Thread: Immigration activists call for nationwide boycott

http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cf ... -06&cat=WW

Immigration activists call for nationwide boycott
By MICHAEL DOYLE
McClatchy Newspapers
April 04, 2006

WASHINGTON - Immigrant advocates called Tuesday for a nationwide boycott of jobs and schools on May 1, even as senators appeared stymied in their efforts to finish the immigration bill that's provoking controversy.

The proposed "Great American Boycott of 2006" is being organized by some of the same activists who rallied an estimated half a million demonstrators in Los Angeles on March 25. Now, in a bid to show nationwide clout, they want immigrants and supporters to avoid work, school, buying and selling on May 1.

"We realize that we have been absent from the political debate in Washington, although we are the voices of those most affected by the legislation," Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of Latino Movement USA, said at a Washington news conference.

The nationwide boycott is also being organized through the ANSWER Coalition, whose member groups range from the Free Palestine Alliance to the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Korea Truth Coalition.

The boycott, along with upcoming nationwide rallies scheduled for April 10, represent the loudest aspect of a debate that has meandered on Capitol Hill for the past week. On Tuesday, despite some ongoing Republican compromise negotiations, increasingly irritated senators acknowledged they lack the 60 votes necessary to pass legislation.

"I'm very frustrated right now," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist conceded early Tuesday evening, adding, "We're making no progress whatsoever."

Eight hours of debate Tuesday, interrupted by frequent quorum calls, did not result in any substantive progress and yielded only one, symbolic, vote.

One hundred amendments still await action, prompting some senators - including Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas - to suggest that the Senate might have to postpone action until after a two-week April recess now scheduled to start Saturday. Throughout most of Tuesday, Democrats used the Senate's procedural rules to block voting on amendments.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid complained, in turn, about past Republican intransigence on issues like the minimum wage. He insisted Democrats would block amendments that "damage the integrity" of the 478-page bill.

"We're still looking to find the magic formula," Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida allowed Tuesday afternoon.

Martinez has begun seeking a compromise deal with Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a potential 2008 presidential candidate. Still a work in progress, their proposal would treat illegal immigrants differently depending on how long they have been in the United States.

Illegal immigrants who could prove they had lived in this country for at least five years could obtain legal U.S. residency under the newest proposal. Newer immigrants would have to first return, even if briefly, to their home country.

"We're not anywhere near a final agreement," Hagel said, but "I think we're moving along here."

The immigration bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee would not differentiate among the estimated 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants now in the United States. All could seek legal U.S. status good for six years, if they met certain requirements. They would face background checks and pay fines starting at $1,000. Eventually, by paying an additional $1,000, taking a medical exam, paying back taxes and meeting other requirements, they could obtain permanent U.S. residency.

Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, a chief proponent of the legalization effort, dismissed the latest Republican compromise proposal as one that "doesn't make a great deal of sense."

http://today.reuters.com

Latinos plan boycott to protest immigration bill
Tue Apr 4, 2006 1:10 PM ET


By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Reuters) - Latino immigrants and their supporters will stage a one-day strike and commercial boycott on May 1 to pressure Congress to grant illegal aliens the right to gain citizenship, protest organizers said on Tuesday.

Participants will stay home from work and school and refuse to buy or sell anything that Monday to press for greater rights for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, said leaders of several groups that have organized other protests over the past month.

"We're flexing our muscles to send a message that we are not criminals," said Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of the Hispanic-rights group Latino Movement USA.

Congressional attempts to clamp down on illegal immigrants have provoked large rallies across the country in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of mostly Hispanic demonstrators have jammed parks and blocked freeways.

The protesters were particularly angry and alarmed about a bill that passed the House of Representatives last December that defines illegal aliens and anyone who helps them as felons and calls for the construction of a 700-mile (1,130-km) fence along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.

More protests are planned in 10 cities on April 10.

The Senate is currently debating an alternative that would create a temporary guest worker program and provide a way for illegal immigrants already in the country to eventually become U.S. citizens if they learn English and pay a fine.

The Senate is expected to vote by the end of this week. That would be followed by tough negotiations to reconcile the different bills passed by the House and the Senate.

All the bills under discussion propose tougher enforcement of laws banning illegal immigrants from working including fines for employers who give them jobs.

Polls show that the U.S. public is divided between those who would like to force illegal immigrants to go home and those who favor granting them some sort of legal status. The issue is taking on critical importance ahead of congressional mid-term elections in November.

Gutierrez, whose group helped to organize a Los Angeles demonstration that attracted at least 200,000 participants last month, called the Senate bill an "encouraging sign" but said it was still too tough on those who want to become citizens.

"We think that the right thing to do is to grant full rights, full equality, under the laws in the Constitution of the United States to all immigrants, period," he said at a press conference.

good ridence.