Thread: South Bay immigrant rights groups slam Bush plan

South Bay immigrant rights groups slam Bush plan
BOTH SIDES OF DEBATE FIND FAULT WITH LATEST REFORM PROPOSALS
By Jessie Mangaliman
Mercury News
Article Launched: 04/11/2007 01:46:06 AM PDT



A coalition of immigrant rights groups Tuesday commemorated last year's historic immigration march in San Jose, using the occasion to slam various reform proposals - from the White House and from the House of Representatives - as "immoral" and "unacceptable."

A day after President Bush's speech near the Mexican border urging legislative immigration reform, South Bay immigrants and their advocates called on the federal government to halt sweeps of illegal immigrants until new laws are achieved.

In the last congressional session with a Republican majority, immigration reform fizzled because of Republican opposition. This time, the push for reform - riding on the new Democratic leaders in Congress - is also getting attacked on many fronts. Local activists believe the new proposals are penalty-driven and outline uncertain paths to legalization. Other groups, such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform, believe the new proposals reward, with amnesty, immigrants who violated the law.

That lack of consensus underscores what promises to be a difficult job ahead for Congress - despite which party has the majority.

In his latest attempt to forge a solution, Bush outlined his ideas: a temporary guest worker program and a requirement that illegal immigrants return to their home countries and pay a hefty penalty before they can apply for legalization.

"The Bush proposal is anti-family," said Richard Konda, executive director of the Asian Law Alliance, a legal advocacy group in San Jose.

Many advocates rejected provisions of a proposal before the U.S. House of Representatives - the STRIVE Act - which calls for a temporary guest worker program but with a path to residency, legalization for some illegal immigrants after they pay a small penalty and return to their home countries, increased border security and tougher workplace enforcement.

The Bush Administration has also suggested that the country end its family-based immigration policy, which allows legal immigrants to bring families to the United States.

"We stand united in opposition to policies that break up families," said the Rev. Jon Pedigo, the local director for the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform and pastor of St. Julie's Catholic Church in San Jose.

"Policies that result in wholesale deportation," he said, "are absolutely immoral."

A year ago Tuesday, 25,000 immigrants and their advocates marched down Santa Clara Street to San Jose's City Hall in support of immigration reform that provided illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

It was the South Bay's largest immigrant protest in 20 years.

The following month, 125,000 marchers renewed their call for reform.

It would be difficult to organize similar marches today, said Martha Campos, an immigrant from Mexico, because of fear in the immigrant community surrounding the federal sweep of illegal immigrants.

"Last year we had no raids," said Campos, a volunteer with Comite Cesar Chavez, a San Jose civil rights group. "So we're looking at different ideas this year. Maybe a big vigil."

Immigrant groups are organizing a community meeting next week, in part to calm fears around the sweeps, and to counsel immigrants on their legal rights.

Local and national marches are being planned for May 1, the same day last year when millions hit the streets in support of immigration reform.


http://origin.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_5640011

It never fails to amaze me. Illegals will never accept any legislation unless it states that they will literally be handed their citizenship with no other strings attached.

Give a mouse a cookie, and he'll always want a glass of milk.