Immigrant boycott aims to "close" US cities May 1st

[lighthouse]

:grr: Immigrant boycott aims to "close" US cities
By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pro-immigration activists say a nationwide boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood Americas's streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it tackles reform.

But while such a massive turnout could make for the largest protests since the civil rights era of the 1960s, not all Latinos, nor their leaders, were comfortable with such militancy -- fearing a backlash in Middle America.

"There will be 2 to 3 million people hitting the streets in Los Angeles alone. We're going to close down Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Tucson, Phoenix, Fresno," said Jorge Rodriguez, a union official who helped organize earlier rallies credited with rattling Congress as it debates the issue.

Immigration has split Congress, the Republican Party and public opinion. Conservatives want the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to be classified as felons and a fence built along the Mexican border.

Others, including President George W. Bush, want a guest worker program and a path to citizenship. Most agree some reform is needed to stem the flow of poor to the world's biggest economy.

"We want full amnesty, full legalization for anybody who is here (illegally)," Rodriguez said. "That is the message that is going to be played out across the country on May 1."

more at link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060427/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl
__________________

[lighthouse]

http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_117193118.html
State Senate Supports Immigrant Walkout On Monday
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(AP) SACRAMENTO California's state senators on Thursday endorsed Monday's boycott of schools, jobs and stores by illegal immigrants and their allies as supporters equated the protest with great social movements in American history.

By a 24-13 vote that split along party lines, the California Senate approved a resolution that calls the one-day protest the Great American Boycott 2006 and describes it as an attempt to educate Americans "about the tremendous contribution immigrants make on a daily basis to our society and economy."

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"It's one day ... for immigrants to tell the country peacefully, 'We matter ... (we're) not invisible,'" said Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, the resolution's chief author. She said immigrants make up a third of California's labor force and a quarter of its residents.

Opponents said the nonbinding resolution was misleading because it failed to mention a goal of the boycott was pressuring Congress to legalize millions of undocumented people.

[CTZonEdit]

And they think this is going to further their cause for acceptance?

What they should do is require them to show their visas before protesting. There is a difference between an immigrant, and an ILLEGAL immigrant.

ILLEGALS have NO right to protest or complain about anything they have brought upon themselves by breaking a federal law of the USA.

[CoreIssue]

May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, Mexico's liberation day, like our 4th of July.

Some Mexican sites believe it should be an official American holiday. And feel they made America possible with that victory.

Now this garbage by California?

This is heating up big time.

Notice when Georgia signed in the new law they protested in Mexico?

They believe they have more rights to be here than Americans do.

This must end.

[CTZonEdit]

If this doesnt end then we will end up like many countries in Europe, France to be more specific.

[lighthouse]

it is state wide
not just california
downtown orlando will be closed on monday

[CoreIssue]

it is state wide
not just california
downtown orlando will be closed on monday
California is a mess.

And what Bush is doing in FL is beyond me. Stranger and stranger actions by him.

I will not vote for him if he runs for president.

[Jessie]

some guy on the news tonight said that the people were'nt listening to the leaders and that
its the people who run things...

this is'nt gonna stop.

[Jessie]

And they think this is going to further their cause for acceptance?

What they should do is require them to show their visas before protesting. There is a difference between an immigrant, and an ILLEGAL immigrant.

ILLEGALS have NO right to protest or complain about anything they have brought upon themselves by breaking a federal law of the USA.

it just shows how bad things have gotten. :sad:

[lighthouse]

i meant it is county wide
it will be in every usa city
i listened
to some of the leaders
fox news

whoo
they are sooo prejudice against us
gringos
as they call us
nasty bit of work

[Chrystalwuzhere]

Yup...I live in a small southern town. They are demonstrating around the courthouse monday. Thousands of them. The local businesses that employ them are shutting down. There will be no repercussions for missing work because the company knows that if they fire everyone, their profits will fall because there will be no one to do the work. You could say they've got business owners in a strangle hold. They know they can't do one thing to them. I blame the business owners for that.

We have factories here that employ nothing but Mexicans...the white people won't work there because they don't want to work in a factory (which pays quite well) that is full of Hispanics. If they fire all of the ones who are staying home that day to go to that protest, then their doors would shut and production would stop.

I hate the arrogance of this. They want immigration reform, yet they don't want to obey the laws of this land and come into this country legally. I have no problem with them being here.... LEGALLY!!! It's the illegals (millions of them) who come here, and the company owners who give them jobs who are causing a gaping wound in this economy...and causing it to hemorrhage.

And as I've mentioned before....you have those who know how to play the system. Anchor babies. The mother who is illegal has a baby in this country, the baby is an American citizen, so the mother gets to stay. They get hooked up on government subsidies, welfare, etc...and we tax-payers foot the bill for them to raise their babies. There are several hospitals in California that have shut down due to anchor babies being born there. It ravaged the hospital's budget and finances, and bankrupted them. As I said, I have no problem with them being here legally...but when they disobey the laws of the land... please don't expect FAVORS!!!! If a woman gives birth, and she is an illegal alien, her child should not be considered a citizen either. If the woman is legal, her child should be considered a citizen then.

I better stop...this topic gets me riled.

[CoreIssue]

i meant it is county wide
it will be in every usa city
i listened
to some of the leaders
fox news

whoo
they are sooo prejudice against us
gringos
as they call us
nasty bit of work
Yep. Look up groups like La Rasa and some of the worse ones. They have more rights to be here than us, we should just die and get it over with and more.

[CoreIssue]

A post from a local newspaper. Fuel to the fire.

Foxnews Reports:
MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Congress approved a bill Friday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin for personal use — a measure sure to raise questions in Washington about Mexico's commitment to the war on drugs.
Here's my follow-up news story:

San Diego (ML)--Mexican legislators will vote today on proposed laws that would make it a felony for U.S. citizens to enter into Mexico illegally.

"The city of Tijuana, for instance, is overrun with tie-dyed, sandal-wearing, marijuana-smoking American hippies from Southern California," Jose' Gonzalez, Mayor of Tijuana was quoted as saying. "Ever since our government moved to legalize marijuana, we have seen an increased influx in illegal aliens."

Asked whether Mexican jobs are at risk given this increased influx of illegals that could potentially enter the work force, Gonzalez observed that, to his knowledge, "none of these particular illegals seem interested in work." "They seem to spend most of their time lying in the sun or banging on drums," he noted. "But there are many complaints of illegal harvesting on the part of these aliens."

A small group of American immigrants attempted to organize a march protesting the legislation, but had little success in drawing together a substantial crowd. The reaction among the shaggy immigrants was summed up by one Los Angeles native who said, "I'm with you in spirit, dude, but I'm pretty buzzed right now. Maybe later."

The real issue, here, is those illegals are picking what they want to pick, smuggle into the US and then sell.

[Budgies]

If our elected representatives (both major parties) weren't corrupt, we wouldn't have this problem. The good news is we have the power to change our representatives. The bad news is I don't think we will.

We have no one to blame but ourselves.

[lighthouse]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193761,00.html

In smaller cities such as Allentown, Pa.; Omaha, Neb.; and Knoxville, Tenn., immigrants and their allies have been going door to door with fliers, making posters and sharpening speeches. In New Mexico, restaurants cooked meals this weekend to donate to picnics Monday in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.



Activists in Florida said many immigrants were concerned about recent federal raids, in which hundreds of immigrants with criminal backgrounds were rounded up in Florida and throughout the Midwest.

"We're not officially coordinating a work stoppage. We are leaving it up to every individual. We don't want people to lose a job, but we want to encourage people to stand up for their rights," said Maria Rodriguez, head of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

[CoreIssue]

Good on them being concerned. They should be gone.

In Georgia many fear loosing their jobs. Good, again.

This situation exists because the government has been doing nothing against illegals and businesses who give them jobs. About time something happened.

They were protesting the Minutemen. Amazing! Protesting those wanting to stop illegal activity! :eek:

[Jessie]

they like illegal activity? says a lot...