Thread: ALIPAC: Hundreds rally in Salinas for immigration reform

Hundreds rally in Salinas for immigration reform
By CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS
Herald Staff Writer
Updated: 07/02/2009 01:27:08 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge
William Medrano, 19, yells into a megaphone during an... (DAVID ROYAL/Special to The Herald)

Julieta Reyes has a brother who fought in Vietnam. Ricarda Rodriguez became a U.S. citizen after almost a decade working in the fields.

Hector Rojas was brought to this country when he was 8 years old. Leticia Garcia Romo is a third-generation American, the first one in her family to go to college.

Their stories, similar to those of millions of illegal immigrants in this country, were heard by hundreds of people gathered Wednesday at St. Mary of the Nativity Church in Salinas to garner support for reforming U.S. immigration laws.

"This reform that you are asking for reminds me of how much I suffered," said Rodriguez, who works as an educator at Escuela Libertad in Salinas.

The town hall meeting, conducted in Spanish with English translation, is similar to actions that have been taking place across the country. Some believe they are having an effect because President Barack Obama recently renewed his promise to push for comprehensive immigration reform this year.

At a meeting last week, Congressional Republicans and Democrats talked about their commitment to reform the country's immigration laws.

"Even though there are many important issues in the country, (the legislators) decided that this immigration reform is one of the most important topics," United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez said Wednesday.

But reforming immigration laws this year is anything but assured. Congress is still tackling issues such as clean energy and health care,
and observers agree taking on immigration reform could be too much.

Acknowledging the long road ahead, Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, told the audience he was only one of more than 500 federal legislators who will vote on immigration reform.

"The fight in Washington is going to be great," he said.

Groups that oppose immigration reform have also renewed their efforts, trying to block any type of reform, in particular what they call "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.

For instance, the Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee launched a campaign Wednesday to stop any immigration reform efforts. In a news release, the committee claims legalization of current illegal immigrants would open the door for more illegal immigration, and it wants to "eradicate all illegal immigrants" within a decade.

On Wednesday, among the hundreds of supporters, a lone opponent to immigration reform sat in the middle of the room holding a sign that read, "Amnesty is Treason. Keep immigration safe, legal and rare."

Asked why he compared amnesty with treason, Bill Carrothers did not give a direct answer. He said he thought Mexicans were the "most lovable people on the face of the Earth," but he would not support efforts to legalize those here illegally.

"With the wage differential between Guanajuato and here, we can have all the guest workers we want," he said. "There's no reason to provide education or health care."

From the podium, Farr took issue with Carrothers' sign and said those words did not represent the view of the country.

"Look at the history of the United States. Look at the faces of the gringos. Their parents also came from somewhere else and the majority came without papers because back then, no papers were needed. Any person who got here could become a citizen," Farr said.

Before the rally ended, organizers urged participants to call the White House and ask the president to push for immigration reform.

"This is not just about coming and listening to stories," said Sabino Lopez, lead organizer for the Center for Community Advocacy. "We have to do our part."

Claudia Meléndez Salinas can be reached at 753-6755 or cmelendez@montereyherald.com.

http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_ ... ck_check=1

translation: I want my bailout money, my welfare check, my HUD Housing, My Social Security checks... and i want them yesterday

bttt

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-4354--0-0.html

Got to admire Bill Carrothers!

Figures, he lives in California. He must be smokin' some of that wacky weed. I live in Arizona. They aren't lovable here. They are rude, disrespectful and mean. And, if anyone thinks they will get "lovable" with amnesty, well, the current ones are the result of the 1986 amnesty. All I can see is them getting meaner and ruder.

I wonder what our Congress would be doing about this if they had to drive through neighborhoods where they had to spray paint the block fences everyday because of the graffiti. Or heard about a cop shot and killed by an illegal five miles from where they live. Or, watch a 5-year old get kidnapped for a drug deal gone wrong with an illegal. Or, dodge a drunk illegal on the freeway. Or feel like you just walked through the yard at the local prison when you go to Home Depot. Or hear about the dead bodies of illegals found in the desert. Or, like me, get threatened with ending up in a hospital at work because your five Hispanic team mates think you are taking their job. I use the words "team mates" loosely. My personal experience list is a long one. Let's just say I've changed my perspective in the last couple of years.

"Look at the history of the United States. Look at the faces of the gringos. Their parents also came from somewhere else and the majority came without papers because back then, no papers were needed. Any person who got here could become a citizen," Farr said.

Can you believe this lying bastard? No papers needed?

Sam Farrs contact info:

Washington Office
1126 Longworth House
Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-2861
Fax 202-225-6791


Salinas Office
100 West Alisal Street
Salinas, CA 93901
831-424-2229
800-340-FARR
Fax 831-424-7099


Santa Cruz Office
701 Ocean Street
Room 318
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-429-1976
Fax 831-429-1458

Yes, and I have copies of the World War I draft registration forms my grand father filled out two years after he LEGALLY immigrated from England. He wasn't even a US citizen yet and he was filling our draft forms.

Obviously never heard of Ellis Island.

Asked why he compared amnesty with treason, Bill Carrothers did not give a direct answer. He said he thought Mexicans were the "most lovable people on the face of the Earth," but he would not support efforts to legalize those here illegally.

Haha. I'd say that too if I were the lone protester surrounded by Mexicans.

Image of Bill
Bill Carrothers of Salinas holds a sign during Wednesday's immigration forum at St. Mary of the Nativity Church in Salinas. The forum was put on by Central Coast Coalition for Immigration Reform. (Scott MacDonald)

Salinas residents say they are tired of waiting for immigration reform

Local grassroots group grows as Salinas residents speak out on issue
BY MARIA INES ZAMUDIO • mzamudio@thecalifornian.com • July 2, 2009

After getting off work, Rojas got ready and went to church not to pray but to organize with others and demand comprehensive immigration reform.

"We are tired of waiting," the farmworker said in Spanish. "I'm a citizen now and [politicians] need my vote. We have to mobilize by any means."

Rojas said she has family members who have been separated because of what she calls "a broken immigration system."

She was one of the hundreds of farmworkers and community members from Salinas and around Monterey County who gathered at St. Mary of the Nativity church in east Salinas to ask U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, to push for immigration reform in Washington, D.C.

"My heart is with the people who better this county with their labor," Farr told the audience in Spanish. "I need an army of people. ... We are changing this country to fulfill the dreams for everyone and not just a small group. I'll be your voice in Washington."

Wednesday's community meeting in Salinas followed action by the Obama administration which launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the country as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on employers who hire illegal workers.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms ' employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every worker ' the agency told members of Congress in an e-mail Wednesday.

National push for reform
The president has said immigration reform could be done by the end of the year or early next year.

Obama has urged Americans to hold community forums to discuss issues such as immigration reform and health care and to forward their ideas for solutions to his adminstration.

His request was answered locally by the Salinas Valley Coalition for Immigration Reform, formed by the United Farm Workers Union and Monterey County Supervisors Simon Salinas and Fernando Armenta.

The group, which organized Wednesday's forum, is pushing for a single piece of legislation that would include legalization for undocumented workers, family reunification and a guest worker program.

The coalition was founded after U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez visited Salinas last month as part of his nationwide "Family Unity" tour highlighting how the nation's immigration system negatively affects families.

At Wednesday's forum, Salinas-area residents shared personal experiences involving immigration issues. One speaker encouraged all legal residents to become U.S. citizens and vote.

Rojas said that even though Obama hasn't been aggressive about immigration reform, she remains hopeful.

"We have to be positive about what the president promised," she said. "But if nothing happens, we must do something."


The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://thecalifornian.com/article/20090 ... ion-reform