Protests of Sensenbrenner Bill

Alliance launches ‘war’ on HR 4437

By JUAN ESPARZA LOERA / Vida en el Valle (Published Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 10:35AM)

RIVERSIDE — Elvira Arellano, a 31-year-old single mother from Chicago who faces deportation in August, wants the world to know that she is neither a terrorist nor a drain on U.S. public services. Not long after the terrorist attacks in September 2001, the O’Hare International Airport worker was visited by eight Homeland Security agents who wanted to know if she had weapons or had a permit to carry guns. She was then arrested and threatened with deportation. “They told me they were going to take my son (who was born in the U.S.) away because I had no family member he could stay with,” said Arellano. Thus began Arellano’s activism that led her last Saturday to the Riverside Convention Center for an Immigration Summit organized by the National Alliance for Human Rights. There, representatives of various pro-immigrant organizations waged war on the Sensenbrenner bill, which was passed by the House last December on a 239-182 vote. Participants came from as far away as Ilinois, New México, Arizona and Nevada for what the main organizer called “an historic event.” The group vowed to stop the bill from being signed into law by outlining strategy that includes massive protest marches; visits to federal lawmakers; lobbying with Mexican government leaders and ambassadors of other Latin American countries; a postcard writing campaign calling on California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the state’s Congressional delegation to support more comprehensive immigration reform; and, support efforts by cities like Maywood and Huntington Park, which are heavily Latino, to declare themselves immigrant sanctuaries. The alliance has the support of Assembly Speaker Fabián Núnez; state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Ángeles; and, Assemblymember Héctor De La Torre, D-South Gate. Núnez addressed the gathering of about 550 in a videotaped statement, while De La Torre addressed the group. Cedillo issued a press release in support. “I am honored to fight against the Sensenbrenner approach to immigration policy,” said Núñez in Spanish and English in his video. “This legislation is a flashback to those failed and polarizing policies of the past. Hopefully, now our nation will outgrow the wedge- issue politics that always seems to threaten to rip us apart.” Núñez called the Sensenbrenner bill, which must still be passed by the Senate and signed by President Bush before it becomes law, “an attack against all Californians and our families.”

Cedillo’s statement also backed the Migrant March to Washington, D.C., which has made stops in Fresno, Sacramento and other California cities on its way to meet with federal lawmakers to lobby against HR 4437. “I strongly feel that political agendas and special interests should be set aside and the obligation to protect civil rights and humanitarian rights of all people should be paramount as leaders throughout this country work towards real solutions for immigration reform,” said Cedillo. The state Senator is proposing to create the California State Office of Immigrant Affairs, which would help and promote citizenship and English acquisition. Armed with support from politicians, and bouyed by immigrant rights marches that have drawn as many as 50,000 in Chicago, organizers believe Saturday’s summit will be the first shot fired in the war against the Sensenbrenner bill. “Now we have to put them into action and get people to participate in these marches,” said Dr. Armando Navarro, a professor at UC Riverside and main coordinator of the summit. “We invite all people to join us. This is the year for the movement. We can’t lose any time.” The marches are scheduled between Feb. 28 and March 2, but organizers have yet to determine the exact locations. One march is scheduled Saturday (Feb. 18) in Las Vegas. A second round of marches will begin with a March 25 march in Los Ángeles, and continue with a march in Arizona the second week of April and an Aug. 29 march in Los Ángeles. Navarro said hundreds of summits and thousands of ideas are worthless unless “we have support from the public. We must act, we can’t be passive.” Arellano, who crossed without papers into the United States nine years ago, was passive about immigration reform until she was detained in December 2002. She is on probation through March, and has obtained a Social Security card, a work permit and a driver’s license. “But in August I could lose it all,” said Arellano, president of Familia Latina Unida, which has organized 37 families whose parents face deportation. Legislation by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez have given the families hope of avoiding deportation. “But I will continue fighting for all of those who came to this country with dreams,” said Arellano, a native of Michoacán, México. She has been given three deportation extensions. She has sat down and spoken with Wisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner, the author of HR 4437 during one of more than 20 trips she has made to Washington, D.C. to lobby for immigration reform. “Basically, his response was not very favorable,” said Arellano, who added the lawmaker said legislation similar to 245(i), a guest worker plan, would be better. If she is deported, Arellano said she won’t try to return to the U.S. because she will have to care for her 9-year-old son Saúl, who has participated in pro-immigrant marches and passed out fliers. Among those who attended the summit was Efren M. Guttiérrez, executive director of Spirit of Aztlán in Sacramento. He was accompanied by several other members of the Latino coalition. “We’re here because we’re not Tracy, and we’re not Modesto,” said Guttiérrez. “In Sacramento we drink politics daily.” The group plans to inform other groups of the planned activities coming from the summit. Among those who addressed the summit participants was Maywood Mayor Pro Tem Feipe Aguirre, who defended the council’s action to declare itself an immigrant sanctuary by ordering its police force to not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. “If Costa Mesa can be an anti-immigrant city, Maywood can be a pro- immigrant city,” said Aguirre. (Costa Mesa councilmembers have directed police to cooperate with immigration officials). Maywood has decided not to cooperate with federal officials even if the Sensenbrenner bill passes. “We had to say something. We had to make the strong effort not just to oppose the bill, but to make our city a sanctuary for immigrants,” said Aguirre. Also speaking to the group was Mexican Senator Reymundo Cárdenas of Zacatecas. He was scheduled to go to Washington, D.C. this week to meet with federal lawmakers to argue against the Sensenbrenner bill. “The issue of immigration reform has been discussed now for the last six years,” said Cárdenas. He encouraged people to fight against the Sensenbrenner bill. “It’s your task, but it’s also up to us in México as well,” he said. Another immigration summit is scheduled April 8, but no location has been established.   Send e-mail to: jesparza@vidaenelvalle.com

KJ