PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

	........................

	Photo by Travis Lane
	In a "tsunami of red, wite and blue," thousands of marchers voice their concern over pending immigation legislation.
	........................

A single City of Phoenix Police car slowly moves southwest on Grand Avenue with its lights flashing. Looking past a preliminary line of hustling photographers and Somos America volunteers that are trailing the squad car, the northwest view of Grand Avenue is completely eclipsed by a human tsunami of red white and blue. At about 12:30 p.m. April 10, the immigration reform march, the largest protest in Phoenix’s history, has begun making its way toward its final destination at the Arizona State Capital.

Over 100,000 mothers, fathers, children and grandparents, representing farms, villages, pueblos and cities from countries throughout Central and South America chanted pro-American slogans as they marched shoulder to shoulder within the sea of humanity.Enthusiastic yet orderly, adamant in their demands yet respectful of law and order, they transformed what began as a political protest into a celebration of freedom, community and patriotism.

The message protesters delivered throughout the march was, Phoenix’s massive population of undocumented immigrants strain to be recognized as patriotic U.S. citizens instead of criminals, seeks the right to legally work in the U.S. and demands that politicians draft immigration reform policies that are just and humane.

A similar message was delivered April 9 in the Palomino neighborhood of Northeast Phoenix. Pastor Jose Rodriguez, Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church, 5900 E. Bell Road, organized a neighborhood protest to give the community a chance to make its voice heard.

In a pre-march address, Pastor Rodriguez said that the purpose of the protest was to give Palomino residents a chance to demonstrate their love for the U.S., display community unity and ask the federal government to pass fair immigration reform.

While the details as to what the Hispanic population in Palomino considers to be fair are unclear, the right to legally work in the U.S. is something that many say is of dire importance.

Palomino residents Carlos Belasquez and Arturo Montoya work as landscapers. They came to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador two years ago. Belasquez and Montoya say that the federal government needs to realize that people do not enter the U.S. illegally to break laws, but instead to seek employment.

“All we ask is that they (the U.S. government) let us work freely,” they say.

Since national debate over the fate of undocumented immigrants began, questions have been raised about their devotion and loyalty to the U.S.

In response to criticism of the significantly smaller March 24 protest where many marchers carried Mexican flags, organizers of both Somos America and Palomino marches made concentrated efforts to encourage protesters to present themselves as U.S. citizens. The Hispanic community responded.

Both the Somos America and the Palomino marches were dominated by red white and blue. Protesters also carried home-made signs and banners professing their love for the U.S. Banners displaying the words written on the tablet held by the Statue of Liberty were dominant. The tablet says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

At the Palomino rally where youth had a dominant presence, protesters carried signs saying, “We have a dream!”, “God Bless America!”, “I love this country!” and “Equal education for all!” Non-Hispanic supporters of the protesters were also present at both rallies. They were quick to point out the economic contributions undocumented immigrants make to the U.S. while also recognizing the historical role of immigration.

Lulu, a graduate student currently studying geography at Arizona State University marched with the front line to the capital on April 10. Dressed as the Statue of Liberty, she said, “I think that the issue (immigration) is grossly misrepresented in the media. No real dialogues are presented on the subject. People treat immigrants like criminals from Mars, while ignoring that they are an economic safety valve for this country.”

Lulu did not say which dialogues she would like to see discussed, but also added that the idea of immigration is symbolic of principles on which the U.S. was founded.

Keenan Strand, owner of the McDonald's at 32nd Street and Greenway for six years, addressed the crowd in Palomino: “The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. That is what has made this country great. Immigrants have contributed to the growth and prosperity of our nation and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.”

Strand, whose Hispanic employees make up 75 percent of the work force at his McDonald's franchise, later said that in addition to being hard working, the majority of immigrants also maintain “strong family values” and “good attitudes.”

Pastor Rodriguez says community response to the Palomino protest has been extremely positive. Residents are happy to have voiced their opinions, and authorities were pleased that the protest was conducted without incident.

Despite the positive feedback, unity and organization displayed by Hispanics in Phoenix, recent events are threatening to stall the reform movement.

Somos America, the combination of groups that organized the April 10 protest, voted April 18 to not endorse the nationwide boycott of U.S. products planned for May 1. The boycott, if successful, would most likely have sent a major shiver through the U.S. economy as many immigrant workers would probably have taken the day off to join the protest.

Somos America’s reason for not endorsing the boycott was that they did not want to alienate business owners that have so far been sympathetic to their cause.

In a separate incident, on April 19, the Department of Homeland Security drove home an authoritative message by displaying its power to enforce immigration laws. Members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeted managers and employees of IFCO Systems North American, a Netherlands-based firm and the largest pallet company in the U.S., by executing search warrants of company facilities in 26 different states .

Seven current and former IFCO Systems mangers were arrested for “conspiring to transport, harbor, encourage and induce illegal aliens to reside in the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain, in violation of Title 8, USC Section 1324.” ICE also detained and arrested an unspecified number of undocumented immigrant workers.

In an April 20 press release, ICE Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers said, “ICE has no tolerance for corporate officers who harbor illegal aliens for their workforce. This nationwide enforcement action shows how we will use all our investigative tools to bring these individuals to justice."

The Republican Congressional majority has made immigration reform a cornerstone of its platform for the 2006 elections. However, the passing of any immigration reform policy remains embattled in the House of Representatives. Outside of the political realm, sides on the issue have been chosen and lines clearly drawn. Will the strongly rooted Hispanic community that is spread throughout many of the 50 states maintain its unity and organization, or will it lose momentum and wilt under the pressure that coincides with the powerful threat of swift legal action by the federal government?