Thread: Immigrant reform bill protested in Waterloo

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Monday, March 20, 2006 6:48 AM CST


BREAKING: Immigrant reform bill protested in Waterloo

By JENS MANUEL KROGSTAD, Courier Staff Writer


WATERLOO --- Nearly 200 Latinos attended a prayer vigil Sunday night that urged U.S. Senators to reject the current immigration reform bill being considered in Congress.

As couples and families filed into the Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 320 Mulberry St. , they signed letters to be sent to Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, that ask him to consider the concerns the Latino community has with The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which the Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering. Among other things, the bill makes illegal immigration and helping undocumented workers a crime.

The Rev. Nils Hernandez said many in the Latino community aren't aware of the bill and how it could affect their lives --- a large reason why he organized the Spanish-language service.

"To a certain extent, a lot of people don't understand the danger this (bill) poses," he said.

The church will extend an invitation to Grassley's office to attend a bilingual prayer vigil next Sunday at 6 p.m., which is open to the community.

During the service, Hernandez prayed for the immigrant community and the senators who are considering the bill. He told the congregation that the proposed legislation would violate their right to seek a better life for their families.

"Every human has the fundamental right to immigrate to other countries when the conditions are poor at home," he said.

Afterwards, he and immigration attorney, Miryam Antunez de Mayolo, planted the seeds for a grassroots opposition to the bill.

The congregation chanted "Si se puede" --- yes we can --- a few times, and Hernandez and de Mayolo encouraged people to voice their opposition by writing and calling Grassley's office. Congregation members stood up and urged each other to bring friends to the service next week, and to buy phone cards to make the long-distance call to Washington, D.C.

"(This is) something that's going to affect all of us --- legal or illegal," de Mayolo said in Spanish.

She told the audience that the new bill would criminalize entering the country illegally and assisting an undocumented immigrant. Additionally, the bill doesn't contain a path to citizenship for undocumented workers already in the country, though it contains a temporary worker program.

"It would be a crime to be a Christian --- to feed, give a home to an illegal immigrant," she said. "These are extreme measures that are anti-immigrant and un-American."

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.

Where in the bible does it say all christans must violate immigration law and help illegals stay illegaly in the United States?

ICE provides food, shelter, and quality american medical care in theirjails.