Thread: Rally Against Illegal Immigration Scheduled

Rally Against Illegal Immigration Scheduled
Radio Hosts Enlisted in Effort, Which Is Aimed at Rousing Area Activists Before Week of Lobbying

By Pamela Constable and N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, April 22, 2007; C01



As the debate over immigration reform takes shape in Congress, radio talk show hosts will headline a rally against illegal immigration across from the White House today as a preamble to a week of lobbying on Capitol Hill.

Organizers hope the radio personalities, whose shows across the country often are forums for heated anti-immigrant rhetoric, will galvanize an array of groups into a potent force. The effort is aimed at reflecting grass-roots concerns raised by Washington area residents, such as over job centers for mostly immigrant day laborers in Herndon and Gaithersburg.

"We all see the illegal aliens marching down the streets, screaming, 'We are America' and 'We demand citizenship.' We are trying to offer a venue where Americans can come and express their support for secure borders and an equal application of existing laws," said D.A. King, an ex-Marine from Georgia who leads the Dustin Inman Society, which is sponsoring the rally.

Surveys show that a majority of Americans favor tightening security along the border with Mexico. But the public is divided on how to treat the more than 10 million illegal immigrants who live in the United States.

A recent Washington Post poll found that 81 percent of people said the government was "not doing enough" to stop illegal immigration. But 62 percent said those already in the country should be offered a chance to keep their jobs and apply for legal immigration status, while 35 percent said they should be deported.

Most legislative proposals call for some path toward legalization for those in the country illegally.

Organizers of today's demonstration say they plan to focus on three issues: improving border security, opposing amnesty for immigrants living illegally in the country and enforcing U.S. laws, including those against hiring illegal immigrants.

In the Washington region, activists said, many residents have strong negative opinions about illegal immigration but are fearful of being labeled anti-Latino if they speak out. The activists also said people tend to become more energized by problems in their communities, such as loitering laborers or crowded housing, than by national policy debates.

"People don't want to be vilified or called racists. They will send an anonymous e-mail but not go to meetings," said George Taplin, who heads the Virginia chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an Arizona-based group that has led efforts to seal the U.S.-Mexico border. Taplin said some local activists may go to the rally, but only if they belong to national groups.

Greg Letiecq, an activist from Manassas, said that the rally was "a wonderful idea" but that it would be difficult to persuade a sizable group of residents to take part, even though many are concerned about local problems associated with illegal immigrants, especially crowded housing.

"People send me e-mails saying we need to do something, but they don't have the time, the vision or the background to pull it off," he said.

There is clearly a strong undercurrent of anger against illegal immigrants among area residents. In Herndon, plans to open a job site for immigrant day laborers last year led to a protracted fight that bitterly divided the town and drew national media attention. A similar proposal in Gaithersburg also aroused local opposition, although the center opened last week without incident.

Reports in The Post about the problems of illegal immigrants regularly elicit floods of angry e-mails and online messages, often anonymous.

Some of the worries are specific, such as complaints that immigrants overburden schools and hospitals or bring gang violence. Others are vague and emotional. They include fears of being inundated by foreigners, indignation at expensive accommodations made to newcomers who do not speak English and concern that the quality of community life is deteriorating. The complaints often express frustration with the government, which is seen as having done little to address the overall problem.

Here is a sampling of recent messages:

"I don't feel sorry for illegal aliens who broke our laws crossing our borders."

"When you get people who don't respect the law, you have a country that doesn't respect the law."

"I am so tired of watching Latinos in my neighborhood . . . leaving their empty Corona bottles all over the yard."

"Why are all of these people still speaking only Spanish after so many years?"

"The emergency rooms in my town are packed. . . . all our money is going to these illegals. . . . I am simply out of sympathy."

"They [are] taking our jobs."

"If they are criminals they deserve no help."

"Wait in line like my grandparents did."

"Do something to fix your problems at home rather than just running away and becoming another country's problem."

"If we do not defend ourselves there will be no USA at all worth having."

"Deport them all."

Many speakers scheduled to address the rally represent national or regional advocacy groups that draw on common sources of funding and have overlapping boards or staffs.

In many cases, the common denominator is John Tanton, a Michigan ophthalmologist who founded the influential lobbying group Federation for American Immigration Reform about three decades ago.

Of 15 speakers, at least seven have links to either FAIR or Tanton's private foundation, U.S. Inc. K.C. McAlpin is executive director of ProEnglish, a wholly owned project of U.S. Inc. Radio host Terry Anderson has received thousands of dollars in funding from U.S. Inc. and is a founder of a group of African Americans opposed to illegal immigration that FAIR helped create. Col. Al Rodriguez is chairman of a group that FAIR co-organized for Latinos opposed to illegal immigration.

One speaker, Roger Hedgecock, has achieved a national following. He is a conservative radio host in San Diego whose show has long been a lightning rod for sentiment against illegal immigrants. Hedgecock's aides said the organizers hope to bring more than 1,000 supporters from California and other states, who will spend the week visiting members of Congress and holding other events.

In contrast to this scripted plan, a year ago, several million mostly Latino immigrants unexpectedly poured into the streets of Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and other cities to protest immigration legislation in Congress. The largely spontaneous burst of activism astonished the nation and appeared to signal a political coming of age for the country's large Latino population.

There is no indication that pro-immigrant or Latino groups will be out in force today, but a group calling itself D.C. Students for a Democratic Society has called for a noisy counter-demonstration. It has circulated unsigned fliers titled "Nobody is Illegal!" that ask supporters to bring noisemakers and signs.

One reason for the pent-up frustration over illegal immigration is that Congress has failed to produce immigration reform for the past several years, although some activists argue that no new law is needed. Last year's proposals collapsed in partisan fighting, and the divide is even more poisonous this year, with predictions that no final bill will emerge.

At the state level, proposals aimed at denying benefits to illegal immigrants have been defeated in the Virginia and Maryland legislatures in the past several years. Activists blame business interests that employ illegal immigrants for the defeats, but others said the growing influence of Latino and immigrant-rights groups has played a role.

Taplin said the high-profile controversy over the Herndon day-labor site had begun to galvanize longtime residents in other area communities. He said his organization is now working with groups in Manassas, Culpeper and Harrisonburg in Virginia, where large numbers of illegal immigrants work in farming, poultry plants and the service sector.

"Herndon has given people more courage," he said. "We are trying to get the grass roots going, and we have thousands of supporters. For most people, it's only a matter of keeping your head down until you're sure it's okay to put it up."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01213.html

In the Washington region, activists said, many residents have strong negative opinions about illegal immigration but are fearful of being labeled anti-Latino if they speak out.

I wish I knew what it would take to overcome this "fear" and enable these people to stand up for their America. Has this country been so brainwashed into political correctness that no one has the spine to stand up for what is right? If you will not speak out against illegal immigration then you become part of the problem

In contrast to this scripted plan, a year ago, several million mostly Latino immigrants unexpectedly poured into the streets of Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and other cities to protest immigration legislation in Congress. The largely spontaneous burst of activism astonished the nation and appeared to signal a political coming of age for the country's large Latino population.

spontaneous burst of activism? Come on, this was planned and had to have been planned for months to pull it off.


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This morning on Washington Journel the guy read this article and 'he read it as rally today in DC with 30 radio show hosts for people against immigration'. Few minutes later someone called in and asked what paper was he reading from (Washington post) the guy on the phone was mad and corrected him, said it was a 'rally against illegal immigration', he looked pretty embarrassed.

There are already 4 pages of comments posted about this article at the Wash. Post site. The majority against the Post views.

Does anyone know where the post is that lists the radio stations that will be in DC, can't remember and can't find it!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Does anyone know where the post is that lists the radio stations that will be in DC, can't remember and can't find it!

Don't see it yet but it has to be here somewhere.

This link of the dj who coordinated the trip may come in handy:
http://www.rogerhedgecock.com/pages/rh_ ... le=2018950

Just read the most recent comments. They are against illegal immigration. Many black American's from DC are talking out against illegal immigration and are going to attend the rally!

It's begun right?! I so wonder how it's going. I suppose we'll have to wait for Dobbs to get coverage. I'm tooling around the channels and haven't seen anything yet.

I better settle down...

Originally Posted by fedupinwaukegan

It's begun right?! I so wonder how it's going. I suppose we'll have to wait for Dobbs to get coverage. I'm tooling around the channels and haven't seen anything yet.

I better settle down...

The only thing you'll get from Dobbs today is reruns from his week day shows, he's not live on sunday. This is maddening isn't it!