Posted on Thu, May. 01, 2008
Miami activists plan subdued march
BY ANDRES VIGLUCCI
Just two years ago, hundreds of thousands of people rallied from Los Angeles to New York to Miami in a massive demonstration of immigrant power -- a defiant display that generated broad political support for legalization of millions of undocumented workers, but also created a backlash that helped sink the proposal.
This May, amid an economic slump and an ongoing enforcement crackdown prompted in part by the failure of an immigration policy overhaul in Congress, a planned series of rallies across the country will be smaller and more subdued than those history-making demonstrations.

In Miami, advocacy groups have opted for an upbeat family affair on Saturday -- a cultural festival in Florida City -- designed in part to bring out immigrants who skipped demonstrations last year out of fear of attracting unwanted attention from authorities.

The event is designed to put immigrants in positive light, with troupes performing dramatic tableaus and folkloric music and dances from Mexico, Guatemala and Argentina. There will also be talks highlighting opposition to immigration raids that often break up families when some members are deported.

`LIFT THEIR SPIRITS'

''We want people to come out and not be afraid,'' said Blanca Mendoza, president of the Guatemalan-American Association, an event sponsor. ``The purpose is to lift their spirits.''

So that working families can attend, the main event will be Saturday, not May 1 itself, which was picked for the immigration rallies because it is traditionally International Workers Day in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Thursday will see what is expected to be a modest 6 p.m. protest march from Little Haiti to the U.S. immigration building at 79th Street and Biscayne Boulevard. Demonstrators will call for legalization and an end to raids.

Organizers say the 2006 national demonstrations marked a watershed in the immigrants' rights movement, helping to block a congressional move to criminalize undocumented workers, while engaging bipartisan support for a law that would have put millions on a path to legalization.

But they also concede those marches, in which many participants waved foreign flags, energized hard-line opposition that helped defeat the bill.

''Had it not been for the street visibility of millions of people, we might not have fared as well as we have,'' said Maria Rodriguez, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, which is coordinating local events.

Opponents of legalization who criticized the 2006 marches say some pro-immigrant leaders are downplaying this year's events because they know they can't deliver the massive crowds of 2006, and many also realized the demonstrations alienated many Americans, including some sympathetic to their cause.

''The backlash, the pushback from these marches is one of the reasons amnesty has failed so far,'' said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies a Washington group that supports reductions in legal and illegal immigration. ``Ordinary Americans who don't ordinarily follow this issue see illegal immigrants issuing demands to the American people, and even people who might support them were repulsed.

``I expect the events are going to be similar to last year's, which were dramatically smaller than activists wanted and kind of fizzled.''

Rodriguez and other advocates say the timing is not right for another massive demonstration. Many immigrants are feeling anxious or discouraged by the federal crackdown, which has focused on dragnets of people who have ignored deportation orders as well as undocumented workers using forged or stolen papers.

Meanwhile, political prospects are dim for a resumption of the legalization push in a presidential election year. Some advocates are calling for the next president to tackle the immigration issue within 100 days of inauguration, but that goal may be politically unrealistic.

`SPECIAL MOMENT'

''It was such a special moment then when there was a threat and an opportunity,'' Rodriguez said of the 2006 rallies. ``There was hope. Right now there is not the same level of hope. There is definitely a lot more fear now. . . . People are afraid of being noticed.''

Rodriguez noted that fear of exposure is not limited to illegal immigrants, since a large number of immigrant families have mixed status -- that is, some members may be illegal while others are citizens or legal residents.

Organizers won't hazard a guess as to how many attendees to expect Saturday. Even two years ago, rallies in Miami did not attract anywhere near the massive numbers in Los Angeles, Chicago or Washington. At best 10,000 rallied from Homestead to Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Last year, after Congress failed to reconcile dueling bills, May 1 immigration rallies attracted only a fraction of 2006 numbers. In Miami, some 1,000 protesters rallied downtown.

In part, advocates say, that's because Cubans, representing by far the largest nationality among South Florida immigrants, tend to have few immigration issues. The Cuban Adjustment Act allows most to become legal residents after one year in the country.

''Those more directly affected are the ones who take the visible action of turning out into the street,'' Rodriguez said. ``It's not like Miami has a long tradition of activism, either.''

Many advocacy groups have now turned their focus to naturalization and voter-registration drives as the best way to boost immigrants' political influence. Political experts say the immigrant vote could be a significant factor in November's presidential vote. The slogan adopted for Thursday's demonstration in Miami tries to drive that point home: ``Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote.''





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/516481.html