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Immigration reform hits the streets
Minutemen, rights group to show up at Hastert's office

By Andre Salles
Staff Writer

Two local organizations with differing viewpoints on immigration reform have scheduled the weekend of Feb. 25 to speak their cases.

The Illinois Minuteman Project will convene Feb. 25 at the Centre, 100 Symphony Way in Elgin, seeking members for its fledgling Fox Valley chapter. The meeting, which has been dubbed "No Amnesty," will discuss reforming the immigration system, both locally and nationally.

The next day, the Minutemen plan to rally in front of House Speaker Dennis Hastert's office on north River Street in Batavia to show their support for a House bill that would make illegal immigrants guilty of a federal crime, and would fine companies who hire them.

"I think people are becoming more disgusted with illegal immigration," Rosanna Pulido, head of the Illinois Minuteman Project, said. "I'm thankful that people are getting off the couch and taking back their country."

At the same time on Feb.
26, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights plans to rally at Hastert's office to voice its support for the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, a Senate bill that would grant temporary citizenship to high school graduates who were brought to the United States before their 16th birthday.

"We believe they should be allowed to have temporary legal status to get a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree or join the military," Marissa Graciosa said. She is a spokesman for the Chicago-based coalition, which organizes immigrant and refugee communities and fights for their rights.

The Illinois Minuteman Project is a local offshoot of the nationwide Minutemen, created in 2004 by Californian Jim Gilchrist. That organization's volunteers in 2005 set up an unofficial patrol along the Arizona-Mexico border, armed with binoculars and cell phones, reporting suspected illegal immigrants to police and immigration services.

Since then, the Minuteman Project has grown, and volunteer groups have sprung up in several states amid charges of racism and xenophobia.



Opposing worker amnesty


The Feb. 25 meeting will focus on opposing worker amnesty, which, Pulido said, contributes to the loss of jobs for American workers. The speaker will be Susan Tully, the national director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), based in Washington, D.C.
Pulido has invited Elgin Mayor Ed Schock, Elgin City Council members, state Sen. Chris Lauzen of Aurora and other area officials to the meeting. She expects about 200 people to attend.

This is not the first time the Minutemen have chosen Elgin as a meeting place. On Nov. 10, the Illinois Minuteman Project held an organizational meeting at the Elgin American Legion, and was met with mobs of protestors. Elgin police called in other local departments to help keep the peace.

The protest was considered peaceful, and no arrests were made, according to police.

A subsequently planned meeting in Kendall County that month was scrapped after American Legion halls in both Oswego and Yorkville denied the Minutemen use of their facilities.



Border protection


Pulido fully understands why some might protest the meeting, and expects that it will happen again.
"Of course, they're concerned," she said, "because we're on the verge of taking away free health care, schools and services for illegals. Of course, these people will be angry."

She praised the Elgin police, saying they did "a phenomenal job" in November.

When the Minutemen rally at Hastert's office, Pulido said, they will speak in favor of HR 4437, proposed by Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and part of a larger immigration package supported by Hastert. The bill would expand greatly the Department of Homeland Security's latitude in regard to border protection and impose stricter penalties, including federal criminal charges, for illegal immigrants captured within the United States.

The bill passed the House Dec. 16. It is now under discussion in the Senate, according to Hastert's press secretary, Brad Hahn.

"The Senate needs to take action on it, and it could change while in committee," Hahn said.



Border deaths


Graciosa said the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights' simultaneous rally will note the number of border deaths in recent years, marking them with more than 400 crosses participants will carry.
"I think everyone agrees that the system is not working," Graciosa said, "but we disagree on how to fix it. The Minutemen are frustrated with the issue, but their solution is to just kick everybody out. That's not feasible for the economy, or for the families who are trying to make this a home."

She praised the DREAM Act, proposed by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, for offering a "path to citizenship" and mentioned the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill (Senate Bill 1033) as a viable alternative to the Sensenbrenner bill. SB 1033 creates an exception for essential workers and a new class of visa.

"It's our right as a nation to protect our borders," she said, "but not in a way that doesn't make sense."

Hahn said that the emotional outpouring likely to be on display on Feb. 26 shows the passion that exists on both sides of this issue.

"Speaker Hastert is working to bring everyone to the table," he said. "We need to strike a balance and find a way to protect our borders, remain fair to those who are following the laws, and respect the tradition of people coming to this country for work and to help their families."


02/17/06