Division in the ranks

Patricia Galindo Clark, a teacher at Angel Montessori School in south Fort Worth, doesn't agree with the protesters. Instead, she said, she believes in tough immigration reform, including stiff penalties for those who cross the border illegally.

She was on jury duty in downtown Fort Worth two weeks ago, when the student protests were taking place, and saw them firsthand.

"I saw all these teenagers screaming and yelling, and I kept asking myself why," she said. "It seems like everybody has to bend over backward for [illegal immigrants] after they break our laws."

Surveys show most Hispanics -- 80 percent -- believe that immigrants today strengthen the United States, according to a 2005 study by the Pew Hispanic Center. But those figures diverge among foreign-born and native Hispanics, with 89 percent of foreign-born taking a positive view of immigrants, compared to 65 percent of native-born Hispanics.

Also, more than half the survey's Hispanic respondents said they believed that the flow immigration into the U.S. should stay the same or be reduced, the study showed.

Gabriel Escobar, the center's associate director, said researchers have not been able to measure whether the current debate is changing Hispanics' views on immigration.

But, he said, a divide does exist between recent arrivals and those who have lived in the country for several generations.

That includes communities such as Fort Worth, which in 2005 was 29.8 percent Hispanic, according to city statistics. Texas' Hispanic population last year was 7.8 million, or 35 percent of all Texans, according to the Texas State Data Center.

Geography does play a role in how people view immigration, Escobar said: "When you're in a community where there are a lot of Hispanics, people tend to be more accepting."

Some Hispanics, however, aren't sure what to think.

Rocio Barreto, a 21-year-old senior at Texas Wesleyan University, is the daughter of a Mexican-American and a Spanish immigrant. She said she was confused about the recent protests because she heard misinformation.

"I wish I was more informed about the measures," she said. "I'm trying to learn more about what all of this is about."

Her classmate Marissa Diaz plans on attending the Fort Worth march today. She agreed that the issues are complex, but important to everyone.

"People forget that this won't just affect Hispanics," she said. "It is something we should all learn about."

A cultural war

Al Rios is a first-generation citizen who recently graduated from the University of North Texas.

He said he has a personal stake in the debate -- some members of his family are illegal residents.

"I think it's a silly idea that you have to prevent people from crossing this imaginary line," said Rios, 22. "It has become some sort of cultural war."

Foley said that despite the splintering of opinion among Hispanics, the recent demonstrations represent a growing movement.

"It's more appropriate to think of it as the birth of Latino political power," Foley said. "They're homegrown. These people will vote, and there will be consequences to be paid."

Espino, a naturalized citizen, said the divide among Hispanics is being bridged now with the ongoing debates.

"It comes back to the whole concept of America," he said. "If you can work hard, you can continue to rise, and that's what we need to do as a people."

It's a belief shared by brothers Jesus and Javier Pacheco, proprietors of Pacheco's Garage in Fort Worth and immigrants from Ciudad Juarez.

Jesus Pacheco's younger daughters are citizens. He, his wife and eldest daughter, a student at Texas Christian University, will be taking the U.S. citizenship test this month.

"I'm in favor of helping my fellow immigrants," Jesus Pacheco said.

But today, Jesus Pacheco won't march. He plans to go to church with his family instead. His brother, Javier, who has a resident visa but wants to be a citizen, will join the demonstrators in Fort Worth.

"The Cubans flee Cuba because they're oppressed," he said. "Mexicans leave because there is no way to survive in Mexico."

Javier Pacheco says he hopes the debates, and marches like those today, will galvanize the Hispanic community even more.

"It's a great country, and I have a lot of dreams," he said.

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