Protesters: Bills are unfair to immigrants, families, law officers.

By Tim Eaton
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 8:11 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

Video: http://bcove.me/et3j84tn




People from all over the state converged on the Capitol on Tuesday to protest several immigration-related bills.

Organizers from the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance said that about 3,000 people of varying ages marched on the streets to the Capitol, and several hundred of them stuck around for a rally and to visit legislators.

Javier Parra said he was part of group of 400 people from McAllen who came to try to persuade members of the Legislature not to back some 60 immigration bills that he said are anti-immigrant, anti-family and anti-law enforcement.

Particularly, Parra said, he is opposed to a bill that would establish a law in Texas like the one in Arizona that allows police to detain or question anyone who they think is in the country illegally.

"We bring the message of our people to the legislators," said Parra, who came with the labor rights group LUPE, or La Unión del Pueblo Entero. "Texas needs to be a leader, not a follower."

Parra and other protesters said they also were outraged by pieces of legislation such as one that would require school officials to report undocumented students and one that would deny birth certificates to children born in Texas to undocumented parents.

Guerrero Garcia, a 22-year-old student from the University of Texas at El Paso, spoke loudly as the crowd chanted, "SÃ*, se puede," the phrase made famous by civil rights activist and LUPE founder César Chávez that means essentially, "Yes, we can."

Garcia, who said he's the son of immigrants, said the immigration-related bills would tear apart families of mixed citizenship.

"We are all equal," he said. "We should be treated equal."

State Sen. José RodrÃ*guez, D-El Paso, was among the lawmakers who spoke to the crowd. Switching between English and Spanish, he said the state's leaders have misguided priorities.

Texas officials should focus on more important matters than the emergency item that Gov. Rick Perry has fast-tracked to eliminate "sanctuary city" policies that prevent police from asking about immigration status, RodrÃ*guez said.

The senator also criticized a bill that would have school officials ask about immigration status and one that would deny benefits to children of people in the country illegally.

"We won't stand for this type of legislation," he told the cheering crowd.

Jon English, the chief of staff for one of the House's most prolific immigration bill filers, said he received a visit from some of the people at the rally. He said he told the visitors that the bills from his boss, Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, are intended to aid in the enforcement of existing federal laws.

English added that Riddle is not anti-immigration and that she is in favor of a federally administered guest worker program that rewards people who come to the U.S. through proper channels.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-pol ... 74044.html