Thread: Protest in Chicago coverage from CBS2

Protesters Rally Against Illegal Immigration Bill
SLIDESHOW: March And Rally

Jay Levine
Reporting

(CBS) CHICAGO Crowds marched through the city on Friday to rally against HR 4437 – The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005.

Supporters of the bill before Congress say it beefs up border protection. But thousands of people in Chicago's Latino community call the pending bill a blatant violation of rights.

As CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports, the protesters -- of Polish, Irish, Latino, Chinese and many other nationalities -- gathered at Union Park, at Ashland Avenue and Lake Street, and marched to the Loop. From the air, it appeared to be an endless sea of demonstrators, flooding the streets to protest the recently-passed house bill, which would make it a crime to hire or even help undocumented immigrants.

At the end of the day, organizers say it was more than half a million protesters. Police estimated the crowd at 300,000.

“I'm definitely surprised to see this many people,” said protester Cesar Garza. “I expected a small amount of crowd, but this is… wow! I'm really surprised.”

Many of the protesters were immigrants who took the day off work to attend the rally.

“This is a ridiculous bill,” said Polish immigrant Paulina Cdnok. “I don't understand how it got as far as it did, and they're trying to make this a law -- and then at this point it's a police state.”

Other immigrants said their most important goal was to be part of the United States.

“It’s important that they know that we make great contributions to this country,” Chicago resident Maricela Herrera said. “We’re not here to take any jobs or anything, we’re here to be able to give our contributions that make the United States what it is.”

Mexican immigrant Esperanza Martinez said, “We got a family to support. We got a job. We pay taxes. We want to be part of this country.”

Mexican immigrant David Martinez said, “I want to live here with my family.”

The march ended at the Federal Plaza, at Adams and Dearborn streets, where state and local leaders promised to fight for immigrant rights.

“Whether their names are Gutierrez or Lozano, Lipinski or Blagojevich; it doesn't matter,” said Gov. Rod Blagojevich. “This is a country build by immigrants.”

Mayor Richard M. Daley said: “This is a fight that includes every American. Those who are here undocumented, we're not going to make criminals out of them. That is not what America has ever stood for and will not stand for.”

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez told the crowd that immigrants are here to stay, and pledged to work to block the bill.

The United States flag and banners from Mexico, Honduras, and many others flew over the crowd of thousands at Federal Plaza.

The only opposition to the march came from a group called the Illinois Minutemen Project. Rosanna Pulido of that organization said she believed protecting illegal aliens would violate the law.

“They are asking that our laws be totally violated to protect illegal aliens, people who break the law and come into this country,” Pulido said.

Earlier in the march, Pulido said, “I don’t care if there’s three million people out there, if they are illegal they do not have a voice in America.”

The protest was a nightmare for motorists in and around the loop, but police were ready, and there were no arrests or problems.

“We had total cooperation from the organizers and volunteers,” said Chicago Police Deputy Supt. Charles Williams, “and that’s what made for a good orderly march.”

The new immigration bill is not a done deal. The U.S. Senate appears likely to pass much more moderate legislation, without the criminal sanctions and with a path to citizenship for those here illegally.

Still, the house version has struck a nerve in multi-cultural Chicago. Many think that could trigger other protests as the legislation is debated in Washington, D.C.


Additional link with pictures: http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local ... 85148.html

Even if they gave them everything they want which I certainly do not support, there would never be an end to these protest and their demands. These people think that this is all about them, these protest and their demands is a slap in the face to every American citizen and this nation and it's laws.

sawdust wrote:

Even if they gave them everything they want which I certainly do not support, there would never be an end to these protest and their demands. These people think that this is all about them, these protest and their demands is a slap in the face to every American citizen and this nation and it's laws.

Kinda reminds ya of terrorism, doesn't it? Impeach Bush NOW!!

Originally Posted by Rockfish

sawdust wrote:

Even if they gave them everything they want which I certainly do not support, there would never be an end to these protest and their demands. These people think that this is all about them, these protest and their demands is a slap in the face to every American citizen and this nation and it's laws.

Kinda reminds ya of terrorism, doesn't it? Impeach Bush NOW!!

It is the equivalent of organizedterrorism. The sad part is that with each protest its beginning to be all about them and what we Americans want for our country is a moot point as far as most of our elected officials are concerned. For them its about the millions of votes the illegals will represent in the future.

They had 300,000 people according to police. Until leaders see
equivalent numbers of people supporting the legislation, I'm
afraid the House will roll over in 2007.

recently-passed house bill, which would make it a crime to hire or even help undocumented immigrants.

Thank you CBS. You make it sound like it is not ALREADY ILLEGAL TO HIRE OR HELP UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.

Hiring illegal aliens and aiding and abetting is ALREADY a crime!

W

Did this get any national coverage, or is the national news media ignoring it? 300,000 is a good size crowd, and I bet it was mainly Illegal Latinos...... The news media will not make the mistake of scaring the hell out of America again, as alot of us are thinking.

Originally Posted by Badmonkey

Did this get any national coverage, or is the national news media ignoring it? 300,000 is a good size crowd, and I bet it was mainly Illegal Latinos...... The news media will not make the mistake of scaring the hell out of America again, as alot of us are thinking.

I work in downtown Chicago and this is their 4th march. Each one is massive in population, their signs are usually in Spanish and of the 3 that I have witnessed, they always chanted in Spanish. IMO this is an indication that the majority are indeed illegal. Afterall If those they are wishing to reach are primarily English speaking Americans wouldn't it make sense to chant your slogans in English? Also most latino citizens are at work during the week at 12 noon. This is the first march that was inclusive of OTM.

The politicians in Illinois are the biggest panderers and supporters of the illegal primarily LATINO population, and many are on the city payrolls.

Did it get any NEWS coverage, thats what I want to know! Or is it a blackout. This should be all over the news.! 300,000 iS a HUGE CROWD!!!!!!!!!!!

again 300,000 IS A HUGE CROWD.......

If its not being covered, then its POLITICAL BIAS.

Was it on the news in Chicago, or elsewhere?

http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=223972


Immigration march down to last miles
BY HAFSA NAZ MAHMOOD
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Sunday, September 03, 2006

More than 200 immigration rights activists dressed in green, yellow and orange T-shirts held signs and flags and played instruments as they marched 14 miles through DuPage County Sunday.

The marchers left the Islamic Foundation mosque Sunday morning, stopped at Wheaton Bible Church in Wheaton for lunch and a rally, and called it a night once they got to St. Mary's Catholic Church in West Chicago in the evening.

The four-day walk began in Chicago and should end today at U.S. Speaker Dennis Hastert's office in Batavia.

Local police reported no problems and said the march went smoothly.

Walkers were greeted by a handful of supporters Sunday afternoon.

More than 200 immigration rights activists marched through DuPage County Sunday. Their final destination, which walkers plan to reach today, is U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert's office in Batavia. (Tanit Jarusan/Daily Herald)

Jan Kay of Wheaton held up a sign that read "Welcome All."

"I just believe that we're all immigrants and need to be welcoming to people who are new," Kay said. "Not just in the U.S., but all over the world."

Bryant Kim, 25, board member of the Korean American Resource and Cultural Center in Chicago, said the group's feet were sore and the heat kicked in a bit Sunday, but overall, people's spirits remained high.

"I feel like it's just a small reminder to Congress and elected officials that immigration is still an important issue in this country, and it affects every community in the nation," he said.

Many, old and young, said they were walking to stand up for their families.

Mehrdad Azemun, senior organizer of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said people of many ethnicities are undocumented citizens.

"Very simply, I believe in dignity," Azemun said. "There are millions of people in this country who are being deprived of their full human rights because of our broken immigration system.

"The perfect picture is a sane and fair immigration system."

Cecilia Marrufo, 11, of Chicago and Brenda Diaz, 11, of Belvidere both said they marched because they wanted to help their parents.

Diaz said she was worried because her immigrant parents don't have proper paperwork.

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http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local ... 85148.html


50-Mile Immigration March Ends Labor Day
Most Pariticpants Are Latino, But Marchers Come From Around The Globe
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(CBS) CHICAGO A four day long, 40-mile immigration march and fight for immigration reform is scheduled to end on Labor Day. Predicts 5000 participants will be at end of march on 9/4 - Labor Day
About 500 marchers started in Chicago's Chinatown Aug. 31 and they're heading to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's office in Batavia.
So far, the marchers have gone through Cicero, Villa Park, West Chicago, and other suburbs. Participants want Hastert to push for the stalled immgration proposals in Congress.

Hastert isn't expected to be in his office when the marchers arrive Monday.

While the majority of marchers are Latino, the demonstration has featured immigrants from South Korea, India, the Philippines, and many other countries.

The march symbolizes the time it takes Mexican immigrants to cross the desert to safety over the border – a line that some lawmakers, including Hastert, want to see under much tighter security.

Organizers said they chose Hastert's Batavia office as the march's ultimate destination to highlight what they say are his anti-immigration positions. Hastert has suggested fences, pedestrian inhibitors and the use of the Army Corps of Engineers and Border Patrol could be used to help seal the country's border with Mexico.

The march began in Chinatown to the beat of a Chinese drum. Marchers said they chose the Chinatown to demonstrate that this country is a nation of immigrants and that many of them feel the pain of waiting for years at a time for relatives to gain permission to come to the United States and make their families whole again.

Many of the participants have waited years for family members to gain permission to come to the United States.

“For the Asian community, this is about family unification,” said Filipino-American marcher Lawrence Benito, whose mother moved here decades ago to work as a nurse. “My mother has been waiting 23 years for her brother to come here.”

“We're marching because there are over one million Asian-Americans who are also undocumented; we're marching because hundreds of thousands of Asian-American families are separated,” said Becky Belcore of the Korean-American Resource and Cultural Center.

The marchers trekked through the Little Village neighborhood on the Near Southwest Side, and entered Cicero later on Friday. They made their first overnight stop there, and gathered in a church parking lot, where they heard Bible verses read in five languages.

They want immigration reform, something that has reached a stalemate in Washington.

Hastert, whose district includes some of Chicago's suburbs and outlying rural counties, has been emphasizing the immigration issue in making the case to voters that they should keep Congress in GOP hands.

“In the Senate, Democrats and Republicans are working together; the president is willing to work with the Democrats on this,” said Joshua Hoyt of the Immigration Coalition. ”Speaker Hastert decided that he wants to use this for short-term, cheap, political advantage.”

Brad Hahn, a spokesman for Hastert, said that the speaker is not planning to meet with the marchers and is not planning on even being in his office Monday. But he said Hastert is focused on the issue, has talked to people on all sides of the debate and has visited the United States-Mexico border.

"It's important to note it isn't a question of who can yell the loudest, but finding the most effective solutions to securing the borders and strengthening our immigration system," Hahn said.

In Little Village, the protestors were welcomed by hundreds of supporters, including several priests.

“Many families that I know in my own parish, they've been waiting 12, 15, 17 years,” said Fr. Peter McQuinn of Priests for Justice for Immigrants. “And, you know, so it's just like why is it taking so long?”

But the marchers are not going unchallenged. Opponents with the Illinois Minutemen are at several stops along the route.

“We're outraged at them. We've been outraged for years!” said Carl Segvich of the Chicago Minutemen Project.

Segvich said all illegal immigrants should be arrested and kicked out of the country.

“We will be destroyed from within, and that's what we're witnessing sadly, tragically today. We're being invaded and taken over by illegal aliens,” he said.

Hundreds more immigrants joined the procession as it traveled through Melrose Park and Wheaton.

The march is sponsored by Miller Beer.


Azemun said he saw no protests against immigration rights activists Sunday.

The dozens of activists had dinner and spent the night at St. Mary's Catholic Church in West Chicago and plan to walk seven miles from West Chicago to Batavia today to complete their journey.