Thread: Immigration movement incorporating anti-war sentiment

This could work in our favor. If people feel threatened on two fronts they're more likely to form a united front to fight for their survival.


Immigration movement incorporating anti-war sentiment in protests

By PETER PRENGAMAN03/14/07 16:08:10
Pro-immigrant activists, frustrated by lack of progress in Congress toward overhauling immigration laws to provide a citizenship path for illegal immigrants, are looking to tap mounting anti-war sentiment to reinvigorate their effort.
Many believe debate over the war has overshadowed immigration reform, which drew enormous attention last spring with large protests in Los Angeles and other cities that saw thousands of immigrants and their backers take to the streets.

Dozens of rallies planned for this spring will combine protests against the Iraq war with calls for immigration reform. By linking the issues activists believe they'll generate more attention and highlight the U.S. military contribution made by foreign-born troops. They also say the decision reflects growing concern in their communities about the war as casualties mount, which inevitably includes immigrant soldiers.

For Juan Jose Gutierrez, who is helping organize the protests, the issue is personal. His nephew, Marine Cpl. Carlos Arrellano, a 22-year-old Mexican immigrant who while serving became a U.S. citizen, was killed in Iraq last year.

"The war is something that affects immigrants dramatically right now," said Gutierrez, president of Los Angeles-based Latino Movement USA. "It's important people understand that the anti-war and immigration movements are connected."

In Los Angeles on Saturday, Latino Movement USA and a handful of immigrant groups will participate in an anti-war rally being organized nationwide by the Answer (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition.

Also Saturday, several immigration groups will hold a rally in San Bernardino - about 60 miles east of Los Angeles - that combines a demand for amnesty and a call to bring American troops home.

The decision to link the issues underscores that many pro-immigrant groups don't feel they've capitalized on the momentum created by last spring's protests. At those events, many anti-war activists were given a cold reception by immigration groups, who saw them as interlopers attempting to take advantage of the attention they were receiving.

Ian Thompson, a Los Angeles organizer with the Answer Coalition, believes getting American troops out of Iraq and getting citizenship for illegal immigrants working in America are connected social justice movements.

"Some people say combining them confuses the issue, but that's not the case," Thompson said, a Los Angeles organizer with the Answer Coalition.

Not all pro-immigrant groups want to see the issues linked.

Jorge Mario Cabrera, associate director of Carecen, a Hispanic advocacy group in Los Angeles, said it's better to focus limited resources on one issue, and that being associated with anti-war efforts could backfire.

"The risk is that immigration reform is still very political" without adding the divisive war issue, said Cabrera.

Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said her organization is staying neutral for the sake of members with loved ones in the war, though other members have pushed to include the war in rallies.

"Many organizers who have children in the war are uncomfortable," Salas said. "We want to keep the focus on immigration reform for the sake of solidarity."

About 35,000 foreign-born troops serve in the U.S. military and about 8,000 enlist each year, according to a 2005 study by the CNA Corp., a research firm in Alexandria, Va. After whites, Hispanic soldiers have suffered the most causalities of any ethnic group in the Iraq war, with 332 since the beginning of the war in 2003 through Feb. 3, according to Department of Defense data.

"It's poor, working-class Latinos and other working-class youth who are most affected by the war," said Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican-American Political Association. "You bet the war should be an issue."

Immigration activists say the November elections, which gave control of Congress to Democrats - many of whom made opposition to the war a centerpiece of their campaigns - made them realize they couldn't ignore Iraq.

Indeed, the debate on the war has so consumed Congress in recent months that many immigration activists fear lawmakers may not even get to immigration reform bills this year. Congress has been stalled on the issue since last summer, split over whether to first strengthen border security and immigration laws or extend a path to citizenship to illegal immigrants.

The presidential campaign, already revving up, also is a distraction.

"Once the presidential elections kick in, the issue of immigration will get passed over," said Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance for Human Rights, an umbrella organization for Hispanic groups in Southern California. "So as a community, we can't continue to have a one-dimensional political vision."

Recognizing that, Chicago's March 10 Coalition, which includes several dozen civil rights and immigration groups, made a dramatic policy shift three weeks ago. The groups voted unanimously to include the war issue at rallies, reversing the decision made last year to exclude Iraq, spokesman Jorge Mujica said.

At a Chicago rally attracting a few thousand last weekend, demonstrators carried pro-immigrant and anti-war signs and speakers made the link between the war and immigrants serving in it, Mujica said.

"Everybody took it normally that war and immigration issue are together," Mujica said.

http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/35301.html

"They also say the decision reflects growing concern in their communities about the war as casualties mount, which inevitably includes immigrant soldiers."

More Americans are being killed here in the States by illegals than in the war in Iraq -- approximately 25 a day, half by drunk unlicensed illegal drivers, half in violent crimes by illegals. If reducing killing is the goal, then getting rid of the illegals would be a great start.
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"Ian Thompson, a Los Angeles organizer with the Answer Coalition, believes getting American troops out of Iraq and getting citizenship for illegal immigrants working in America are connected social justice movements. "

NY Times, 3/14/07, p.1: "social justice" . . ." the revolutionary language of the left." Just in case anyone didn't know just who the Gringo backers of the illegals are . . .
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"It's poor, working-class Latinos and other working-class youth who are most affected by the war," said Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican-American Political Association. "

No one asked you to come up here and be affected by the war. Go home to Mexico and be unaffected. Your country copped out. It's not your war.

More Americans are being killed here in the States by illegals than in the war in Iraq -- approximately 25 a day, half by drunk unlicensed illegal drivers, half in violent crimes by illegals. If reducing killing is the goal, then getting rid of the illegals would be a great start.

You are so right! It's close to 9,400 Americans killed by illegal aliens every year.

Casualties in Iraq American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): Total 3201 In Combat 2604

about 3 times as many citizens are killed by illegal alliens every year compared to the total number of soldiers killed in Iraq.

Dixie

They are only here for the freebies.
They will never fight for our country as that would actually require work.

Pro-immigrant activists, frustrated by lack of progress in Congress toward overhauling immigration laws to provide a citizenship path for illegal immigrants, are looking to tap mounting anti-war sentiment to reinvigorate their effort.

Many of the groups who are behind the SUPPORT for ILLEGALS are also behind the ANTI-WAR groups.

They are communist/socialist backed groups that have been at work since VN and use every possible issue to manipulate people into dismantling our Constitution.

The 'church' & ACLU are 2 of the most prominent groups who've had their fingers in the pie. Others are behind the scenes dumping money & people into these activities. They supply the handlers, manipulate the press, etc. etc.

Frustrated by lack of progress, immigration-reform groups tap into anti-war sentiment


Comments On This Story

Mod Edit

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/03 ... ogcomments

Sounds like OBL advocates are feeling the heat from everyday Americans who have had it with the lies and betrayal they've seen perpetrated on their country and their children's future.

Let'm squeal, the louder anti America organizations wail the better we're doing.