Thread: Immigrant leaders set political agenda

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/cust ... i-news-hed

Immigrant leaders set political agenda


By Oscar Avila
Tribune staff reporter

May 8, 2006, 2:44 PM CDT

After organizing two huge marches in Chicago to reach a mass audience, supporters of legalizing illegal immigrants said today they now want their popular mobilization to become a political force.

Officials of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights announced at a news conference in the city's Little Village neighborhood plans to dispatch activists door-to-door in about 15 Chicago-area communities to encourage legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens and naturalized citizens to register to vote.

Marissa Graciosa, the coalition's political organizer, said the campaign likely would focus on Chicago neighborhoods including Little Village, West Ridge, Chinatown, Edgewater, Uptown, Pilsen, Albany Park and Marquette Park.

The campaign also likely would zero in on suburban Melrose Park, Elgin, Joliet, Aurora, Waukegan, Des Plaines and Addison, Garciosa said. The locations will be made final by the July 1 kickoff of the campaign, she said.

Additionally, the advocates announced plans to lobby lawmakers to legalize the nation's estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants. The U.S. Senate currently is weighing competing plans that would provide legal status and strengthen enforcement in varying degrees.

The Chicago immigrant advocates said they would converge on Washington on May 19 with activists from other cities to hold a rally and to lobby members of Congress.

Also, west suburban immigrant rights volunteers said they would rally at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Batavia office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert to encourage him to use his clout to back a legalization bill, said Martha Rodriguez, a volunteer with Centro Cristo Rey, Aurora.

Illustrating the divisive nature of the immigration debate, the Illinois Minuteman Project, a group that opposes illegal immigration, has scheduled a rally at Hastert's office at the same time on the same date. The group's Web site asks supporters to urge Hastert not to back down from immigration enforcement.

In recent weeks, Chicago has become a focal point for the debate over illegal immigration as at least 500,000 protesters have taken to the streets for two marches in support of legalization. Supporters of tighter enforcement say the protests have energized their own ranks as well.

oavila@tribune.com

Also, west suburban immigrant rights volunteers said they would rally at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Batavia office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert to encourage him to use his clout to back a legalization bill, said Martha Rodriguez, a volunteer with Centro Cristo Rey, Aurora.

You have a better chance of seeing an elephant in your back yard than seeing Dennis Hastert voting for any type of legalization bill.

You have a better chance of seeing an elephant in your back yard than seeing Dennis Hastert voting for any type of legalization bill.

I sure hope you're right about that. He seemed awfully amenable with Frist last week.