that one of the reasons that we're out there is because we are saying, we want to be American citizens. 
VICTOR CERDA: That's right. 
LUIS CORTEZ: Well, Gwen, the scriptures, which are the hallmark of what we do and why we do things, the Old Testament and the New Testament for Christian people is very clear about it. 
YANIRA MERINO: Yes, the concern exists, but that's why we're saying that you cannot continue having this 12 million or more people when it's out of status, because that actually plays to putting them in a position they can be abused and exploited, and -- and be used against affecting everybody's wages and everybody's jobs here.
VICTOR CERDA: Well, you hope that it is a -- a turning point in the nation's immigration law and policy. 
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http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=78425
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Make Us Home
Two separate groups are planning counter demonstrations at the state Capitol.
"My phone has been ringing off the hook for three days," said activist D.A. King. "There is no universal civil right to live in the U.S."
King says he plans a counter-rally at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday April 17 -- income tax filing day. He says that before Congress opens any path to citizenship for those already in the U.S., it should secure the borders and punish employers who hire illegal immigrants.
King says he believes that would convince many undocumented workers to go home.
"Nobody breaks into Disneyland if they can't ride the rides. Okay, and by the way, it is considerably more difficult to break into Disneyland than it is to walk into the United States," King said.
Another grass-roots group plans a rally at the Capitol on Saturday. Meanwhile, a proposed federal crackdown deadlocked in the Senate last week.
Georgia Republican Saxby Chambliss called for a combination of enforcement and humane treatment for workers.
"They are important from a workforce standpoint," Chambliss said. "There is no question about that. But by the same token, they need to be here for the right reason and they need to come here in the right way."
At the state Captiol, Gov. Sonny Perdue's press secretary said he would have nothing to say about the march, but he is expected to sign a crackdown that lawmakers passed last month.
The bill denies state services to most adults in the country illegally. But it stops far short of criminal charges for employers or deportation for workers. It's sponsor calls it a first step.
"It is clearly the strongest bill that has passed in any state legislature in America, and for that we can be proud," said state Senator Chip Rogers.
But any solution will take years.
Gov. Perdue's office said it fielded just under 550 calls on Monday about the immigration bill that's on the governor's desk.
The governor's press secretary said the overwhelming majority of the callers want the bill signed.
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http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=102811
Posted Monday, April 10 at 2:39 PM
Atlanta immigrant rights protest draws 50,000by the Associated Press
ATLANTA - Tens of thousands of immigrants spilled into the streets of Atlanta Monday in a national day of action billed as a ``campaign for immigrants' dignity.''
Police estimated at least 50,000 people, many in white T-shirts and waving signs and American flags, joined a two-mile march from a largely immigrant neighborhood northeast of Atlanta.
The Georgia protesters had two targets: congressmen weighing immigration reform and state legislation now awaiting Governor Perdue's signature that would require adults seeking many state-administered benefits to prove they are in the U-S legally.
Nineth Castillo, a 26-year-old waitress from Guatemala who joined the Atlanta march, said she has lived in the United States for eleven years ``without a scrap of paper.''
Asked whether she was afraid to parade her undocumented status in front of a massive police presence, she laughed and said: ``Why? They kick us out, we're coming back tomorrow.''
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http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/stories/0410metmarch.html
Latinos march for immigrant rights
Thousands in Georgia, across the U.S. rally for reform
By TERESA BORDEN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/10/06
Thousands of marchers chanting "Si se peude" ("Yes we can"), wearing white T-shirts and waving mostly American flags overtook Dresden Drive Monday to participate in a National Day of Action on Immigrants' Rights.
The raucous but orderly crowd began their march from the Plaza Fiesta shopping mall on Buford Highway shortly before 10 a.m. Many carried signs or wore shirts bearing slogans such as "We are not criminals we are hard workers" and "I'm a human being."
The protest ended as scheduled at 2 p.m. Heavy traffic has been reported in the area, the bumper-to-bumper variety near the Buford Highway, Clairemont Road intersection.
DeKalb County police detective Ariel Toledo said the crowd was estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 people.
There were over 100 officers assigned to the march, he said.
Among the marchers was state Sen. Sam Zamarripa, who recently announced he would resign from his seat.
"I don't think there's been anything like this ever before in Atlanta," said Zamarripa, an Atlanta Democrat. "These people want to be viewed with dignity. This is a human face of what has been characterized as a criminal element."
But the senator was disappointed that more business leaders had not shown up for the event.
"This community is overcoming its fear to be here," he said. "If these people can come out of the shadows, the business people should be here, too."
Marcher Juan Ballesteros, of Lawrenceville, was wearing a white "God Bless America T-shirt and carrying a sign that said, "Awaken giant."
"We have been working quietly in this country, but when they called us criminals, they woke us up," said Ballesteros, 38, who said he has have lived in this country illegally for eight years and works for a dress making company.
Jorge Angeles, an onion harvester from Lyons, rather than working in the fields, was holding a sign at the protest Monday at reading "I eat Grits, You eat Tacos."
Angeles said his sign symbolized Americans and Mexicans being more alike than different.
"We're all created equal, I have two hands, you have two hands, I have two feet, you have two feet," he said.
Angeles, 33, drove to Doraville with five other field hands, he said. A native of Mexico, he has lived in the country five years illegally and makes about $300 a week, he said.
Rachel Marascalco, a 25-year-old graduate student from Georgia State University said she is not Latino, but is at the march "out of concern for the United States of America and the Latino community. This issue is bigger than the Latino community."
The event was to coincide with marches around the country, in cities from San Jose, Calif., to Siler City, N.C., by immigrants protesting in favor of broad immigration reform and against the criminalization of illegal immigrants. Some said the Senate's failure on Friday to vote on a compromise measure providing a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants actually would swell turnout.
"It's going to be the precise day to demonstrate the importance of the Latino community," said Adelina Nicholls, president of the Coordinating Council of Latino Community Leaders and an organizer of the local march. "They did not reach an agreement or a vote. That is nationally significant. It opens up space for reconsideration."
Sharon Spurrell of Chamblee watched in the shade of a tree as protestors passed by. A former house cleaner, she said it is more difficult to find work with so many immigrants in the Atlanta area doing those jobs. "I don't hate them or anything, I just feel like they took over," said Spurell, 45, who was sitting with her daughter and her sisters.
The Georgia Legislature passed its own crackdown on illegal immigration at the end of this spring's session, with a bill that establishes penalties for human trafficking, lets state police enforce immigration law upon agreement with federal authorities, prohibits employers of illegal immigrants from claiming their wages as tax deductions, and requires state and local authorities to verify that benefit recipients are in the country legally.
Nicholls said she hoped Monday's crowd would reach 40,000 marchers. It was set to leave Plaza Fiesta, march along Dresden Drive, circle around the Brookhaven MARTA station and return along Dresden to Plaza Fiesta to rally until about 3 p.m. She said they were being encouraged to wear white T-shirts and to bring U.S. flags, the latter in response to heated criticism by talk radio commentators and others that Mexican flags waved at previous marches showed that immigrants don't want to assimilate. While the majority of flags were American, there were some from other countries among the crowd, including Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Nicholls said buses, car pools and rented vans were expected to bring in participants from as far away as Gainesville, Dalton, Carrollton, Statesboro, Tifton, Claxton and Savannah. She said even a pastor in Nashville called and promised to bring a group.
Closer to home, protesters were expected from Cobb and Gwinnett counties. Gwinnett has the state's largest immigrant population, with one out of every five residents being foreign-born.
Across the country, organizers in large cities and small towns made tentative predictions of turnout: up to 200,000 in Washington; up to 10,000 in Houston, and Tucson, Ariz.; up to 5,000 in Philadelphia; and 500 to 1,000 in Siler City.
However many show up, Nicholls said they'll make a statement.
"Finally, unity makes for strength," she said. "We want to stop being invisible."
Staff writers Brian Feagans and Mary Lou Pickel contributed to this article.
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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