Thread: Illegals plan protest against presidential address

San Bernardino, California,
Marchers will protest sweeps of immigrants
Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/25/2007 12:00:00 AM PST



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As the president asked lawmakers to compromise on immigration reform during his State of the Union address, a number of local activists started planning a large protest over what they see as dangerous raids on innocent immigrants.
Last week, 761 illegal immigrants from 14 countries - including Mexico, Honduras, Ukraine, India, Japan, Poland and Trinidad - were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The action, "Operation Return to Sender," was part of a long series of sweeps that began nationwide in June.

Timothy Campos, a student at Pitzer College who is organizing the Friday protest, said the raids have a damaging effect on the people in the community. The march is set to start at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the Pomona Day Labor Center, 1682 W. Mission Blvd.

"We're trying to let everybody know how we feel about these government raids," Campos said. "I feel like these raids are preying on the innocent people. It does have an effect on the community, and many of the students here work closely with the day-labor center in Pomona."

The raids conducted by ICE over the past year - coupled with the deep divide in Congress regarding immigration reform -has
left both opponents and supporters of a guest-worker program wondering what the future will hold.
All seem to agree that - with a Democratic House and Senate - the president's immigration-reform package is likely to pass, but how to balance Bush's plan with national security matters will be more difficult, said Armando Navarro, professor of ethnic and Chicano studies at UC Riverside. Navarro is also a member of the National Alliance of Human Rights, a group supporting open borders with Mexico.

"These ICE raids could be a dangerous omen for all of us," Navarro said. "This could be a prelude of what's to come.

"The anti-immigrant climate keeps growing and will grow anticipating the president's immigration reform. Anti-immigrant groups feel more threatened now that there is a Democratic Congress backing the president's plans for immigration reform."

In Tuesday night's address, Bush said a reform package with a strong guest-worker program would alleviate the growing number of illegal immigrants entering the nation.

"We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals," Bush said. "And we need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country - without animosity and without amnesty."

Those who oppose the president's proposal say the creation of a guest-worker program would do nothing to squelch the nearly 1 million immigrants who enter the country illegally each year.

But for many, like Campos, who want to see a guest-worker program come to fruition, raids like the ones recently conducted in Southern California leave a bitter taste.

"These people are working, trying to make a better life," Campos said. "Yes, they are here illegally, but they are good people."

The ICE raids were part of Congress' call to crack down on the growing crisis of illegal immigration - with the number of illegal immigrants residing in the United States estimated to be between 12 million and 20 million.

Since its inception, "Operation Return to Sender" has resulted in 13,000 arrests.

Immigration officials also have identified 3,000 inmates in state and local jails who will be deported.

"These people are working, trying to make a better life," Campos said. "Yes, they are here illegally, but they are good people."

What a dimbulb.

It`s not our fault that the bad ones gave the good ones a bad impression.

Send them home even if they think they are good people. They can be good people in the country they are from.

I never think of blatant law breakers as good people...silly me...but that is how I was raised....

These ICE raids could be a dangerous omen for all of us," Navarro said. "This could be a prelude of what's to come.

I certainly hope so!

I think the INS should be at the rally and send the illegals home!!!!

Our country is being invaded.... We can call these people terrorists to a certain degree because they are taking our jobs, our economic structure is caving, they are committing Identity Theft, stealing benefits....need I say more??? Now they want to blatenty flaunt their dislike for our President while breaking the laws of our country and marching?! They are not supposed to be here!!!! HELLO This is insane!!! INS DO YOUR JOB!!!

I do not feel sorry....my family had to follow the rules to come here from Colombia and we are all citizens and speak English and Spanish...how dare they lessen the view of the American Latin Community by disgracing our opportunity for freedom because they feel like they are more important than others who have been waiting!

LindaLoveLee,,,Welcome to ALIPAC

Thanks alot!!!

"We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals," Bush said.

He should say that again in Spanish so the message gets to the right people. Oh, that's right the sate of the union was also delivered in Spanish. Unfortunately many illegals are illeterate in their own laguage. Maybe cartoons explaining assimilation would be in order, after all many of them found their way here using Mexico's cartoon book of instructions.

If Hispanic American citizens would help stop the invasion they could go back to living in peace.