Thread: Immigrant group to rally in Frederick

Immigrant group to rally in Frederick
Originally published October 21, 2008, 1:34 PM - Updated 1:34 PM, October 21, 2008


From Staff Reports





CASA de Maryland plans to rally outside Winchester Hall tonight while county commissioners discuss their legislative priorities.
CASA, an immigration rights organization based in Montgomery County, applied Monday for permission to gather from 7 to 8 p.m. on the sidewalk outside the county building at 12 East Church St.

Hector Pop, an advocate for CASA in Frederick, said the group will call on the community and the Frederick County Commissioners to address discrimination and the damage done to families broken apart by immigration policies enacted by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

Pop said CASA also opposes attempts by Commissioners John L. Thompson and Charles Jenkins to have local schools count illegal immigrant students.

CASA supports a proposal by the Frederick County Human Relations Commission to strengthen language in its founding ordinance to make discrimination “unlawfulâ€

[quote]CASA supports a proposal by the Frederick County Human Relations Commission to strengthen language in its founding ordinance to make discrimination “unlawfulâ€

Don't forget to bring your Mexican Flag....that always makes you look like you want to be American!

Pop said CASA also opposes attempts by Commissioners John L. Thompson and Charles Jenkins to have local schools count illegal immigrant students.

I think its only fair for Maryland taxpayers to know how much of their taxes go toward educating illegal aliens. I think EVERY state should COUNT AND PUBLISH THE NAMES OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ATTENDING ITS SCHOOLS.

Originally Posted by butterbean

Pop said CASA also opposes attempts by Commissioners John L. Thompson and Charles Jenkins to have local schools count illegal immigrant students.

I think its only fair for Maryland taxpayers to know how much of their taxes go toward educating illegal aliens. I think EVERY state should COUNT AND PUBLISH THE NAMES OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ATTENDING ITS SCHOOLS.

Let's keep the kids out of this. The names that should be published are the illegal alien parents. They are the criminals. But on second thought how would we know the real names of the parents as most probably have at least two names if not more.

Originally Posted by Mayday

Originally Posted by butterbean

Pop said CASA also opposes attempts by Commissioners John L. Thompson and Charles Jenkins to have local schools count illegal immigrant students.

I think its only fair for Maryland taxpayers to know how much of their taxes go toward educating illegal aliens. I think EVERY state should COUNT AND PUBLISH THE NAMES OF ILLEGAL ALIENS ATTENDING ITS SCHOOLS.

Let's keep the kids out of this. The names that should be published are the illegal alien parents. They are the criminals. But on second thought how would we know the real names of the parents as most probably have at least two names if not more.

Sorry, but IMO the kids are very much a part of this and the kids need to be involved. Their parents are setting a bad example by breaking the law. If it takes embarrassing or humiliating the students of illegal aliens by publishing their names for all to see, then so be it. Life is full of hard and harsh lessons.

Opponents clash on immigration
Originally published October 22, 2008


By Meg Tully
News-Post Staff



Two sides of the immigration debate collided Tuesday night outside of Winchester Hall.
Members of immigrant rights group CASA de Maryland crowded on the steps to speak against a proposal to count illegal immigrants in Frederick County Public Schools.

They wore T-shirts that read "You can count me for a better Frederick," and started their remarks with a prayer in Spanish.

As they spoke, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, a sponsor of the proposal, stood by quietly with members of Help Save Maryland, an anti-illegal immigrant group.

By the end of the press conference, a crowd of about 50 had gathered and people used to meeting only on the Internet were standing face-to-face on the crowded sidewalk.

Immigrant rights activists shouted at their opponents, calling them Nazis, while those against illegal immigration criticized CASA for supporting lawbreakers and not speaking English only.

The local immigration debate erupted last year, when Frederick County Commissioner Charles Jenkins proposed a measure to deny county services, such as libraries or recreation programs, to illegal immigrants.

That measure ultimately failed, but it dominated discussion as the commissioners generated their 2008 legislative package.

This year, the commissioners declined to support controversial immigration proposals, including one by Commissioner John L. Thompson Jr. to require the count in public schools.

Commissioners Thompson and Jenkins, along with the sheriff, decided to send that proposal to the county's delegation of state lawmakers anyway, hoping an individual member will introduce it once the General Assembly session starts in January.

CASA, along with the Frederick Justice Coalition, a group of local churches, organized the press conference Tuesday to coincide with the commissioners hearing on their legislative package, even though it did not include the count proposal.

Shelby Bennett, 17, spoke during the press conference about her experience as a student at Tuscarora High School.

Her ancestors on one side of the family were the first publishers of a newspaper in Frederick County, and on the other side come from Nicaragua.

"I love Frederick, I have lived here all my life," she said. "But as a person of mixed heritage, it is hard to go to school and hear my classmates make ignorant comments about students who are different from them."

Her generation does not need to learn how to categorize those who differ from them, she said.

CASA Frederick County coordinator Hector Pop called for more dialogue and fewer anti-immigrant proposals.

Sheriff Jenkins attended the conference because he thought CASA might challenge his project to work with federal officials to check the immigration status of those arrested in the county.

When he heard they were talking about the count instead, he said it is important to know the burden of illegal immigrants in order to request more education funds from the federal government.

"I think the taxpayers have the absolute right to know what's being done with their tax money," he said.

Steve Berryman, coordinator of Help Save Maryland in Frederick County, called as many members as he could to attend the CASA rally after he heard about it earlier Tuesday.

They passed out bumper stickers with slogans such as, "All illegal aliens must leave the U.S."

He criticized immigrant rights groups for talking about pride for the country without discussing legality.

"We don't welcome people unconditionally to America," he said. "There's a process involved, and anybody who circumvents the process on a feel-good basis, is essentially not helping the citizenship requirements of the United States."

Frederick County NAACP branch president Guy Djoken said these proposals are divisive, however.

"Students, regardless of where they are coming from, regardless of their race and immigration status, deserve one thing," Djoken said. "Education."

www.fredericknewspost.com