D.C. Immigration March Planned: "We Won't Be Taken For Granted"
What began as a campaign to keep University of Illinois-Chicago student Rigo Padilla in the country has morphed into something larger. Many of those same students are now turning their fear and frustration into an organizing campaign under the Immigrant Youth Justice League, setting their sights on helping to push national immigration reforms through Congress.
When Rigo Padilla, an undocumented Chicago college student, was facing deportation last year, the local campaign to keep him in the United States became intensely personal. And not just for Padilla. In the 21-year-old, thousands of young Illinoisans saw themselves and were reminded that playing by the rules and making their best effort was no guarantee for success. Rigo's case proved that merit doesn't exempt you from the harsh realities of America's broken immigration system.
As more high-profile officials -- from congressmen to city council members -- stood at their side, we watched numerous young immigrants step forward and tell their stories. These students opened up about their deepest fears: of their families being torn apart; of being sent back to countries they don't even remember; of failing their parents who sacrificed so much to bring them to the United States.
What began as a campaign to keep Padilla in the country has morphed into something larger. Many of those same students are now turning their fear and frustration into an organizing campaign under the Immigrant Youth Justice League, setting their sights on helping to push national immigration reforms through Congress. "We realize that if not now, it's going to be a long time before we have another chance," 18-year-old Reyna Wences tells us. "We feel like we're fighting for our lives."
The big goal for 2010 is to a pass a bill through both chambers of Congress by May, according to Salvador Cervantes, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. The movement is going to need powerful allies on their side if they plan on moving Sen. Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) forthcoming bill through the upper chamber quickly. For that, they're calling on Illinois' own Sen. Dick Durbin -- a longtime advocate for reforms -- to flex his leadership muscles.
To up the pressure, the students have set a goal to send 10,000 Illinoisans to Capitol Hill on March 21 as part of a national campaign urging Congress and the White House to make immigration reform part of the 2010 political agenda. Getting those numbers to D.C. will be expensive. But during a single afternoon of phone banking this past Saturday, the students managed to raise $243,000. They also signed up enough people to fill 66 buses. One supporter even pledged to sell the family car to help raise money.
Last week, President Obama's State of the Union address included only one line on immigration reform, adding to the disillusionment of advocates. Illinois' Rep. Luis Gutierrez (who recently introduced his own immigration bill in the House) told the Washington Post: "There's almost universal consensus that ... it was too little. He was very weak on immigration, lackadaisical."
But organizers here in Illinois aren't backing down. Rather, they're turning this latest disappointment into action. "We've not seen this anger and energy of young people before," Cervantes tells us. "They know that we're the reason that [Democrats in Washington] are a majority now. We need to hold them accountable. We need to show that we won't be taken for granted."
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This is the stupidest argument I've ever heard! Boycotting the census does nothing except hurt the statistical data about the presence of immigrants, shift the power of the government, and lose funding for programs. If immigrants boycott the census, their community will simply get less funding. Period. Since there are programs that affect densely populated areas (where most immigrants live), boycotting the census results in making the under-served communities become even MORE under-served because there is no representation in data.
As for magically changing Obama's plans because you are "sure that Obama doesn't want that", you must realize that bills and laws are agreed upon in all of the three branches of government, the House, the Senate and the President. If any of those powers are in disagreement, then you are right, nothing will get done! No immigration reform will occur BECAUSE the people have boycotted the census and created a Republican majority. Your idea of boycotting the census only results in a Republican majority, wrecking any chance for change, and losing necessary fundings to programs that would help immigrants specifically. You are right as far as having a vote every 10 years, and we must chose wisely. But we must chose the right choice, one which is going to better our community and our society.
A census also appropriates money to districts, and does not only appropriate House seats. A boycott will only end up hurting the immigrant community for a good decade. The last thing an immigrant community needs is less money for schools, security, health, parks, etc... One presidents false promises should equate to action not inaction.
Thanks for asking! You can donate by going to http://icirr.org/donate
Participate in the Census! Every responsible immigrant rights group in the country agrees - it is critical for everyone to be counted. The census not only leads to resources for schools, roads, and job training, but it gives politicians a picture of today's America. You do not have to be a citizen, or even an authorized immigrant, to be counted.
If no CIR then no VOTE
Dear Fellow American's..
Our president said in 2009 he wil consider CIR this yr.If he is nt doing the promise pls don't vote for Democrates this election and no vote to republicans too.Bcoz these all guys in white hosue for solving the ppl's problem, we don't want to see POLITRICKS in white house.If they do POLiITRCIKS then we have to show them with out the ordinary people and thre vote these guys can't do anything.Maybe one time they understand then things wil go fine.For healthcare legi they spoil 11 months no decision stil this time..We need to solve all these problms..if this gusy are not suitable for this position we have to look for new faces in teh white house,they are not interested in POLITRICKS.I'm saying from my mind..only in US these kind of POLITRICKS happening..all other nations pasing all kinds of laws easily with mutual understanding with LEFT/RIGHT...Hre only BIG BIG "quote's" coming from mouth but nothing happening.So the normal persons have to show there value in these kind of difficult periods.In an election year nothing is impossible..if we think its nt impossiblel then nothing is possible in all yeras..So its my request to the normal US citizen show ur value the coming election if they not do anything with this 1 and half yrs.If politician's don't change thre mind then the normal people have to think about new faces in the next election other than these two parties.God seeing all...so do it this coming november and show we have the power to change this WHITE HOUSE and the way.Do it..
The Democratic Party has been a champion of the immigrant community for decades, and now you are betraying it and threatening to vote republican to ""punish" them if they don't act as you wish. 73% of Latinos voted for a REPUBLICAN Senator in Mass. who is ANTI-IMMIGRATION. Who will you vote for in 2012--Sarah Palin? Gingrich? LOU DOBBS!!?
It is sad, the "illegals" are caught between a rock and a hard place. What can they do? They can't vote or have their 12M voices heard. If the legal Mexicans and voting family members of these illegals did vote, what would they do? Vote out the spineless Dems and let in more of the racist GOPs. Like they will ever pass any kind of CIR. Alas, the CIR carrot goes on dangled in front of the masses.
I understand that some illegals don't care to send in the Census questionnaire. Why would they care when they get no federal or state help for anything. Most pay taxes in some form and most are being taken advantage of by the employers and the government.
The money and the delegates the state may get does them no good. If you keep the "illegals" in the shadows why does counting matter. I'm not saying that the census is unimportant but I understand.
And the kicker here is I am a White Republican.
Boycotting the census is beyond stupid: it's called 'shooting yourself in the foot' or 'cutting off your nose to spite your face. prior posters are right: funding is governed by the number of people living in a given area...like education funding, the feds and state appropriate per student funding. the fewer the students, the less funding the school gets. I think a real danger here is that the rest of America (still the vast majority) views Gutierrez et al. as demanding, coercing and threatening the President and Congress and they resent it deeply. 73% of latinos voted for an anti-reform Senator in Massachussetts, Brown...what kind of message does that give Democrats who have been the historical champions of immigrants--that Latinos will betray them. If not for Dems. who will Latinos vote for? Palin? Gingrich? Dobbs? I feel immigrant advocates are setting their constituents up for a big fall if the demand anything that looks like amnesty for illegal immigrants -- America doesn't have the stomach for that.
I don't know whether this is the right place to post my thoughts, but I am a H1 visa holder paying taxes, doing all legal things and still waiting in line for 10 years to get my Green Card. Indians are not as many as Hispanics.Indians with this kind of problem are may be 300,000 , and many cannot vote, so nobody even cares about them. I paid 25,000 for extensions and GC process, still have to wait another 4-5 yrs before I get my GC.CIR will address this legal immigration backlogs also. Our community support will be with you guys.
Shame on the Immigration system of America.
The creation of immigration reform to create more Hispanic citizens will only continue to drive unemployment in the Black community, racial tensions, and the economic aggravation driving us to a socialist state.
Boycott the Census...your not citizens, shouldn't be, won't be, bye.
If you are here regardless of status you should fill out the Census. It's the basis for funding. What I find amazing is citizens are faced with rising health care cost passed on from emergency room visits from the uninsured illegals and additional education costs from people who didn't follow the law to come here. I understand wanting a better way of life, but it's unfair to those who are here legally and waited in line. If anything is broken with our immigration system it's the illegals that have chosen to break the laws and abuse our porous borders.
It's not racism, it's not xenephobia, it's economics plain and simple.
It's not undocumented, it's illegal.
If you can afford a Coyote to get here you can afford a Greyhound home.
This is not the Trail of Tears, being driven onto a Reservation in the snow.
This is not Semla. The Middle Passage was people being forced onto ships and into horror. Against their will.
Walking here of their own free will and paying for the passage is how the illegals arrived. They created their own dillema. They can realize their mistake
My compassion is reserved for the people who are citizens of this country who have had their means to educate their kids, feed themselves and there families, their neighborhoods and quality of life destroyed by the invasion of illegals who, for the past decade have been allowed to do as they please inside our borders.
The real crime here is in the lies told by the Left Wing Nuts who have offered these people something that was not theirs to give. The dream of being able to stay here.
That is the crime.
The irresponsibility is in the people who belived it. The tragedy will be when they find out it wasn't true.
Understand something they will go home. Any one who believes different needs to realize that the country and the people who own it ~The Voters~ are angry about any amnesty what-so-ever. This hasn't even started yet.
They will go home. Why?? because we are home and we will take it back. This country cannot accept 1 million and we have enough illegals to fill LA and New York. How many states with less than 10 million? 20 millon. Amnesty is insanity.
We are done with the lies. Amnesty supporters have had their say and you have no logic. Now you will hear what the rest of the nation will say and I can tell you, you won't like it.
Go read the postings on MSNBC Newsvine regarding any article relating to illegals. This is not Fox. This a site primarily of people like myself who are Liberal Democrats. Postings regularly go into 6-700 within 72 hours, with 90% being amazed that amnesty is even being discussed when so many are out of the work that we don't want...my favorite lie.
The opinions are ovewhelmingly in favor of taking away the jobs, the schools, the cars, the apartment leases, the welfare, the anchor baby backdoor, the medical benefits, foodstamps, along with any other benefit or reason to stay. And yes they will leave.
The only rights these people have is the right to be treated humanely during deportation if they won't leave under their own free will. Exactly the same way they got here.
Closing your ears and saying lalalalala won't work any more.
Now you will listen to the rest of us. Open your ears and keep an open mind. Filter out the crap. That's what a true Liberal mind does. Making the facts fit your ideology, ramping up emotion to hide reality, tossing around lies and slander is best left to conservatives.
Students is a great force. I'm sure the politicians have underestimated them. I hope the outcome won't be like in the song Sorry but it's over by Dredg(I downloaded it from music search http://www.mp3hounddog.com not long ago). I hope there is still a chance for this boy to remain in the States. I'm not so optimistic about this story because I know a lot of cases when there was a desire but there wasn't any mechanism, or the whole deal hasgone too far and it was impossible to change anything.
We, the immigrants need to boycott the census. Everybody who supports the immigration reform should boycott the census. Everybody who has a family member in immigration limbo should boycott the census. For those Republicans and Democrats who are up for the reelection this November, it will mean than there might be no seat for them to run for. That will get their attention. Even if Republicans will get the majority it will be very bad for Obama who promised a "change". Republicans don't want "change". Republican majority will automatically mean that Obama is "done as a president and a political figure". He will go in the history as a lamest president of them all and a lair. I am sure that Obama doesn't want that. Census boycott will push Obama to the action.
Immigrants, we have only one vote every 10 years. Use it wisely. Don't listen those who is telling you that if you don't get counted your community will not get enough findings. If you boycott the census your community will get less funding to terrorize immigrants and their children.