Thread: Hispanics Against Immigration Hearings

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Hispanics Against Immigration Hearings

By EMILY FREDRIX
Associated Press Writer


AP Photo/MORRY GASH


MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Hispanic leaders said Friday that Republican plans to hold national hearings on an immigration bill are a stall tactic aimed at delaying immigration reform and attracting more votes for the GOP this fall.

John Tresvina, president of the Mexican American Legal and Education Defense Fund, said the hearings were "basically a stalling tactic."

"It's a way to appeal to their base," Tresvina said at the annual meeting of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

Latinos do not pose a threat to the government and should be valued for their economic contributions, said Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America with labor leader Cesar Chavez.

"We have to let people know what the truth is. This is a distraction," Huerta said.

House Republican leaders scheduled the hearings to get feedback on a Senate-passed bill that would offer legal status to millions of illegal immigrants.

Speakers said Friday that the measure is far from perfect but still better than the one offered by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., which would have subjected those in the country illegally to felony prosecution.

On Wednesday, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean warned that Republicans were using "immigrant bashing and scapegoating" to seek votes in the November election.

His Republican counterpart, Ken Mehlman, canceled his address to the convention because of weather-related travel problems but said in a letter that it was important for the party to reach out to Hispanic voters and continue working on the immigration issue.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said Republicans showed their true colors this week when two-thirds of them voted to eliminate ballots in more than one language.

"We believe any diminishing of language assistance and bilingual ballots is a diminishment of our American democracy," Pelosi said in remarks prepared for a speech Friday evening.

Pelosi, is a blight on our Senate! When she is up for re-election, dear God, please let someone with a smidgen of intelligence take her place.

On Wednesday, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean warned that Republicans were using "immigrant bashing and scapegoating" to seek votes in the November election.

He's gotta go too. Republicans (some) are working for we CITIZENS. Democrats are working for votes, they don't care where they come from.

But it's perfectly fine to use American-bashing and scapegoating for them to ... gasp .... seek votes in the November election.

Heaven forbid anyone else .... gasp (again) appeal to their base.

I'm so sick of the friggin' double standards. I know, so is everyone else.

Oh, boo-hoo, Ms. Huerta !! Boo-hoo. But it's okay for President Bush to attend Hispanic Prayer Meetings, right !!!


Oh this must be heart-breaking for you and I bet you're losing a lot of sleep knowing that the Republicans are going to be "discussing" this with the American people.

Sniffle, sniffle, don't they all KNOW that it's the American's job to be tolerant NO MATTER WHAT is being done to them !! They should be compassionate about all of this and if not they're all racists, RIGHT ??!!

We understand, Ms. Huerta, siffle, sniffle. You never expected the legal American citizens to stand up and say, all the "hurtful" things that they've said.

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S THE TRUTH, DOES IT MS. HUERTA ? THE TRUTH NEVER MATTERS IN THIS ISSUE DOES IT ?

Here's a rowboat so you don't drown in your tears.