"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/13/'06 7 PM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/13/'06 7 PM
4/13/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
- Some immigration marchers pay high price
- Illegal immigrant impact 'impossible' to measure
- Retirement makes Gwinett center of Hispanic politics (Gwinett Daily Post)
- Both Sides Talking Immigration (WXIA)
- Counter Rallies Planned in Ga (WXIA)
- Immigration laws, like all others, must be obeyed (Tribune and Georgian)
- Thousands march in Tifton in support of equality for immigrants (The Tifton Gazette)
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Immigration_Firings.html
Thursday, April 13, 2006 · Last updated 3:33 p.m. PT
Some immigration marchers pay high price
By ANNA JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
CHICAGO -- Six employees at a seafood restaurant in Houston were fired this week after skipping work to take part in a pro-immigration march. In Detroit, 21 immigrants lost their jobs as meat cutters after attending a similar protest last month.
And several students at a high school near Tampa, Fla., were suspended this week for walking out of class to go to a demonstration.
Across the country, workers and students have paid a price for attending the immigration rallies that have recently swept the nation. They have lost jobs or been cited for truancy for joining the hundreds of thousands who have protested proposed federal legislation that would crack down on illegal immigrants.
In one case, the family of a 14-year-old Los Angeles-area boy said he committed suicide because he was threatened by a school official for participating in immigration protests. School officials disputed that.
Now, some rally organizers are telling people not to risk their jobs or education to attend the demonstrations and are considering rescheduling protests to weekends and evenings.
"This is a concern because this is a demographic of people who have historically not come out into the streets to raise an issue," said Germonique Jones, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Center for Community Change, an umbrella group behind the rallies. "Obviously businesses have to be run, and it's only right for people to tell their employers that they will be out beforehand. ... We don't want people losing their jobs over this."
But many others say marchers want to make the sacrifice to show the importance of immigration reform.In some cases, fired workers have been offered their jobs back after advocacy groups have gotten involved, including the 21 Detroit meatpacking company workers. The company said Thursday that it would rehire them, but only if the staffing company they were hired through can confirm they are legal immigrants.
Pedro Ortega, 30, was fired along with nine co-workers from an automotive parts factory in a suburb south of Chicago after attending a March 10 immigration march that drew more than 100,000 people.
A workers-rights organization got involved and negotiated with Cobra Metal Works Corp., which rehired the employees about a month later, he said. The company said in a statement it supports immigration reform and will allow workers to speak out as long as they follow company procedures for taking time off.
Ortega, who has worked at the factory for eight years, said attending the march was worth the repercussions, and he plans to attend another rally in Chicago scheduled for May 1.
"We have to change the way the American people think about us," Ortega said. "We are here to work and to make our lives better."
But in Phoenix, one of the organizers of a city's immigration march earlier this week, former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez, said a planned May 1 work and school boycott is generating little interest from many advocacy groups. He said participants are tired and have to return to work.
In Chicago, Rafael Pulido, a deejay on WOJO-FM who was instrumental in getting the word out about the city's huge March 10 rally, said he tells his listeners not to skip school.
"I am not in favor of students leaving schools to protest," said Pulido, who goes by the name "El Pistolero."
Jerry Gonzalez of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, which helped organize Monday's march in Atlanta, said while some businesses shut down to allow employees to participate, organizers stress that workers need to get permission to miss work and students should stay in school.
"The whole reason people are here is to work," Gonzalez said. "We need to do (protests) responsibly."
Other rally organizers say they plan to encourage people to participate in the May 1 boycotts and marches and said they will work with employers to ensure protesters will not be punished and to help fired workers find new jobs. Groups also are helping students, parents and schools prepare.
The Mexican-American Political Association, a central organizer of rallies in Southern California, is planning to send thousands of form letters to parents that they can use as school absence slips for their children.
"Parents have every right to keep their children home from school for personal reasons," said the association's president, Navito Lopez.
Others say while they recognize that some students and workers may not be able to attend weekday rallies, the marches are too important to hold them at night or on weekends, when fewer people will take notice.
"I think what all these sacrifices indicate is how critical this issue is for workers and students," said Tim Bell of the Chicago Workers Collaborative, the group that helped Ortega. "Workers want people to know how valuable their work is to the nation, and if they don't work, there is a huge effect on the country."
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Associated Press writers Curt Anderson in Miami, Giovanna Dell'Orto in Atlanta, Sarah Karush in Detroit, Juan Lozano in Houston and Peter Prengaman in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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http://www.mainstreetnews.com/2006/April/J0412H.html
Illegal immigrant impact 'impossible' to measure
As Congress and the nation debate how to deal with illegal immigration, what is the local impact of illegal immigrants?
That question, it turns out, isn't easy to answer. Many local public agencies aren't required to ask citizenship status before providing services.
Schools, for example, may be servicing children of illegal immigrants, but they don't keep a record of students based on citizenship status.
"We don't have to check (citizenship)," said Jackson County School system assistant superintendent Shannon Adams. "We have to educate everyone."
Even when new students are registered for school, a Social Security card is not required. Only proof of local residency is needed, along with immunization paperwork and a birth certificate.
The county health department is another resource that may be serving illegal immigrants, but there are no numbers to show how many.
"We are not required to check citizenship," said nurse practioner Georgia Hudgens. "WIC (the Women, Infants and Children program) offers help to all. We have nothing on file identifying refugee services."
Some agencies, however, are starting to face requirements related to immigrant status. A couple of months ago, the Department of Family and Children Services was required to begin reporting monthly the number of illegal immigrant children in its custody.
"We have none," said Jackson County DFCS director Cathy Bitterman.
Bitterman also said that as of Jan. 1, illegal immigrants are not eligible for any services through DFCS.
"I'm sure we have turned some folks away," she said. "I just don't know if we have any numbers of how many."
Another local agency that comes in contact with illegal immigrants is the sheriff's department.
Jackson County Sheriff Stan Evans said regular procedure is to call INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) when someone has been detained who is an illegal immigrant.
"Most times, we are told to just let them go," said Evans. "They only come and get them (the illegal immigrants) if they have other charges against them."
Evans said the sheriff's department has no way of tracking the number of illegal immigrants its dealt with in the past year.
"We don't have that many incidents that we deal with the illegal immigrants," said Evans. "It hasn't presented itself as a big problem to us."
Evans also agrees that there's just no way to tract the impact of illegal immigrants on Jackson County.
"It's impossible," he said.
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http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=32&url_article_id=13885&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
Retirement makes Gwinett center of Hispanic politics
04/13/2006
Republicans are gaining more momentum in the Legislature, even a week and a half before people line up for office.
One influential Democrat switched parties this week and two more said they won't seek re-election, including Sen. Sam Zamarripa, the only Hispanic member of the Senate.
That leaves Gwinnett as the only Georgia county with Latino representation under the Gold Dome.
Rep. David Casas, R-Lilburn, said he was saddened to see Zamarripa go, even though the two rarely saw eye-to-eye on legislation.
"I spent most of my time trying to block his (legislation) and vice versa," Casas said.
But he said the two often appeared at Hispanic forums together, with the Cuban-born Gwinnett man giving the Republican argument and Zamarripa the Democrats' side.
"When we got together, it was a good debate and the issues got out there," Casas said. "The Hispanic community and all its diversity had a voice. Without him, that voice diminished some."
Casas, one of two Gwinnett reps with Hispanic heritage, said he did not attend Monday's immigration rally in Doraville, where about 50,000 people protested.
Casas supported bills in the Legislature to make it harder for illegal immigrants to receive state support such as nonemergency health care, but he said he hopes to see Congress pay attention to the rally.
"The numbers are high, and it shows it's quite a huge issue," he said.
Casas said he first wants to see movement on tightening up the border before debating what to do with immigrants in the country.
"You can't rebuild New Orleans without fixing the levees. It's the same thing here," he said. "We need to fix this broken system."
Although a staunch opponent of the immigration-reform bill passed by the General Assembly last month, Zamarripa worked closely with the measure's sponsor, Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, to soften its impacts on illegal immigrants and their families.
Back to the influential Democrats
Rep. Mickey Channell of Greensboro announced he was switching to the Republican Party on Wednesday.
He's the 14th legislator to switch parties since 2002 when Gov. Sonny Perdue became the first Republican governor elected since Reconstruction.
"As I've said, the Republican Party is the fastest growing family in Georgia, and this is yet another example of that truth," said Georgia Republican Party Chairman Alec Poitevint. "We look forward to working with Mickey as we continue to improve education, create jobs, and do what is best for the citizens of Georgia."
Rep. Tom Bordeaux, D-Savannah, announced this week that he was stepping down after 16 years in the House to spend more time with his wife and young children.
Bordeaux, a lawyer, rose to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee before a dispute in 2004 over a tort-reform bill with then-Speaker Terry Coleman, D-Eastman, cost him the post.
Bordeaux gained a reputation as one of the chamber's more thoughtful members, able to sift through even the most complicated bills and unearth potential unintended consequences.
The departures of Zamarripa and Bordeaux aren't expected to reduce the Democrats' numbers in the Legislature. Both occupy seats considered safe for the minority party.
Political Notebook appears in the Thursday and Sunday editions of the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Staff Writer Dave Williams contributed to this report. Camie Young can be reached via e-mail at camie.young@gwinnettdailypost.com .
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http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=78529
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Both sides of that debate met on Wednesday evening.
The monthly political party hosted by Creative Loafing at Dad's Garage in Inman Park brought together opposite ends of the political spectrum with lawmakers and lobbyists.
There were many hot-button bills in play during the session, but illegal immigration emerged at the last minute to eclipse nearly all of them.
"I think the United States Congress, the White House and many of these states will rethink these very punitive very draconian kind of laws to really hurt people who are simply here to make a living," said state Representative Tyrone Brooks (D - Atlanta).
Brooks says what's needed now, is solidarity between the new Latino movement, and the old civil rights movement.
"And I hope that the civil rights leadership of this country that has traditionally been in the forefront of breaking down barriers will continue to work with the Latino leadership," Brooks said.
State Senator Renee Unterman (R - Gwinnett County) said, "You have to remember that those Hispanics that you're talking about are not legal Amercan citizens. They're actually illegal people out there protesting for rights as a legal person."
Unterman says while the Latino demonstrations are sending an unmistakable message, her constituents are speaking loud and clear as well.
"My constituency is 100 percent behind Americans and legal values, and people being here legally and working here legally and getting paid above board and they're very resentful," Unterman said.
Many believe that Georgia's Senate Bill 529 is more ceremonial than anything else, since federal law would supercede its authority.
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http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=78467
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Tens of thousands marched for recognition of illegal immigrants. Now, two counter-rallies are planned for the state capitol -- one on Saturday, another on Monday.
Jeff Hermann's pine straw business nearly died over the past two years. Lots of regular clients left for competition who under-bid him.
"We lost nearly 40 percent of our accounts," Hermann said. "It got so bad last November that I had to go down and apply for food stamps."
"There are several large landscaping companies out in this area that were not bashful about admitting to me that they hired illegal Mexicans," said Hermann.
Hermann says business rebounded once he told customers he'll only hire U.S. citizens or legal immigrants.
He got politically involved, too -- opposing the Bush Administration's proposed guest worker plan, which Senator Saxby Chambliss says is vital for industries like agriculture.
"We need to figure out some way to allow temporary workers to come into this country to truly do the jobs that Americans don't want, or that we need done," Chambliss said.
Hermann says he's heard the argument that workers who are here illegally are doing jobs Americans won't do. He says in his experience, that's just not true.
"There's no such thing as a job an American won't do. There might be a job that, maybe you won't do. But I know plenty of Americans that'll go out and do that job if they can make a decent living at it," said Hermann.
Hermann says he wants tough penalties for employers who hire illegal workers. He says those workers are victims, too.
"They're definitely exploited, and it's not right," Hermann said. "They're the 21st Century equivalent of slaves."
But, he said, they're now speaking up. And so is he.
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http://www.tribune-georgian.com/articles/2006/04/12/news/opinion/letters/5letter4.12.txt
Letters
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Immigration laws, like all others, must be obeyed
Dear Editor, So, the new Georgia is supposed to accept illegality as the norm? What about other laws?
If it is OK to break the immigration laws, why is it not OK to break any or all laws?
I would not expect any other country in the world to simply accept me as a citizen without following due process; why should we as a country expect less and turn our heads and pretend that is is OK for some to break the law?
Fine people from all over the world follow the process to come to America to pursue their dreams. There should be no exception to the law.
Kathryn Berger
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http://www.tiftongazette.com/homepage/local_story_101223825.html?keyword=topstory
Published: April 10, 2006 09:53 pm
Thousands march in Tifton in support of equality for immigrants
By JD SumnerTIFTON — An estimated 2,000 people marched through downtown Tifton Sunday in what organizers called a march for hope and equality for Hispanic immigrants.
Chanting for equal rights and an end to stereotypes that have labeled the largely migrant population as criminals, marchers paraded down Main Street in an undeniable sign of unity throughout the local Hispanic community.
The march came one day before massive nationwide protests called for a national day of action for immigration reform.
Locally, marchers headed up Main Street to 12th Street, over to Love Avenue and back down to Veterans Park where they celebrated the Hispanic culture through music and dances.
The crowd was awash with American and Mexican flags, with most of the crowd carrying the Stars and Stripes.
A myriad of signs, some denouncing unpopular legislation including a controversial Georgia bill, could be seen throughout the crowd.
Signs read, in Spanish, "We are equal; we are not criminals, no to HR 4437." "We are workers, we aren't thieves, no to SB 529."
Not everyone at Sunday's march was there to support the immigrants' point of view.
A few isolated counterprotesters were seen along the march route standing silently but waving American flags.
The Tifton Police Department did not report any arrests or incidents of violence associated with the protests.
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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