The Guardian 5 April, 2006
USA:
Over 500,000 rally for immigrant rights
Rosalio Munoz
LOS ANGELES: The over half million immigrant rights supporters who rallied in Los Angeles on March 25 sent their fellow Americans and their government a clear message: We are Americans, we are workers who build up this economy and society, we are not terrorists nor criminals, we deserve justice and equality with legalisation!
Hundreds upon hundreds of thousands in the march sent these messages on their white T-shirts, on placards, carrying banners and American flags, with chants as well as roaring cheers for the speeches of community, labour, political and religious leaders.
The action was timed to precede Senate debate on immigration policy starting on March 27. The labour-community coalition has been growing by leaps and bounds, drawing in Democrats, some Republicans, religious groups and some business groups.
The earnestness of the message was embodied in the character of the marchers. They arrived hours early. Hundreds of thousands were already there at the 10am assembly time. They came as community: whole families, from infants in strollers to grandparents. Others came in groups of co-workers and neighbours. Over two-thirds wore white as a symbol of peaceful advocacy for their rights, as requested by organisers and the Spanish-language radio disc jockeys.
Carrying themselves with dignity, people were so solidly pressed together that smoking was virtually absent. No alcohol was present and no arrests were made.
The LA march came in the wake of the huge Chicago rally on March 10 that rocked the nation. Millions have taken to the streets in opposition to HR 4437, known as the Sensenbrenner Bill, which criminalises undocumented workers as well as anyone who provides them with assistance. Protestors are demanding "pro-immigrant" immigration reform with a clear path to citizenship.
At the LA rally, the crowd resoundingly cheered calls by rally organisers for permanent residency and amnesty, not bracero-like* temporary worker programs. They cheered calls to oppose anti-immigrant politicians at the polls, and cheered warnings of boycotts and work stoppages should bad legislation pass.
California State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez said, "We are a community looking for justice, we want permanent residency. This week President Bush and Congress can decide whether to open their arms … or turn their backs on our beautiful community." Father Mike Kennedy, pastor of Dolores Mission Catholic Church, spoke of the Catholic Conference of Bishops’ support for immigrant rights. He said that the anti-immigrant proposals in Congress "are sinful … we need an amnesty". Many diocese leaders are vowing to "get arrested" if laws are enacted that criminalise those who work with undocumented people.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was joined by many others urging legalisation. "We are here as one family" seeking legalisation as part of the American Dream, he said. "We are not illegal, we are workers."
Maria Elena Durazo, leader of the 800,000-member Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said the nation’s labour movement was "entirely behind you". Labour union members, along with community activists, led the security detail. Durazo was joined by SEIU Local 1877 (representing service workers) President Mike Garcia in calling for keeping up the pressure, including, where appropriate, work stoppages.
Other important immigrant rights actions were initiated by students and farm workers. Starting on March 24 and continuing on March 27, tens of thousands of students in the area walked out of school. On March 26, some 4,000 members and supporters of the United Farmworkers Union (UFW) commemorated the March 31 anniversary of Cesar Chavez’s birth.
Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of the UFW with Chavez, said the farm workers would picket and demonstrate at the offices of every Republican politician in California if the Republican leadership moves forward with anti-immigrant legislation.
*The Bracero program lasted from 1942 to 1964 under an agreement between the US and Mexico, initially for the purpose of meeting US food supply needs during World War II. Agricultural workers were imported from Mexico on a seasonal basis, and in later years it also involved workers for railroad companies. During the program’s 22 years, it involved 4.5 million people. There were elaborate contracts that covered wide-ranging contingencies regarding housing, wages, and labour conditions, but in practice it involved widespread abuse of workers. Ten percent of their wages were held to be paid on return to Mexico, but very few if any workers ever saw it. — Ed.
People’s Weekly World