"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/12/'06 5:45PM
"Georgia Immigration" - (Google) News Sweep - 4/12/'06 5:45PM
4/12/'06 - The following article(s) were found in the media. Several stories are provided ... with links to the original sources ... for your convenience:
- Immigration rallies fill nation's streets
- Protests sweep country
- Local Immigrants Stand in Solidarity with Nationwide Rallies
- The Great Immigration Debate
- Midstate Hispanics pointing to May 1 as day of protest
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/0411immigration.html
Immigration rallies fill nation's streets
Latinos test political, economic muscle
By TERESA BORDEN in Atlanta, LILLY ROCKWELL in Washington
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/11/06
Nearly 2 million people, including at least 40,000 in Atlanta, marched in protests Monday in the biggest coordinated demonstration on immigration this country has ever seen.
In Washington, nearly 200,000 people poured onto the National Mall, waving American flags and chanting in Spanish, "Si, se puede," meaning "yes, we can."
 John Spink/Staff | |
| Protesters in Atlanta jam the parking lot of the Plaza Fiesta mall on Buford Highway after marching Monday morning. Police estimated that 30,000 to 40,000 participated in the march, but at least one observer put the number at 60,000. More photos | |
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The massive protest, fueled by Spanish language radio, churches and the Internet, took place at the same site where historic political movements such as the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements were launched.
"This is unlike anything we have seen on immigration issues ever in the nation's history," said Kevin Johnson, a political science professor at the University of California at Davis. "There are many Latinos, including citizens, who understand immigration is an issue about where Latinos stand in U.S. society, and believe this is an important issue."
The turnout in Atlanta was equally impressive. Tens of thousands of legal and illegal immigrants wearing white shirts, waving U.S. flags and chanting "USA, USA" and "Si, se puede" assembled at the Plaza Fiesta mall on Buford Highway on Monday morning to join the nationwide protest.
DeKalb police officials estimated the number of marchers between 30,000 and 40,000. But Arturo Adonay, who manages Plaza Fiesta and has witnessed many celebrations with a huge Latino attendance, put the crowd in the parking lot after the march at about 60,000.
"I don't think there's been anything like this ever before in Atlanta," said Sam Zamarripa, the Mexican-American Georgia senator who last week announced he would not seek re-election. Zamarripa has been a lightning rod in debates in the Georgia Legislature over immigration. "This community is overcoming its fear to be here today."
Zamarripa said Monday's marchers aspired to the standard set by civil rights marchers in Atlanta and the South in the 1960s.
"These are civil rights — they are human rights," he said.
Though there were Mexican, Savadoran and Guatemalan flags sprinkled in the crowd, most of the marchers carried American flags, a response to critics who had denounced marchers in previous events for carrying Mexican flags, saying the flags showed they were unwilling to integrate into U.S. culture.
Catholics who aligned themselves with the marchers carried standards bearing images of the patron of Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe, recalling the 19th century Mexican priest, Miguel Hidalgo, who rallied peasants behind a similar flag during the country's war of independence from Spain.
Across the United States, other marches were scheduled Monday in Houston, Omaha, Phoenix, New York and Boston. But in Atlanta, even organizers were surprised at the turnout for the three-mile march, which caused some logistical problems when marchers at the head, who had already looped around and were returning to Plaza Fiesta, met up with the crowd following them. They had to take a detour along other neighborhood streets to expand the loop of the march. Those who couldn't march because there was no room stood at intersections and cheered the marchers on.
"I feel that, with this event, the Latino community has grown up," said Teodoro Maus, the former Mexican consul general and organizer who marched arm-in-arm with others at the head of the protest. "We are no longer to be treated like children, told to keep quiet, to keep our distance."
Adelina Nicholls, another local organizer, said the turnout was what she hoped for.
"This is a community that is tired of being invisible," she said. "They are looking for recognition of their dignity."
The Rev. Jose Duvan Gonzalez, a Colombian priest with the Catholic Church's Hispanic ministry in the Atlanta Archdiocese, said he had never seen anything like it in 12 years in Atlanta.
National organizers said they hoped to duplicate the success of previous political movements and galvanize the Latino vote in opposition to immigration legislation under consideration in Congress. One of the more popular chants at the Washington protest was: "Today we march, tomorrow we vote."
"We need a sensible way for immigrants to earn citizenship," said Juan Carlos Ruiz, the organizer of the rally, as he stood on a platform above thousands of mostly Latinos crowded on the National Mall. "These are people who work hard and pay taxes."
Political observers say the national protests are the first significant attempt by Latinos to flex their political muscle. But some observers say the aftermath of these rallies, some of which have touched a nerve in Congress with their use of Mexican flags, may spark a backlash and galvanize anti-immigrant voters.
"These types of demonstrations have historically been as much about the white or Anglo backlash than about promoting the Latino vote," said Micheal Giles, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.
Republicans and Democrats are heavily courting the Latino vote. But this divisive issue has produced a rift within the GOP between the more moderate business-minded members and conservatives.
Besides the political impact, organizers are hoping to make an economic statement as well with a new intitiative on May 1. Latinos have been encouraged not to go to school or work or buy anything on that date to illustrate their economic impact on what many are calling No Latino Work Day.
Monday's rallies drew thousands in more than 10 states and 70 cities. In Los Angeles, organizers held a candlelight vigil and march through downtown. One of the marchers was Blanca Perez, a janitor and member of the Service Employees International Union, which helped organize the vigil.
"I am here with my family to make my voice heard and remind politicians in Washington, D.C., that it is us — immigrants — who clean office buildings, care for the children, grow and pick food and many other jobs that make this country work," Perez said in a statement before the vigil. "The problem is not us, it's the system, and it's time now for a solution."
The protests are aimed at lawmakers in Congress overhauling the nation's immigration laws. A stringent House proposal that focuses on border security would make it a felony for immigrants to be here illegally. A more comprehensive Senate proposal would allow a majority of the nearly 12 million illegal immigrants in this country to stay and eventually become citizens.
The Georgia Legislature recently passed a bill that would deny some state services to illegal immigrants.
Most of the Latinos marching Monday said they were marching out of anger toward the U.S. House legislation.
"My mom, stepdad and my dad came here illegally and they are hard workers," said Kevin Yaya, 17, of Rockville, Md. "They don't deserve to be labeled criminals."
AJC staff writers can be reached at: Teresa Borden, tborden@ajc.com; Lilly Rockwell, lrockwell@ajc.com. The Associated Press and Cox correspondent Bob Keefe contributed to this article.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=1&url_article_id=13788&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
Protests sweep country
04/11/2006
By Deepti Hajela
The Associated Press
NEW YORK —Hundreds of thousands of people demanding U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants took to the streets in dozens of cities from New York to San Diego on Monday in some of the most widespread demonstrations since the mass protests began around the country last month.
Rallies took place in communities of all sizes, from a gathering of at least 50,000 people in Atlanta to one involving 3,000 people in the farming town of Garden City, Kan., which has fewer than 30,000 residents.
Demonstrators in New York City held signs with slogans such as ''We Are America,''
''Immigrant Values are Family Values,'' and ''Legalize Don't Criminalize.''
''We love this country. This country gives to us everything,'' said Florentino Cruz, 32, an illegal worker from Mexico who has been in the United States since 1992. ''This country was made by immigrants.''
The protesters have been urging lawmakers to help an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants settle legally in the United States. A bill passed by the House would crack down on illegal immigrants and strengthen the nation's border with Mexico. A broader overhaul of immigration law stalled in the Senate last week.
Monday's demonstrations followed a weekend of rallies in 10 states that drew up to 500,000 people in Dallas and tens of thousands elsewhere. Dozens of other rallies, many organized by Spanish-language radio DJ's, have been held nationwide over the past two weeks, including one with more than 500,000 people in Los Angeles.
In the nation's capital, thousands of immigrants, their families and supporters marched Monday from Hispanic neighborhoods past the White House, then converged on the National Mall.
In North Carolina and Dallas, immigrant groups called for an economic boycott to show their financial impact. In Pittsburgh and other cities, protesters gathered outside lawmakers' offices. At the Mississippi Capitol, they sang ''We Shall Overcome'' in Spanish.
In Atlanta, many in white T-shirts, waving American flags, joined a two-mile march from a largely immigrant neighborhood.
The Rev. James Orange from the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda compared the march to civil rights demonstrations led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and farm-labor organizer Cesar Chavez.
''People of the world, we have come to say this is our moment,'' Orange said.
In New Jersey — with the Statute of Liberty in the background — several hundred people listened to speeches in Spanish and waved U.S., Colombian and Mexican flags.
Thick crowds gathered in New York's Washington Square Park before marching to City Hall. Many waved flags, both American and of countries of their origin. Korean-Americans beat drums nearby. Another group marched from Chinatown, and a third demonstration took place in Brooklyn.
Police declined to estimate the size of the crowds, but organizers said 125,000 people were present at City Hall.
One of the Korean drummers, Grace Nam, 35, who is an American citizen, said: ''We just need to make our voices heard. You want to live in a place where people are treated with dignity.''
Peter Lanteri, director of New York's chapter of the Minutemen, a volunteer border watch group, said he thought it was ''ridiculous'' that illegal immigrants were protesting for their rights.
''Illegal is illegal, and they break our laws to come here,'' Lanteri said by telephone. ''We want the illegal immigration stopped and the borders secured.''
Supporters in San Diego planned to hold a ceremony to honor immigrants who died while illegally crossing the border. An evening rally was scheduled in Los Angeles.
In Phoenix, police estimated that at least 50,000 people marched from the state fairgrounds to the Capitol for a rally; protest organizers put the number at 80,000 to 100,000.
Exit ramps were closed and traffic on freeways through downtown was backed up for miles. At one point, the crowd stretched more than two miles.
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http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4754964
04/11/06
Local Immigrants Stand in Solidarity with Nationwide Rallies
As people rally around the country on the immigration issue, we spoke with one woman who was among about 1,000 people to turn out in Savannah's Forsyth Park this Sunday, and was at the others in spirit.
She says, basically it boils down to solidarity. People who marched in Savannah say they've got to stick together with immigrants all over.
With American flags, posters and speakers popping up at rallies nationwide, immigrants from the Low Country and Coastal Empire are trying to stand with them.
"If you really come here to work and not to harm anyone or do anything bad, I think you can make your dream come true in America," said Esperanza Ebersole.
Ebersole came to America from Colombia when she was just a teenager. She says she and others like her hope to see new laws coming on the books help make good people legal citizens, instead of throwing up roadblocks.
She's "hoping and praying that the law will be fair for everyone and we can live here happily and we can give back to this country the way this country give back to us."
Ebersole says the near-simultaneous rallies around the country should catch people's attention and can be a powerful statement. "This country was based on immigrants. Everybody came from somewhere. So we just need to stick together and to help each other."
Georgia lawmakers recently passed a sweeping bill denying state benefits like unemployment and non-emergency medical care to adults in the United States illegally. The bill would also withhold tax deductions from companies that knowingly employ illegal immigrants.
The bill will go into effect in July, 2007, if Gov. Sonny Perdue signs it.
Reported by: Chris Cowperthwaite, ccowperthwaite@wtoc.com
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http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=724&NewsID=710460&CategoryID=11571&on=1
| The great immigration debate | |||||||||||
| U.S. and Georgia confronting illegal alien issues 04/11/06 Benito Martinez works for Dalton Paving and Construction, the road crew responsible for the current construction on Nashville Street in downtown Ringgold. Martinez said he came here illegally over a decade ago, but has gained permanent residency since then. "I am just trying to give a better life for my family here and in Mexico," he said. "I work hard. I love this country." The Georgia General Assembly approved the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act last month, which includes restricting many public benefits from illegal immigrants, financially punishing employers who hire illegal workers and preventing anyone with a public contract from hiring illegal State Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) said Georgia taxpayers should not bear the burden of paying for services for illegal immigrants. "Our country was founded on immigration," Mullis said. "I just want everyone to be here legally." "Now it is time for the federal government to step up to the plate and make it more efficient for good immigrants to come here and to make it so the bad ones can't," he added. U.S. House Bill 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Control Act passed the House in December 2005. This bill, if passed into law, makes illegal immigrants felons and establishes that people convicted of entering the U.S. illegally should never be allowed to reenter. Another hotly contested part of this legislation concerns the fact that the bill does not include a guest worker program for undocumented immigrants already in the country, a provision the Bush administration supports. The Pew Hispanic Center states that there are around 11 million undocumented illegal immigrants in the United States andup to 250,000 in Georgia. The bill also dictates that anyone or any organization that "assists" an individual without documentation to reside or remain in the United States knowingly or with "reckless disregard" to an individuals legal status will be considered criminals and subject to prison time. This would include church and charity personnel who provide shelter or other basic needs to undocumented people. According to the bill, any property used in this act would be subject to seizure and forfeiture. Also, a 700 mile fence would be erected on the southwest U.S.-Mexico border at points with the highest number of immigrant deaths, and more enforcement personnel would be used to control the perimeter of the country. Blanca Ochoa was born in Mexico and lived there until she was 14 before her father moved to the United States to work as a field laborer. Ochoa now works as the day manager at Los Reyes restaurant in Ringgold and feels that a lot of Americans misunderstand illegal workers. "Many people say that the illegal worker is taking advantage of the system because they use the roads and schools but don't pay taxes, but I know many of them that would gladly pay taxes and contribute if they were eligible to get residency legally," she said. "Most of these people don't have any other choice." Ochoa is in her forties now and has lived in the US legally for many years. "Not everyone comes to this country for the same reason," she said. "After I lived in the U.S. for a while, I would go back to Mexico and be treated differently. I wasn't sure what country I was a part of; there was an identity crisis for me that I'm sure many other people feel, too. "I really love this country, I'm just not sure If I will ever really belong because of issues like this one," she said.
State actionOn the state level, many leaders of Georgia's General Assembly refer to statistics showing that a majority of citizens want something done about illegal immigration. Last month the state House voted to add a 5 percent surcharge on international wire transfers made by people who cannot prove legal residency in the United States. Many state lawmakers claim that they are taking these types of actions because of the federal government's slow movement on the issue. State Sen. Chip Rogers, (R-Woodstock) drafted the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act. Sen. Sam Zamarripa (D-Atlanta), the Georgia Senate's only Hispanic member, stated that the federal government is the only group that can fix this problem, and that the bill only creates fear in a community of people that are in Georgia to work. Sen. Don Thomas, (R-Dalton) said Georgia should take steps to protect its citizens if the U.S. Congress is slow to act on this issue. "Illegal residents of this state are given rights that American born citizens are being denied," he said. "For instance, one of my constituents has cancer but no insurance and she can't get emergency treatment. "If she were an illegal immigrant federal law mandates that she would be helped. That's just not fair."
Federal wranglingThe U.S. Senate, until their recent break, was debating immigration reform legislation, and a number of delegates have submitted proposals and measures they would like to see made law. President George W. Bush spurred the Senate on April 5 to approve a comprehensive bill. "This is a vital debate," Bush said. The president wants a provision for guest workers that will allow immigrants to stay in the country and do jobs that, he said, Americans will not perform. The upper house is considering many facets of the legislation including guest worker stipulations and pathways undocumented laborers might take to permanent residency or citizenship. The latest position from the Senate, a counterproposal to a piece introduced by Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) would establish a cut off date for grandfathering-in undocumented immigrants who are already here, as long as these people have spent at least five years in the country and pay fines and back taxes. The McCain/Kennedy bill would put immigrants that meet these conditions and maintain their jobs on track to citizenship. Opponents of the measure claim that the bill gives amnesty to people who have broken the law and entered the country illegally. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) said any kind of guest worker program will be a mistake before the borders are totally secure. He said he wants to offer an amendment for border security enhancements before a guest worker program is started. "If my amendment is not voted on or does not pass, there is no way I can support this legislation in its current form," he said. "If we do not incorporate measures that will secure and seal our borders, we'll have recreated the problem we created in 1986 when we granted amnesty to three million but failed to first secure the border," Isakson said. "Only this time, we will deal not with just 3 million illegals coming, but millions and millions and millions more — all because we looked the other way." Both political parties have introduced plans to deal with the immigration problems, but so far any attempts at a bipartisan settlement have failed and a showdown over the issue rages. The proposal most Republicans are backing requires illegal immigrants who have been here less than five years to return to their home country with no guarantee that they could reenter the U.S. Some could return as temporary workers and begin the legal process of seeking citizenship. The Democrats, led by Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, back an approach that would grant most of the 11 million immigrants legalized status and a way to apply for citizenship without leaving the country if they satisfy certain conditions like payment of fines and taxes, and learning English. A proposed federal immigration law compromise separates the population of illegal immigrants into three groups. Immigrants here for more than five years could stay in the country and apply for permanent residency. Those here between two and five years would have to go to a border entry point sometime in the next three years, but they could immediately return to the U.S. as temporary workers. Immigrants here less than two years would have to leave the country and start the process for visas to return. As of press time, it appears the U.S. Senate will not have an opportunity to reach a feasible resolution to the debate until after they reconvene from their two-week Easter break. President Bush called for a compromise in his weekly radio address on April 8, but even if the Senate reaches a deal after the recess, negotiations with the House of Representatives still lay ahead. | |||||||||||
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Midstate Hispanics pointing to May 1 as day of protest
By Heather Duncan and Matt Barnwell
Although there were few protests against proposed immigration laws in the midstate Monday, some Middle Georgia Hispanics participated in Atlanta demonstrations or marched in Tifton on Sunday. Others said further protests are planned for Middle Georgia on May 1 as part of a wave of national demonstrations.
In Warner Robins, two Mexican restaurants - El Cotija and Tacos & More Loncherio - were not serving food Monday. Both of them bore yellow, handwritten signs in the window that read, "In order to support immigrants' day, we will be closed. ... Thank you for your support and understanding."
About 40 people from Macon and Fort Valley missed work to participate in the Atlanta protests Monday, said Moises Velez, owner and publisher of Middle Georgia's monthly Spanish-language newspaper, ÀQuŽ Pasa?.
Velez said most Hispanic business owners decided to remain open Monday in favor of closing May 1, when a national demonstration is planned. Hispanics will be encouraged not to work, attend school or buy anything in an effort to show their impact on the U.S. economy. "Most businesses here couldn't afford to close twice," he said.
In one Mexican restaurant that was open, El Bronco on Watson Boulevard, Ismael Gama stood waiting to seat customers. He said he's heard a lot of people talking about protests, and he said he might have gone to Atlanta if it had been his day off.
"A lot of people come here and try to work," said Gama, who journeyed from Mexico to the United States 10 years ago. "It's kind of hard for a lot of decent people coming here."
Gama, who said he has only a tax identification number and no driver's license or Social Security card, said he is afraid to visit his parents in Mexico because he doesn't know if current laws would allow him to return to America.
Natalie Rodriguez said her family's businesses, which include Tapatio Mexican Restaurants in Fort Valley and Unadilla, were open Monday, but they will likely participate in the May 1 closure.
"We're also trying to do something in Warner Robins then," she said. "My suggestion is to march down Watson Boulevard at a very busy time with American flags to say, 'We're here and we're going to stay here. We're not here as criminals, we're here as workers. We want to do the work other people won't do.' "
Her mother, Yolanda Medina, a co-owner of the business, said although her immediate family is in the country legally, they do have family members and good friends who are not documented.
"I'm all for reform to sort out the people we have here. ... There are some lazy people in every culture and believe me, the few that I know that are bums, I let them have it. But when has it ever been a crime to work?" asked Medina, who spent 22 years as a field worker before opening the restaurant.
'JUST WANT
TO DO THE WORK'
Tony Bass, owner of Bass Custom Landscapes in Warner Robins, said Mexican guest workers he employs have shown no interest in becoming politically active in recent days. One reason, he suggests, is that they are in the country only on a temporary basis - eight to 10 months at a time - and may not share the same concerns as an illegal immigrant who now is seeking amnesty.
"I just don't see that," he said. "I see guys that come to work every day, have a smile on their face and just want to do the work and continue to have the opportunity to work here."
Like many business owners who use immigrant labor, Bass said he has trouble finding anyone else willing to fill his entry-level jobs.
Alfredo Suarez, a Macon writer, was one of thousands of Middle Georgians who traveled to Tifton on Sunday for a march organized by a local Catholic church.
He said American flags were everywhere and some marchers carried placards saying, "Support a fair law" while many chanted "Workers not criminals." Although some people heckled from the sidelines, Suarez said no confrontations resulted.
Although no events were staged locally, leaders in the Hispanic community said many Middle Georgians fear the effects of new state legislation that would, among other things, cut off publicly funded health care for undocumented immigrants.
"We increase risks to everyone when we don't treat people for transmitted diseases," Velez said.
Suarez agreed, but he said the impact will be most lasting within the Hispanic community. "We will create a race of poor people by ethnicity," he said. "If you have no vaccinations, you cannot be in school. If you cannot be in school, you face poverty for the rest of your life."
Ted Meisner is one of many who voiced outrage at the proposed federal regulations, which would make it a felony to be in the country illegally and criminalize those who help undocumented immigrants.
"It's impossible to eliminate out-of-the-country 11 million people just because you say all of a sudden they're felons," said Meisner, who runs a bilingual spiritual outreach program in Macon called La Ermita. "It's like removing twice the population of Georgia." He pointed out that there is not enough jail space or court capacity to handle such a move.
Meisner contended that politicians are using terrorism as an excuse for racism. "Where does all this racism come from?" he asked. "The terrorists didn't come in illegally or through Mexico."
"We are not the terrorists!" Medina said. "Show me the Mexican who flew a plane and killed all those people. We come to feed the nation, that's what we come to do."
Velez said he hopes the controversy will have at least one positive effect: creating a more formalized Hispanic network in Middle Georgia.
"This is awakening some people who were sleeping," he said. "This creates a consciousness that people can do things. That is good."
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Erik Voss
erik@ICAtlanta.org
404-457-5901 Direct
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