http://nctimes.com/articles/2006/04/...4206195044.txt

Quiet Sunday caps week of protests

By: TERI FIGUEROA and YVETTE URREA - Staff Writers

NORTH COUNTY ---- After six straight days of demonstrations and protests by North County students over the federal government's proposed crackdown on illegal immigration, police and sheriff's officials said Sunday was all quiet.

"Today, I'm not aware of any groups of people who've gotten together to protest," San Diego sheriff's Lt. James Bolwerk said.


Bolwerk said that last week, with the protests front and center and tensions running high, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department assembled three Mobile Field Forces ---- one each in North County, South County and central county at the County Operations Center. The Mobile Field Forces consist of deputies specially trained in crowd control.

By midday Saturday, the sheriff's field forces had been sent home for the weekend for lack of activity, Bolwerk said.

In Oceanside on Sunday, "absolutely nothing" protest-related occurred, police Lt. Mike Goldsmith said.

Escondido police officials also reported a quiet day with no protests.

It was an uneventful end after a week of demonstrations that saw police reportedly arrest more than two dozen demonstrators, including a 14-year-old Oceanside High School student accused of throwing concrete at Oceanside officers.

Last week got off to a rocky start on Monday when hundreds of North County high school students walked off their campuses and took to the streets to protest hotly debated federal immigration bills working through Congress. By the end of the day, Escondido police reportedly arrested 24 protesters, and Carlsbad police had arrested three protesters.

The number of demonstrators in the region peaked Tuesday, when more than 1,700 people ---- mostly high school students skipping school ---- marched on streets throughout North County communities stretching from Encinitas to Fallbrook and from Oceanside to Escondido.

The protests continued throughout the week, with daily marches and some clashes with police. At Oceanside High School on Wednesday, riot-gear clad police officers fired pepper spray pellets into the ground to stop about 200 students from leaving campus for a protest march after some of them hurled bottles of water, milk cartons and other materials at the line of police.

The clash led Oceanside Unified School District to cancel all middle and high school classes both Thursday and Friday out of concerns for student safety.

The nearby Vista Unified School District shut down all of its schools on Friday for similar reasons.

Demonstrators ---- although not as many as throughout the week ---- gathered Saturday in Escondido, Oceanside and Vista to protest the proposed changes in immigration law.

The protests were sparked by HR 4437, the controversial bill the House of Representatives passed in December that would make it a federal felony to remain in the country illegally. Currently, living in the U.S. without proper documentation is a violation of civil immigration law, and not a criminal offense.

A Senate committee modified the bill last week, nixing the proposed criminal penalties, and clearing the way for millions of people illegally in the country to seek citizenship. Opponents argue such a move offers amnesty to illegal immigrants.

Many of the student protestors in North County characterized the proposals as racist legislation, and argued that the changes would destroy families living in the region, including those of American-born children whose parents are in the country illegally.

The Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington D.C.-based research organization, estimated earlier this month that some 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants, including children, live in the United States. The report was culled together by analyzing a litany of data, including U.S. Census numbers.

Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.

On the web: http://www.pewhispanic.org

Comments On This Story

Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.
Esco resident... wrote on April 03, 2006 4:26 AM:"This is amazing to me. The kids protest so they can get out of school - while the parents seemingly don't do much to encourage their children to stay in school and get the education they came here for in the first place. Saturday rolls around and the media reports a few gatherings, but mentions not many students seem to be present. Sunday rolls around - AND NOTHING AT ALL!?! It's quite apparent that the "immigrants" either don't understand what they are protesting - or maybe it's just that they are your "fair weather fans" of skipping school "for a just cause". This makes me sick!"

Susan wrote on April 03, 2006 4:36 AM:"Happy Monday!"

Hector wrote on April 03, 2006 4:54 AM:"Why should the kids protest on Sunday? It's already a day off from school. At least now we don't have to read all of the ignorant comments people put on this site last week. My favorite was the Julio Ceasar Chavez (the World Champion Boxer) comment instead of Ceasar Chavez (the Champion of LEGAL Immigrant Rights and a great MAN). Let's see what other gems of intelligence pot out here today. And if the kids decide to try and disrupt school again and if so what will happen!"