got this email because I am thier mailing list :P
May 3, 2006

Marches, rallies and boycotts just first steps, say
organizers

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - They've rallied, they've marched, they've boycotted. So
now what?

In the aftermath of "A Day Without Immigrants," the urgent question
immigrants and their supporters face is how to translate the passion of
the streets into lasting political gains.

"We need to take this critical mass and organize it. Marching is not
enough," said Armando Navarro, coordinator of a Southern California
umbrella organization that helped plan Monday's march and boycott. "We need
to harness this power."

In coming months, immigrant rights supporters say, they will shift
their energy into making a difference at the polls through registering
voters, helping legal immigrants become citizens and getting out the vote
in June primary elections around the nation.

"This is only the beginning," said Hilda Delgado of Local 1877 of the
Service Employees International Union in Los Angeles. "Now we have to
reroute all of the energy and momentum and start registering to vote to
send a clear message (for immigration reform) to the Senate and House in
Washington."

Pew center director Roberto Suro said Hispanics must now convince the
broader public that legislation expanding guest worker programs and
offering undocumented immigrants a chance to become citizens would be good
for the nation.

Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, director of immigration studies at New York
University, said he believes any consolidation of local groups won't happen
until leaders see what comes out of Congress.

A bill that passed the House would make illegal immigrants vulnerable
to felony charges, while a Senate bill would allow immigrants who have
been in the U.S. longer than five years to apply for citizenship. The
Senate may resume debate on an immigration bill as early as next week.

"Clearly the ball now is in the court of the political class,"
Suarez-Orozco said. "But in the long run, the elephant in the room is how (the
marches) will be translated into political muscle."


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La Voz de Aztlan
http://www.aztlan.net