Thread: Crowd of 150 protests illegal immigration in Oregon

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pb ... /603250335

Crowd protests illegal immigration

Group wants state to halt services for such people

STEVE LAW
Statesman Journal


March 25, 2006

A fired-up crowd of about 150 gathered Friday at the Capitol to protest illegal immigration and to demand that the state halt services to people without U.S. citizenship.

Speakers urged the state to deny driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, to demand proof of citizenship before allowing people to vote and to stop spending money on bilingual education in schools.

"This has nothing to do with someone's race; it has everything to do with following the law," said Victoria Taft, a KPAM talk-radio host who co-sponsored the event with Oregonians for Immigration Reform.

"Stop giving driver's licenses to people who just showed up in a van via Guatemala," Taft said.

The rally attracted Kevin Mannix, a Republican candidate for governor who has lost the support of some influential conservatives for not coming down harder against illegal immigration.

Mannix credited those at the rally for forcing Gov. Ted Kulongoski to withdraw state agency representatives from Carousel of Information events put on by the Mexican Consulate. Critics say state agency participation at those events encouraged illegal immigrants to gain state services.

State Rep. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, blamed illegal immigrants for driving up government costs, among other negative impacts.

"Oregon has given cover to too many people wreaking havoc on our society," Thatcher said.

She promised that her 2005 effort to deny driver's licenses to noncitizens will succeed in the 2007 legislative session.

Protesters carried signs reading: "Illegal Immigration is a Crime," "No Borders, No Country" and "Stop the Illegal Invasion."

Bev Hanes of Beaverton carried a sign reading "Illegals for Ted."

"I'm fed up what's happened to this state," she said.

About 10 counterprotesters, mobilized by the group Jobs with Justice, stood silently behind the crowd.

They carried signs reading "No Human Being is Illegal," "The Pilgrims were Illegal Aliens" and other messages.

Salem resident Joe Schaeffer, who was among that group, said the crowd was advocating "un-Christian" behavior.

"I'm worried that people blame illegal immigrants for basically trying to feed their families," Schaeffer said.

It would be better to go after employers for hiring illegal immigrants than to militarize our borders, he said.

slaw@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6615

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Blog posting on immigration ignites tiff

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALEM, Ore. — The hot-button debate over illegal immigration took a new turn Friday when a Republican state lawmaker complained that an employee of Democratic Secretary of State Bill Bradbury had branded her and others as “racists” for seeking reform of immigration laws.

Rep. Linda Flores of Clackamas raised the issue at a Capitol rally where she and about 150 others gathered to decry illegal immigration and demand that driver’s licenses and voting rights be granted only to immigrants who can prove they are citizens.

Raising Flores’ ire was a political commentary written earlier this week by Bradbury’s communications director, Anne Martens, who said immigration reforms were being promoted by people by people who are “anti-immigrant” and “anti-Mexican.”

In her commentary, which was carried on BlueOregon, an Internet blog that describes itself as a site where “progressives” can get political news, Martens mentioned Flores, saying the lawmaker “must make an extra effort to overcome the ill effects of her Hispanic surname.”

Flores, in her remarks to the rally, shot back at Martens.

“There are some people calling us racist. I am outraged by that,” the Clackamas Republican said. She also said that she planned to take up the issue with Bradbury sometime soon.

Martens, in an interview Friday, was unapologetic about the column.

“This is my personal view. It has nothing to do with my job at the secretary of state’s office,” she said.

Her immediate supervisor, Deputy Secretary of State Paddy McGuire, echoed that view, saying that Martens is free to express her opinion as long as she does it on her own personal time.

“Just because she speaks those opinions doesn’t mean that they represent the secretary of state’s office,” McGuire said.

The immigration issue has become an increasingly hot topic this election year, particularly among the Republican gubernatorial contenders Kevin Mannix, Ron Saxton and Jason Atkinskon. Saxton has taken the toughest stand of the three, saying at a recent debate that illegal immigrants and their children generally should not receive state services.

Martens, in her blog commentary, mentioned that Mannix and Saxton both were expected to attend Friday’s rally at the Capitol, “each hoping to appear hateful enough to snatch up votes with vitriol.”

In fact, Mannix did attend Friday’s rally, and according to rally organizers he signed a letter calling on the state’s leaders to require immigrants to provide proof of citizenship or legal state residence to receive state benefits, driver’s licences and voting privileges.

They said the letter also was signed by Saxton and Atkinson as well.

I come across this tactic all the time in debates. My opponents will brand me as a racist and then feel like they've won the debate. Logic and reason cannot stand up to personal attacks. I stop debating with such persons because I know I'm wasting my time.

"I'm worried that people blame illegal immigrants for basically trying to feed their families," Schaeffer said.

Gee, I think I'll go rob the 7/11 or a gas station and just tell them cops, I'm trying to feed my family. I'm sure it will be OK.

They keep saying things like "feed my family" "starving children". It's all just emotional propaganda. In a 2000 study in Mexico, there were about 500,000 people living in poverty. A MIDDLE CLASS family lives in Mexico on about 250-300 dollars a month. These people paid thousands of dollars to get here, hundreds for fake documents, and lord knows what else. I figure in some cases as much as 6000.00. It has NOTHING to do with starving children! But with a hidden agenda, and don't you think people will pour over the border now as fast as they can after seeing all these public marches and NOBODY does anything! IT BURNS ME UP!

To be sure illegal immigration causes problems to those that think there is an easy solution. Kevin Mannix isnt providing any real solutions or anything new. Just politically pandering to those that would seek to blame all their woes on politically weak, and ready targets instead of the mirror.

The bottom line is deporting or disenfranchising thousands of people to drivers lisences and health care is just gonna drive everything further underground. Just like prohibition gave rise to moonshine runners, and speak easies.

The real reasons behind the financial burdens facing the states of the united states of america is because alot of money is being funneled to maintain a military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. millions of dollars funnelled to curry succor from the Falwells, Oral Roberts, and Evangelical republican polital gogs instead of our public school systems.

The true enemy is the Euro national groups, the chinese, India, etc
that are uniting to form another world economy based on Euros and trade deficits.

china is becoming stronger in the world economy. You all know how to say Deport all those [mod edit] especially from Mexico, but you dont know even the sliver of the implications of huge trade deficits. Its like borrowing against your future, with only nuclear warheads and invasions to back you up. (againt a complete financial collapse)

The USA and its people would be better led by someone with more vision than Kevin Mannix. The vision of a United States of America and Canada and Mexico and south America. Where the USA gets alot of its resouces from oil resources in the western hemisphere, builds and economically expands from sea to shining sea from the Bearring Straits to the tip of South America. Creating jobs for construction workers to build roads, bridges, water systems, platable land for food, technological development. Then people from Mexico, Canada and South America wouldnt be illegal immigrants, they would be partners.

Make no mistake....mexico, Canada and people from south America arent building aircraft carriers, and nuclear tipped warhead aimed at the United States and hold a huge trade deficit advantage like China. The challenge from the Euro conglomeration and its global ambition on the world economy.

They also can just let America and the western hemisphere fight amoung themselves and waste fortune and goodwill, while they unite and grow stronger while the western hemisphere is splintered and spiralling ever deeper in depth.

Or you can adopt hate and narrow minded short sighted policy...or think grander things for America and face up to the challenge of our world rivals who are outproducing us, workwise, manufacture wise, and in some cases militarily in a combined united front. Unite or be divided and conquered.