Thread: Undocumented workers steal U.S. jobs say picketers in Denver

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3381546

Immigration dispute flares at center
Undocumented workers steal U.S. jobs, say picketers at a Denver day-labor facility. A counter-rally calls that racist.
By Karen E. Crummy
Denver Post Staff Writer

Separated by a downtown street and polarized views, advocates and critics of illegal immigrants squared off at a Denver day-labor center Saturday.

"Go home racists, go home!" chanted roughly 200 people outside El Centro Humanitario para los Trabajadores on the east side of California Street.

"We will not be invaded by Mexico!" yelled back Terri McNabb, flanked by about 15 other illegal-immigrant opponents on the west side of the street.

Members of The Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform and the Colorado Minutemen were picketing the center Saturday morning as part of a national "Stop the Invasion" protest of undocumented workers.

Organized by the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control, similar protests occurred in cities from New York to Texas to California.

Minsun Ji, executive director of the day-labor center, set up a counter rally to stand up for what she described as the "vulnerable workers."

"They've tried to shut us down, but we aren't going anywhere. We're here to protect the rights of everybody," she said.

The Colorado Minutemen put a video on its website showing the center and employers purportedly picking up day laborers. The center says it also provides services such as English classes and computer labs to low-wage workers.

Photographing and videotaping license-plate numbers of possible employers, as well as businesses and centers assisting day laborers has become a tactic used by a number of groups around the country opposed to illegal immigration. The Federal Immigration Reform and Enforcement coalition has a website, WeHireAliens.com, that is dedicated to listing businesses that hire undocumented workers. The site has found 582 employers in 39 states, including Colorado, that have allegedly hired illegal immigrants.

The illegal immigrants, said Eric Tavares, have taken jobs away
from "real" Americans.

"They're invading our country," said Tavares, one of the protesters outside the center. "They want jobs, free health care. I don't want my country turning into a Third World hellhole."

Mary Ann SanFilippo, a mother of six and grandmother of six, said she came from Berthoud to show her concern about illegal immigration. She isn't opposed to immigrants, she said, but thinks the number of people entering the country illegally needs to be curtailed because it's draining resources from communities.

"I'm for human rights; I'm not a racist," she said.

Sister Susan Swain, standing behind a rope-fence in front of the center, said she was perplexed by the views from the other side of the street.

"This country has welcomed immigrants forever," she said. "They are human beings. People seem to forget that."

Cesar Huanca, a native of Peru, said through a translator that he came to the United States to work so he could send money back to his family.

It is people like Huanca, said union organizer Paul Lopez, "that do the jobs nobody else wants to do."

Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.

Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.



http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGN ... 89c01ca7bf

Protest at immigrant day-laborer site draws hundreds
by: Cheryl Preheim 9NEWS Reporter
posted by: Dan Viens Web Producer
Created: 1/7/2006 4:49 PM MST - Updated: 1/7/2006 5:28 PM MST

The Mintemen's protest coincided with protests in several other states. Jan. 7, 2006.

DENVER - The shouts were traded across a downtown street. One side yelling "Racists go home!" and the other responding, "I don't want my money paying illegals no more."

Members of the Colorado Minutemen and the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform gathered outside El Centro Humanitarian para los Trabajadores on California Street in Denver Saturday. They say the Center is an illegal hiring hall.

The protestors were outnumbered 15 to 1 by supporters of the Center. Supporters say the work being done at the Center is important and needs to continue.

El Centro advocates for immigrants in the country illegally so they can find work to support themselves and their families. Morgan Smith is a board member for the Center. He said, "One of the things that El Centro does it to make sure that they are treated fairly and make sure that they aren't cheated out of their wages."

Robert Copley is the co-founder of the Colorado Minutemen. He said," they really effect the lower income Americans cause they take their jobs and they will do them for a lot less money basically so it brings down the wages. Our forefathers died for a reason and it wasn't just to open the borders and let any Tom, Dick, or Harry in, you know?"

Smith disagrees. He said, "This is a reality in our community. There is an enormous need for the kind of workers that this place represents and if we were somehow to do away with that I think it would be devastating to the economy."

Neither side has a clear answer about a solution, but both sides say something must be done. Until then, they will be on opposite sides of the street -- opposite sides of this issue.

The protest in Denver was planned at the same time as similar protests in 16 other states, including California, Texas and Arizona.

"Go home racists, go home!" chanted roughly 200 people outside El Centro Humanitario para los Trabajadores on the east side of California Street.

I can see the Globalists FTA/WTO bandits were on hand all trained and scripted to counter-protest America. By the way, what race were these people?

"This country has welcomed immigrants forever," she said. "They are human beings. People seem to forget that."

No, our country has never welcomed immigrants. Our country has admitted and tolerated legal immigrants but never welcomed them. Quite the contrary. Our country has regulated immigration since 1795.

Cesar Huanca, a native of Peru, said through a translator that he came to the United States to work so he could send money back to his family. It is people like Huanca, said union organizer Paul Lopez, "that do the jobs nobody else wants to do."

And Cesar just told money and a job from an American Family. Poverty in the United States has risen steadily every year for the past 4 years due to unemployment amongst Americans due to the influx of illegal immigrants "doing jobs that Americans were doing" until Bush let foreigners come in and steal them.

ALPAC Survey on Protest issue

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=Surveys

"Go home racists, go home!" - Gee, what a limmited vocabulary...