Thread: East Bay Immigration Debate Heats Up

East Bay Immigration Debate Heats Up
Competing Rallies Held In Castro Valley
By Pamela Tom
Feb. 24 - KGO - The Golden Gate Minutemen and immigration rights activists squared off in the East Bay. The competing rallies were sparked by a Minutemen recruiting drive in Castro Valley.

Related Links
ABC7 Video On Demand
Get Alerts In Your E-Mail
Get Alerts On Your Desktop
The rally on the corner of Castro Valley Boulevard and Redwood Road served as both a protest and a recruiting station for the Golden Gate Minutemen. Carpenter Jason Pease signed up -- saying he's tired of watching illegals drive down wages.

Jason Pease, Minutemen recruit: "I've watched people taken off of job sites and replaced by people from Guatemala. It's outrageous, irritating and we need to do something about it."

But recent raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or "ICE," resulted in criticism that illegal immigrants were being rounded up, whether ICE agents had a deportation warrant or not.

Charles Birkman, Golden Gate Minutemen: "ICE people do have every right to go in because these are people who have broken our laws to come here. According to the Constitution, they would be considered enemy invaders."

On the other side of the issue and for today, on the other side of the street, immigrant rights advocates say the Minutemen are breeding intolerance and hate.

Dave Siegel, immigrants rights advocate: "I think they're blaming the victims which are the illegal immigrants -- I also really don't think some of them are for any immigrants."

Lauren Hatfield, immigrants rights advocate: "I think people underestimate how easy it is to become a U.S. citizen."

Claudia Rivera knows all too well. She spent her Saturday at an immigrant resource fair in San Francisco, sponsored by community support services and district attorney Kamala Harris.

Kamala Harris, San Francisco District Attorney: "Your immigrant status, whatever it is, does not designate you as a criminal."

Harris wants immigrants to know that San Francisco police and prosecutors will protect illegal immigrants if they are victims of crime.

Claudia Rivera says she came here illegally three years ago and needs a good job, medical services and yes, citizenship.

Claudia Rivera, illegal immigrant: "I'm a good woman, I'm not a criminal, but I need help."

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sectio ... id=5065872

I know where that rally was held.......... I've been there many many times....... I wish I could have been there........

Quote.Claudia Rivera says she came here illegally three years ago and needs a good job, medical services and yes, citizenship. I wonder people, lets go on over to Mexico and demand the same, what do you say? while we are at it let's demand a million dollars to go with it?

Lauren Hatfield, immigrants rights advocate: "I think people underestimate how easy it is to become a U.S. citizen."

Is there more to this, or are we suppose to guess?

Claudia Rivera says she came here illegally three years ago and needs a good job, medical services and yes, citizenship.

She can want in one hand and s!!t in the other and see which one fills up first..

Claudia Rivera

Quit whining and go home.

Dave Siegel, immigrants rights advocate: "I think they're blaming the victims which are the illegal immigrants -- I also really don't think some of them are for any immigrants."

Really ? How much of your own money have you given to immigrants ? How many do you have living in your house ? I don't think you really care . Why aren't you at the border handing out your own money to the illegals to help them get a better life ? Why aren't you helping these people Dave ?

Kamala Harris, San Francisco District Attorney: "Your immigrant status, whatever it is, does not designate you as a criminal."

Yes it does! ILLEGAL ALIEN. What about illegal does you great legal mind not grasp?