Thread: Crowd rallies for guest worker program

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4265348

Crowd rallies for guest worker program
Immigration reform: Liberty Park event was aimed at the president
By Jennifer W. Sanchez
The Salt Lake Tribune

Suleyman Khalilov isn't an undocumented immigrant. He doesn't speak English or Spanish.

But, he said he attended the Liberty Rally on Wednesday evening because he wanted to show his support for people who struggle to get through the U.S. immigration system. Khalilov, who moved from Russia to the United States as a refugee five months ago, said his people - Ahiska Turks - have faced discrimination for decades, and he doesn't want it happening to others.

"Everyone who was suffering like me needs the help," he said through a translator. "I know what it's like to be treated as lower-class."

Khalilov was one of about 130 people, mostly Latinos and their children, who gathered at Liberty Park in support of immigration reform, including a guest worker program.

The rally was organized in hopes of showing President Bush, who arrived in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night, that immigration reform is a top priority for some Latinos in Utah, organizers said.

The nonpartisan event started with a trio singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The crowd carried handmade signs that read: "President Bush, we need each other," "Let us earn citizenship - don't make us criminals" and "Mr. Bush, we love the USA."

Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, who upset some conservatives in his own party by supporting Bush's immigration plan, stopped by to speak to the crowd and said he supports their efforts.

"People who are illegal are people," he said in an interview. "I want to get people to come out of the shadows and get criminals out of the system."

Maria, an undocumented immigrant who lives in West Valley City, said she hopes President Bush and lawmakers think about what they would do if they were in the same situation as undocumented workers. Some 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in Utah; about 11 million nationwide.

"I will remind you that you didn't choose where you were born," the 48-year-old nurse's aide told the crowd. "But you got the chance to be born in the country of abundance."

Maria said she was also protesting for the Latinos who died trying to get here.

"They paid for their dreams with their lives," she said.

Suleyman Khalilov isn't an undocumented immigrant. He doesn't speak English or Spanish.

But, he said he attended the Liberty Rally on Wednesday evening because he wanted to show his support for people who struggle to get through the U.S. immigration system. Khalilov, who moved from Russia to the United States as a refugee five months ago, said his people - Ahiska Turks - have faced discrimination for decades, and he doesn't want it happening to others.

"Everyone who was suffering like me needs the help," he said through a translator. "I know what it's like to be treated as lower-class."

Of course it would be asking too much for you to learn english and assimulate into our culture, instead you'd rather contribute to this nation becoming a tower of babel where nobody speaks the same language or shares the same culture. It's all about you, the immigrant isn't it? Notice it's not about what you can do for this country, but what it could do for you.

The nonpartisan event started with a trio singing "The Star-Spangled Banner." The crowd carried handmade signs that read: "President Bush, we need each other," "Let us earn citizenship - don't make us criminals" and "Mr. Bush, we love the USA."

You jerks have done nothing to earn citizenship. Citizenship for the normal, law abiding immigrants takes years to get and they have to go through all kinds of hoops to do it, you people think that you can just jump across our borders illegally and we'll just hand you a green card on a silver platter and with leaders like Bush, I can't blame them for thinking that way, but don't go telling me that you idiots have earned the right to be called an American because you haven't. BTW you people are already criminals. Your illegal presence already makes you a criminal you morons.

"People who are illegal are people," he said in an interview. "I want to get people to come out of the shadows and get criminals out of the system."

Apparently a village in Utah is missing it's idiot just like the one in Texas. What rubbish? Out of the shadows. If they are protesting our laws that they have broken, they are already out of the shadows. They don't fear our laws because traitors like you won't enforce them. No we don't need to get them out of the shadows you traitor, we need to get them out of our country and out of our lives forever. Then we need to turn around and do the same thing to you political cowards. How about that?

Maria, an undocumented immigrant who lives in West Valley City, said she hopes President Bush and lawmakers think about what they would do if they were in the same situation as undocumented workers. Some 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in Utah; about 11 million nationwide.

"I will remind you that you didn't choose where you were born," the 48-year-old nurse's aide told the crowd. "But you got the chance to be born in the country of abundance."

Maria said she was also protesting for the Latinos who died trying to get here.

"They paid for their dreams with their lives," she said.

Boohoohoo you whiny little brat. How about staying in your own country and making it a better place to live? Ever heard of that. How about kicking out the corrupt leaders in Mexihole and voting in some leaders who will actually care about the welfare of your own people? Of course that's hard to comprehend when your dealing with people who have the avg ID of a barnacle. Who cares about some Mestizo's dieing in the desert? How is that suppose to be my problem? Nobody asked me if it was ok for them to invade my country and now they paid the price for their illegal actions. Too bad so sad. I don't wish death on anyone, but don't expect me to cry a river for criminal invaders who pay for their illegal actions. Stay on your side of the border and you won't have to worry about dieing in the desert.

We don't need no stinkin reform, we need our existing laws enforced

Suleyman Khalilov isn't an undocumented immigrant. He doesn't speak English or Spanish.

He's not an American citizen either!

Khalilov, who moved from Russia to the United States as a refugee five months ago

As a Russian refuge (5 months in country) the man probably knows very little about this countries politics, illegal immigration problem, or what it means to be an American citizen. As an accepted refuge, he wasn't required to know squat about the United States, not our customs, language, laws, etc. Leave it to the Salt Lake Tribune to question someone whom knows nothing about our illegal immigrant problem to speak for the illegals.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645197575,00.html

Deseret Morning News, Thursday, August 31, 2006

Demonstrators rally for immigration reform

By Deborah Bulkeley
Deseret Morning News

With a flag draped over her shoulders, Lucy Ferguson sat in a wheelchair as she told a gathering of mostly Latino immigrants and their supporters that she is an American citizen in support of their cause.

Jason Olson, Deseret Morning News
Ferguson told the Deseret Morning News that the cause was important enough to her that she attended Wednesday's "Liberty Rally" at Liberty Park shortly after undergoing an operation on her foot.

"I am in pain because I feel the pain of the undocumented immigrants," said Ferguson, a naturalized citizen from Peru. "These people have a dream to make a better world for their children.... Please Mr. Bush, do your best in Congress."

Ferguson was among several people who spoke at the rally in the hours before President Bush's arrival in Salt Lake. About 100 people attended, hoping to encourage the president to push for immigration reform to legalize many of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, while securing the borders.

U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, told the gathering he predicted Congress will have a bill ready for the president's signature by Christmas. Talks on immigration reform halted after the House passed an enforcement-only bill and the Senate passed a comprehensive measure.

"We have a problem in this country we need to solve," Cannon said. "We're going to clean up the problem. ... We're going to have an immigration bill that is good for America."

Salt Lake County Councilman Mark Crockett presented a resolution signed by Republican council members supporting comprehensive reform.

The gathering was much smaller than rallies earlier this year that drew thousands. Organizer Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah and chairman of the Utah Hispanic Democratic Caucus, downplayed criticism of his rally by some other Democratic Hispanics.

"I don't think we'll ever be able to re-create what happened before," Yapias said. "I think the majority of us support immigration reform."

For Christina and Antonio Robles, the federal debate hits home. They're undocumented, but their two children are native born U.S. citizens.

"President Bush listen," Antonio Robles said. "We came here to work, we are doing nothing but work."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com