IMMIGRANT-RIGHTS-REPORT:Friday, March 24, 2006

http://humane-rights-agenda.blogspot.com/2006/03/immigrant-rights-reportfriday-march-24.html

Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede!

IMMIGRANT-RIGHTS-REPORT: Friday, March 24, 2006
News Articles on Immigrant Rights, Protests & Issues

Cesar Chavez March Sacramento: Saturday, Mar 25, 10am, Cesar Chavez March: California Communities for Working Families and many others. Assemble @ ILWU Longshoremens Hall Local 17, 600 4th St, West Sacramento and walk to Cesar Chavez Park, 10th & J St. for 12 NOON RALLY. 916/446-3021; nadm916@aol.com
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http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0324immigrationmarch24-ON.html

THOUSANDS MARCH TO PROTEST IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION:
Mar. 24, 2006 02:28 PM / The Arizona Republic

Thousands of U.S.-born Latinos and undocumented immigrants marched in east Phoenix to Sen. Jon Kyl's office Friday to protest immigration legislation they say is inhumane and punitive.

Construction workers, teachers, students, maids, lawyers and activists said they were fed up with federal and state legislation that aims to make life more difficult for illegal immigrants. Phoenix police estimated the crowd to be between 15,000 and 20,000 people.

Similar demonstrations took place Friday in Tucson, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Milwaukee and elsewhere. On 24th Street in Phoenix, marchers were waving American and Mexican flags with signs that said, "We are not criminals," and shouting "Si se puede," (It can be done.) They walked from St. Agnes Catholic Church at 24th Street and McDowell Road north to Camelback Road at 22nd Street to Kyl's Phoenix office.

Kyl, a Republican, is sponsoring a bill along with by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that would give illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. Those immigrants could apply from their home country to return, either as temporary workers or for permanent residency. The Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Kyl is a member, is set to vote on a bill passed by the House on Monday. Kyl's press secretary said his office would have no immediate comment on the rally.

Sixteen advocacy organizations helped organize the event and planned for several weeks. The crowd, led by community activists Elias Bermudez, Alfredo Gutierrrez and Rep. Ben Miranda, gained more protesters with every block. The march began about 11 a.m., after a kickoff rally at the church that started at 9 a.m.

Police shut down 24th Street because of the march, and businesses along the busy street were inaccessible. Drivers reported heavy traffic on other major streets in east Phoenix.

Angeles Maldonado, a marcher, said, "We're (undocumented immigrants) here. We're going to stay. We need laws that recognize that we are not an invisible group. We came out today to prove it. I am an immigrant myself. My parents are immigrants. I am tired of people call them criminals. Because we are not."

Phoenix resident Elida Lozano, 50, carried a sign that read, "Humanitarian Aid is not a crime." She said, "It's unfair what they want to do. It's racist. You're not going to find terrorists outside a Home Depot looking for a job."

The rally is the largest in a string of grassroots protests, marches and boycotts by Hispanics since 2004, when Arizona voters passed Proposition 200, a law that prohibits undocumented immigrants from voting or receiving certain public benefits.

Across the country, pro-immigration supporters took to the streets Friday. More than 10,000 people marched in Milwaukee in what was billed as "A Day Without Latinos" to protest efforts in Congress to target undocumented workers.

Hundreds of Los Angeles students walked out of classes Friday morning to call attention to immigration issues.

In Georgia, activists said tens of thousands of workers didn't show up at their jobs on Friday after calls for a work stoppage to protest a bill passed by the Georgia House on Thursday.

That bill, which has yet to gain Senate approval, would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5 percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants. Teodoro Maus, one of the organizers of the Georgia protest, estimated as many as 80,000 Hispanics did not show up for work Friday.

About 200 people converged on the steps of the Georgia Capitol, some wrapped in Mexican flags and holding signs reading: "Don't panic, we're Hispanic" and "We have a dream, too."

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/24/immigration.protest.ap/index.html

IMMIGRATION BILLS SEND PROTESTERS TO CITY STREETS:
Friday, March 24, 2006
Demonstrations held in Arizona, California, Georgia and Wisconsin

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Thousands of people across the country protested Friday against legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants, with demonstrators in several cities, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, California, and Atlanta, Georgia, staging school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.

Congress is considering bills that would make it a felony to be in the United States illegally, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. The proposals have angered many Hispanics.

The Los Angeles demonstration led to fights between black and Hispanic students at one high school, but the protests were largely peaceful, authorities said.

Chantal Mason, a sophomore at George Washington Preparatory High, said black students started a scuffle with Hispanic students as they left classes to take part in a protest. "It was horrible, horrible," Mason said. "It's ridiculous that a bunch of black students would jump on Latinos like that, knowing they're trying to get their freedom."

One black and one Hispanic student interceded to calm their classmates and help restore order, said Los Angeles district spokeswoman Monica Carazo.

In Phoenix, police said 20,000 demonstrators marched to the office of Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, co-sponsor of a bill that would give illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. The turnout clogged major thoroughfares in what officials said was one of the largest protests in the city's history. People also protested outside Kyl's Tucson office.

Kyl pointed out that most were speaking out against the House bill making it a felony to be an illegal immigrant, not his bill, which would also step up border enforcement and create a temporary guest-worker program.

"They should be pleased that the Senate is probably going to address this in a much more comprehensive way," Kyl told the Tucson Citizen newspaper during a meeting with its editorial board.

In Los Angeles, more than 2,700 students from at least eight high schools and junior high schools walked out, district officials said. Some carried Mexican flags as they walked down the streets, police cruisers behind them. Some of the students visited other high schools, trying to encourage additional students to join their protest, but some schools were locked down to keep students from leaving, Carazo said.

In Georgia, activists said tens of thousands of workers did not show up at their jobs Friday after calls for a work stoppage to protest a bill passed by the Georgia House on Thursday.

That bill, which has yet to gain Senate approval, would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5 percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants.

Supporters say the Georgia measure is vital to homeland security and frees up limited state services for people legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers meeting the demands of some of the state's largest industries.

Teodoro Maus, an organizer of the Georgia protest, estimated as many as 80,000 Hispanics did not show up for work. About 200 converged on the steps of the Georgia Capitol, some wrapped in Mexican flags and holding signs reading: "Don't panic, we're Hispanic" and "We have a dream, too."

Jennifer Garcia worried what the proposal would do to her family. She said her husband is an illegal Mexican immigrant. "If they send him back to Mexico, who's going to take care of them and me?" Garcia said of herself and her four children. "This is the United States. We need to come together and be a whole."

In Cleveland, Ohio, about 100 protesters stood on the City Hall steps, waving Mexican flags and holding signs written in English and Spanish, and calling on Congress to create laws that respect immigrants as workers.

"This bill is anti-American," said David Quintan, 57, of Chile, who has lived in the United States for 30 years. "It's discriminatory not only to Latinos but to all immigrants. They're coming to work, not to steal or do terrorism. We are just workers."

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060324/ap_on_re_us/immigration_rallies

IMMIGRATION RALLIES DRAW THOUSANDS NATIONWIDE:
Fri Mar 24, 2006 By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES - Thousands of people across the country protested Friday against legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants, with demonstrators in such cities as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Atlanta staging school walkouts, marches and work stoppages.

Congress is considering bills that would make it a felony to be illegally in the United States, impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. The proposals have angered many Hispanics.

The Los Angeles demonstration led to fights between black and Hispanic students at one high school, but the protests were largely peaceful, authorities said.

Chantal Mason, a sophomore at George Washington Preparatory High, said black students jumped Hispanic students as they left classes to protest a bill passed the House in December that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally.

"It was horrible, horrible," Mason said. "It's ridiculous that a bunch of black students would jump on Latinos like that, knowing they're trying to get their freedom."

In Phoenix, police said 10,000 demonstrators marched to the office of Republican Sen. Jon Kyl (news, bio, voting record), co-sponsor of a bill that would give illegal immigrants up to five years to leave the country. The turnout clogged a major thoroughfare.

"They're here for the American Dream," said Malissa Greer, 29, who joined a crowd estimated by police to be at least 10,000 strong. "God created all of us. He's not a God of the United States, he's a God of the world."

Kyl had no immediate comment on the rally.

At least 500 students at Huntington Park High School near Los Angeles walked out of classes in the morning. Hundreds of the students, some carrying Mexican flags, walked down the middle of Los Angeles streets, police cruisers behind them.

The students visited two other area high schools, trying to encourage students to join their protest, but the schools were locked down to keep students from leaving, said Los Angeles district spokeswoman Monica Carazo.

In Georgia, activists said tens of thousands of workers did not show up at their jobs Friday after calls for a work stoppage to protest a bill passed by the Georgia House on Thursday.

That bill, which has yet to gain Senate approval, would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5 percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants.

Supporters say the Georgia measure is vital to homeland security and frees up limited state services for people legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers meeting the demands of some of the state's largest industries.

Teodoro Maus, an organizer of the Georgia protest, estimated as many as 80,000 Hispanics did not show up for work. About 200 converged on the steps of the Georgia Capitol, some wrapped in Mexican flags and holding signs reading: "Don't panic, we're Hispanic" and "We have a dream, too."

Jennifer Garcia worried what would the proposal would do to her family. She said her husband is an illegal Mexican immigrant.

"If they send him back to Mexico, who's going to take care of them and me?" Garcia said of herself and her four children. "This is the United States. We need to come together and be a whole."

On Thursday, thousands of people filled the streets of Milwaukee for what was billed as "A Day Without Latinos" to protest efforts in Congress to target undocumented workers. Police estimated more than 10,000 people joined the demonstrations and march to downtown Milwaukee. Organizers put the number at 30,000.

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http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1149789.php/Bush%60s_immigration_policy_faces_tough_time

BUSH`S IMMIGRATION POLICY FACES TOUGH TIME: Mar 24, 2006, 16:45 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- With poll numbers falling, U.S. President George Bush faces a tough time with the U.S. Senate to win support for a guest-worker plan in his immigration policy. The immigration debate has created opposition within Bush`s own party and is providing an opportunity for 2008 presidential hopefuls to stake out positions. The president`s plan would let millions of illegal immigrants continue working in the United States but that is not sitting well with some Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has threatened to bring his own version of an immigration bill that would tighten the nation`s borders without creating a guest-worker program, reports The Washington Post.

Among the Democrats, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., has voiced strong opposition to Republican efforts to criminalize undocumented workers. The New York Times says the fierce Senate debate next week may touch on economics, race and national identity.

Pollsters expect Bush to try to rally public opinion as he promotes his plan, says the report.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/politics/24bush.html

BUSH IS FACING A DIFFICULT PATH ON IMMIGRATION
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: March 24, 2006

WASHINGTON, March 23 — In the days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, immigration policy was going to be President Bush's signature issue. It was central to his thinking as the former governor of a border state, key to his relationship with President Vicente Fox of Mexico and essential in attracting new Hispanic voters to the Republican Party.

Rift on Immigration Widens for Conservatives and Cardinals (March 19, 2006)
As Senators Debate Immigration Bill, Frist Offers His Own (March 17, 2006)
Senator Introduces Bill Creating Guest Worker Program (February 25, 2006) Five years later, Mr. Bush has at last realized some momentum on immigration policy, but it is probably not the activity he once anticipated.

He has lost control of his own party on the issue, as many Republicans object to his call for a temporary guest-worker program, insisting instead that the focus be on shutting down the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico. It is not clear how much help he will get from Democrats in an election year. The issue will come to the floor of the Senate next week, and the debate is shaping up as a free-for-all that will touch on economics, race and national identity. At the end of next week, Mr. Bush is scheduled to meet with Mr. Fox in Cancún, Mexico. Immigration is likely to be a source of tension in their talks. In short, Mr. Bush is facing another test of his remaining powers as president.

On Thursday, he called for calm in a White House meeting with groups pressing for changes in American immigration laws.

"I urge members of Congress and I urge people who like to comment on this issue to make sure the rhetoric is in accord with our traditions," the president said. He added, in a warning to members of Congress, that "the debate must be done in a way that doesn't pit one group of people against another."

The discussion has intensified as Mr. Bush finds himself caught between two of his most important constituencies: business owners and managers on the one hand, conservatives on the other.

Philosophically, the president, whose own sensibility on the issue was shaped by his experience as governor of Texas, says he is committed to a program that meets the needs of business: the creation of a pool of legal foreign workers for industries that have come to rely on low-wage labor.

Mr. Bush also brings to the debate a stated belief that the country benefits from the immigration of hardworking people and their dreams of becoming Americans. He often talks about the United States as a land of immigrants, and on Monday in Cleveland he said that "my only advice for the Congress and for people in the debate is, understand what made America."

But politically, Mr. Bush must satisfy his most conservative supporters. Many of them view illegal immigration as a strain on schools, the health care system and the economy, and some have warned that in their opinion the nation's cultural identity could be washed away by a flood of low-income Spanish-speaking workers.

For now, Mr. Bush is trying to navigate the storm with a proposal that tries to satisfy both groups: a toughened border enforcement plan coupled with a temporary guest-worker program that would allow some of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States to register for legal status and remain here for as long as six years.

"Our government must enforce our borders; we've got plans in place to do so," Mr. Bush said on Thursday. "But part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest-worker program that encourages people to register their presence so that we know who they are, and says to them, if you're doing a job an American won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job."

Pollsters say the issue is still fluid among voters, although they expect public opinion to solidify during the coming debate in Congress and as Mr. Bush promotes his plan.

"He's got a very strong position with the bully pulpit," said David Winston, a Republican pollster, "but the dynamic of the issue at this point is that there is consensus around border security, but people have not come to a similar consensus about what to do with the 11 million in the country."

Two years ago, a New York Times/CBS News poll found that two-thirds of those surveyed said immigrants who had entered the country illegally should not be allowed to stay and work in the United States for three years, the initial period of stay in Mr. Bush's proposed guest-worker program. There was also little enthusiasm for any increase in immigration, with a plurality saying immigration should be decreased.

The poll was conducted shortly after Mr. Bush made his first major speech on his immigration plan.

"Many of you here today are Americans by choice, and you have followed in the paths of millions," Mr. Bush told a cheering, chanting crowd packed with Hispanic leaders in the East Room of the White House in January 2004. Every generation of immigrants, he added, "has reaffirmed the wisdom of remaining open to the talents and dreams of the world."

But critics said that Mr. Bush's guest-worker program did not go far enough, and that there was deportation, not a green card, at the end of the process. At the same time, his words angered many conservative Republicans, who said the plan amounted to amnesty.

Mr. Bush dropped his immigration proposals as too risky for his 2004 re-election campaign, but took them up again in 2005. By then, in an effort to calm conservatives, he had switched his tactics, emphasizing the national-security part of the plan.

"We're going to get control of our borders," he vowed in the East Room of the White House in October 2005 as he signed a $32 billion domestic security bill that had big increases for the Border Patrol.

This year, Mr. Bush has continued to push the issue and is closely watching what happens on Capitol Hill.

The House has passed an immigration bill that includes border security, not a guest-worker program. The action is now in the Senate, where it will resume next week.

There are a rash of competing immigration proposals on both sides, including one from Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, and another from Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts. The majority leader, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, has threatened to offer his own border-security-only bill if the Senate cannot come up with legislation on its own.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/23/AR2006032301785.html?sub=AR

IMMIGRATION DEBATE IS SHAPED BY '08 ELECTION
Presidential Hopefuls Offer Their Proposals Ahead of Senate Vote

By Jonathan Weisman and Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, March 24, 2006; Page A01

President Bush's effort to secure lawful employment opportunities for illegal immigrants is evolving into an early battle of the 2008 presidential campaign, as his would-be White House successors jockey for position ahead of next week's immigration showdown in the Senate.

Bush called on Congress yesterday to tone down the increasingly sharp and divisive rhetoric over immigration, as he renewed his push for a guest-worker plan that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to continue working in the United States. But Bush's political sway is already weakened by public unease about the war in Iraq and by Republican divisions.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), whom Bush helped elect as party leader, is threatening to bring a new immigration bill to the Senate floor early next week. It would tighten control of the nation's borders without creating the guest-worker program the president wants.

Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), a rival of Frist's for the Republican nomination, is promoting Bush's call for tougher border security and the guest-worker program as he embraces the president to shore up his standing with Republican leaders. In the House, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) is garnering support for a long-shot presidential bid with his fierce anti-immigration rhetoric.

And after weeks of sitting on the sidelines, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) jumped into the immigration debate Wednesday. She declared that Republican efforts to criminalize undocumented workers and their support networks "would literally criminalize the good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself."

Presidential politics "makes it that much more difficult, of course," said Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), a strong Bush ally on the issue. "You would hope three years out that we could tamp that out and focus on the policy questions at stake, but maybe that's not possible."

For Republican presidential candidates, immigration offers up a difficult choice: Appeal to conservatives eager to clamp down on illegal immigration who could buoy your position in the primaries, or take a moderate stand to win independents and the growing Latino vote, which could be vital to winning the general election.

"The short-term politics of this are pretty clear. The long-term politics are pretty clear. And they're both at odds," said Mike Buttry, a spokesman for Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.), another potential GOP presidential candidate.

Senators had hoped to avoid such acrimony when the Judiciary Committee began drafting its immigration bill early this month. Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) had vowed to write a bipartisan proposal that would bridge conservative demands for much tougher border enforcement with calls from both parties for a guest-worker program to meet the demand for unskilled labor and to address the 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

But after progress slowed, Frist short-circuited the process. He announced that the Senate will take up border security and immigration enforcement measures on Tuesday -- without a guest-worker component -- if Specter cannot produce a bill by Monday.

Frist has not ruled out a guest-worker program. But conservatives' grumbling about the president's program found a Senate voice yesterday when Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) announced that he will not accept such a program until "we have proven without a doubt that our borders are sealed and secure."

At the same time, Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) promised this week to filibuster Frist's enforcement-only bill. "If the majority leader is . . . going to bring his own bill to the floor, dealing with only one of the problems we have with immigration, then I will use every procedural means at my disposal to stop that," Reid said on CNN.

The fight next week will test Republican unity on an issue with social, political and national security implications. Adding to the tumult will be House Republican leaders, who muscled through an immigration enforcement bill in December and plan a series of events in the coming days to trumpet border security.

The debate will also serve as a test of Bush's ability to sway an increasingly restive Republican Congress on an issue he has championed since his first term. In recent months, under pressure from GOP lawmakers, Bush has retreated from focusing mostly on the guest-worker program to giving equal billing to border security.

"But part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest-worker program that encourages people to register their presence so that we know who they are, and says to them, 'If you're doing a job an American won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job,' " Bush said after meeting with groups involved in the immigration fight.

The leading bills all seek to bolster border enforcement with more police on the frontier and more technology tracking illegal crossings. But a bill co-sponsored by McCain and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) breaks with Specter's proposal by offering an easier road to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country.

Specter also goes further to exact punishment on illegal immigrants who seek to obtain a guest-worker permit, and his measure could punish those who help illegal immigrants, even church groups that offer shelter. Frist has taken the border security and immigration enforcement provisions from Specter's bill, while leaving behind his guest-worker program.

Guest-worker proposals would allow businesses to offer special work visas to illegal immigrants already in the country if they can show that U.S. workers will not take the positions. The visas would last for up to six years under the leading Senate proposals, but senators are divided over whether workers would have to return to their home countries for a year before qualifying for a renewal.

White House aides said Bush remains deeply committed to the guest-worker program, despite resistance from conservatives, and is certain it will help expand the party's support in Florida and in the Southwest, which is emerging as a key battleground in national elections.

Former congressman Timothy J. Roemer (D-Ind.) said the debate over welfare reform in the 1990s should serve as the model for compromise on immigration today. "The middle of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have a responsibility to tackle and solve this issue," he said.

Kolbe said it is increasingly unlikely Congress will reach an agreement that could make it to the president's desk.

"I don't think this fire is easily extinguished," he said. "Rarely have I seen an issue that divides people so clearly, with so little possibility of seeking a middle ground."

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http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/news/news.asp?ID=4200

IMMIGRATION NEWS: PROTESTS, POLITICS AROUND THE NATION:
3/24/2006 / By Lauren Spiers Hunter

Thousands gather in Phoenix to protest immigration reform.

Immigration rights has been the hot topic in many U.S. cities this week. Thousands of immigrants rights supporters rallied in Phoenix on Friday with concern over Senator Jon Kyl’s approach to immigration reform in the United States. This followed a march in Milwaukee, Wis., on Thursday where protestors labeled their efforts “A Day Without Latinos” to object against Congressional efforts to target undocumented workers. Hundred of Los Angeles students also walked out of their schools on Friday morning to call attention to immigration issues.

Additionally, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reports that the Georgia House of Representatives voted 123 to 51 in favor of the new Georgia Security & Immigration Compliance Act, a proposal aimed at confronting illegal immigration in the state and concentrating on businesses that employ undocumented workers. As a result, tens of thousands of Georgia workers did not show up to work on Friday in protest of the bill, which would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5-percent surcharge on wire transfers from illegal immigrants.

The Georgia bill has yet to pass the State Senate, though the AJC reports on polls showing that 80 percent of Georgians want the legislature to deal with illegal immigration.

The national interest in the immigration issue stems mostly from comprehensive immigration reform bills currently before congress. The green industry, too, has become involved in the effort, recently traveling to Washington, D.C. to lobby Members of Congress for an extension to current H-2B legislation. The extension would allow companies exhibiting a seasonal need for labor to have a somewhat easier time filling those needs with foreign workers by alleviating some of the pressure of the program’s 66,000-visa cap.

Currently, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed in January by the U.S. House of Representatives. The committee has been in debate over the bill for three weeks, which has caused frustration among Members of Congress and for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

In response to the Senate’s slow progress, Frist (R-Tenn.) last night introduced his own immigration reform bill, saying he would send it directly to the full Senate unless the Senate Judiciary Committee can approve its bill by Monday. If the committee does not introduce a bill by March 27, Frist says he will stick to a strict, two-week schedule to finish work on what he conceded would be “as challenging a bill as any we’ll have to address this year.”

Senator Arlen Spector (R-Pa.), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, was put off by the move, saying it would cause “chaos on the floor” to have the bill debated without the committee acting first.

The Washington Post reports that presidential politics could well be at work behind Frist’s move, as he is a prospective candidate for the 2008 elections. His bill omitted the guest-worker program that was demanded by President Bush and championed by Sen. John McCain.

Be sure to visit Lawn & Landscape Online frequently for updates on immigration issues that could affect your business.

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http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14179377.htm

IMMIGRATION TO TAKE CENTER STAGE AT TRILATERAL SUM
MIT: Fri, Mar. 24, 2006 / BY WILLIAM DOUGLAS / Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - President Bush will meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Cancun on Thursday to discuss immigration reform, even as the Senate debates whether to give legal status to the millions of illegal immigrants who are already in the United States.

Bush and Fox are scheduled to meet in the Yucatan vacation resort as part of a trilateral summit with new Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. While Bush has serious economic issues to address with Harper, U.S.-Mexican immigration is expected to dominate the two-day meeting.

"The immigration debate is a vital debate for our country," Bush said Thursday, after a White House meeting on the issue with agricultural and faith-based leaders. "It must be done in a way that doesn't pit one group of people against another."

Given the political climate across the United States, it's doubtful that Bush will get his wish for a nondivisive debate. Many in Washington question whether any immigration legislation can pass this year. Bush is weakened by low approval ratings, and opposition to illegal immigration has become a red-hot issue in many states where lawmakers face voters in November. Moreover, several potential 2008 presidential candidates are weighing in from opposing sides, lessening the chance for compromise.

"There's nothing that Bush can promise credibly to the Mexicans," said George Grayson, a professor who specializes in U.S.-Mexico relations at Virginia's College of William and Mary. "He's had a rough couple of months, and the Republicans sought to separate themselves from him in the Dubai Ports deal. They have a chance to do it again with immigration."

That isn't stopping Bush from promoting his plan to overhaul immigration law. He highlights his call for a guest-worker program, which would allow illegal immigrants and foreign workers to apply for temporary legal status to accept U.S. jobs. After a maximum of six years, they would be required to go back to their home countries and wouldn't be placed on track for permanent residency.

Bowing to rising resentment of illegal immigrants across the heartland, Bush also has recently emphasized tighter security along the U.S.-Mexican border and called for illegal immigrants registering for his guest-worker program to pay unspecified fines.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a potential 2008 presidential candidate, is staking out a harder stance. The Senate will begin two weeks of debate on immigration on Tuesday, and Frist is sponsoring a bill that would toughen border security without offering a guest-worker program.
His proposal mirrors an enforcement-only bill that the House of Representatives passed on Dec. 16. Lawmakers opposing the guest-worker plan say that giving illegal immigrants the opportunity to work and live here legally would reward bad behavior.

Meanwhile, on Monday the Senate Judiciary Committee will take up a bill by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass, and John McCain, R-Ariz., another likely 2008 presidential candidate, that would let illegal immigrants hold temporary work visas for up to six years after they pay $1,000 fines and pass background checks. Illegal immigrants could apply for permanent residence and eventual citizenship under the Kennedy-McCain measure.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the panel's chairman, is trying to broker a compromise that includes guest-worker and enforcement provisions.

Most experts think Bush faces an uphill fight to win congressional approval of any terms granting legal status to illegal aliens, which opponents denounce as amnesty for lawbreakers.

"I think it's going to be difficult for the president," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which opposes giving legal status to illegal aliens. "Whatever political capital he thought he had last year is spent and, like the rest of the federal government, is in deficit. Amnesty, on a visceral level, most Americans object to."

Polls reflect America's unease with some of the proposed changes. In a Quinnipiac national survey last month, 62 percent said they oppose making it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens, while only 32 percent supported the idea. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll two weeks ago found that 56 percent said the United States shouldn't grant temporary worker status to illegal immigrants.

Mexican officials are under a growing sense of urgency after watching the issue heat up among their northern neighbors. Fox is in his last year in office and would like immigration reform to be part of his legacy, Grayson said.

"Fox leaves office and has precious little to show," Grayson said. "He's hoping to pull a rabbit out of his hat."

Seeking to influence U.S. lawmakers and public opinion, the Fox government paid $369,500 for full-page ads that advocate a guest-worker program and argue that Mexico should help the United States design it. The ads ran this week in The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.

"Perhaps we are at the most important moment in this debate in the last five, six years," said Geronimo Gutierrez, undersecretary for North America in Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "... Anything can happen with migration reform in the U.S., and we are aware of that. ... We want to send a message that Mexico is part of the solution, not part of the problem."
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The NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll was taken March 10-13. The poll was a sampling of 1,005 adults - 48 percent male, 52 percent females. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The Quinnipiac University Poll was conducted Feb. 21-28 with 1,892 registered voters nationwide. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-costa24mar24,1,7573399.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

BUSINESSES PROTEST IMMIGRANT POLICY: March 24, 2006
Costa Mesa restaurant owners say the policing plan, even though it has yet to be implemented, has created fear and is hurting sales.
By Jennifer Delson, Times Staff Writer

More than two dozen Costa Mesa business owners called on the City Council on Thursday to suspend a recently enacted policy that will allow police to enforce some immigration laws. The business owners said some immigrants believed that the policy, which will let officers check the immigration status of suspected felons, was already in effect and that they could be arrested if caught in public. In fact, officers still need to be trained, and the policy could take months to implement.

"Many of our businesses are suffering a significant loss of revenues as a result of misinformation and fear generated by the mayor's plan to enforce federal immigration laws," Ivan Calderon, a restaurant owner, said at a press conference Thursday.

Mayor Allan Mansoor said he would be willing to meet with the business owners but added that the city's plan "will make the community safer for everybody, even those who are here illegally but otherwise law-abiding."

Edgar Fawcett, president of the 489-member Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, said he doubted the current council, which approved the policy in December, would change its mind.

The controversial plan has stirred emotions on both sides of the issue. In January, an opponent of the policy was arrested for disrupting a council meeting.

Two dozen supporters of the Minuteman Project, an anti-illegal-immigration group, appeared at another council meeting. Last week, anti-illegal-immigration activists protested for the second time at a restaurant owned by an outspoken opponent of the plan who is running for City Council.

That protest followed several others by immigrant-rights advocates at a restaurant owned by Gary Monahan, a council member who approved the plan.

Police were present at both protests, and two officers watched as business owners spoke at Thursday's press conference.

The continuing news coverage of the controversy is scaring away customers, the business owners said. Sonia Quezada, owner of San Sivar, a Salvadoran restaurant, said her sales had dropped from $500 a day to about $180. The restaurant, once bustling until 9 p.m., now empties by 7, she said. "People ask us what's going on. They tell us they're afraid," said restaurant manager Miguel Aguilar.

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/23/latino.march/index.html

HISPANICS MARCH IN MILWAUKEE AGAINST IMMIGRATION BILLS: Thursday, March 23, 2006

(CNN) -- Thousands of demonstrators marched in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday to oppose tough anti-immigration legislation sponsored by their Republican congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. House Resolution 4437 would make all undocumented immigrants felons and require all employers to verify the immigration status of its employees.

The House already has passed Sensenbrenner's bill, and Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, has introduced a companion bill in the Senate that also would make it a felony to be in the United States without the proper paperwork.

Sensenbrenner said in a statement last year that his bill would help "regain control of our borders and prevent illegal immigration" as well as "help strengthen and promote our compassionate and welcoming legal immigration system." (Watch how Democrats would prefer a more holistic approach -- 2:08)

About 30,000 protesters on Thursday marched into downtown Milwaukee as part of a demonstration titled "A Day Without Latinos" in which Latinos were encouraged to take time from their jobs to march, according to Voces de la Frontera, which organized the event. A police spokesman said the crowd was between 10,000 and 15,000.

Dozens of Milwaukee businesses also closed Thursday in protest.

"A Day Without Latinos," the theme of the Milwaukee protest, borrows its name from a 2004 comedy called "A Day Without a Mexican," in which California wakes up one day to find that its Hispanic residents have inexplicably disappeared. The Milwaukee march was one of several recent protests organized across the nation by groups opposed to immigration bills considered by Congress.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has until Monday to vote on the competing legislation, but one Senate aide said the prospects on Senators taking action did not seem bright. The aide called negotiations in the Senate "slow going" and predicted a showdown over the bill.

Critics of the legislation say Sensenbrenner is trying to deport the 11 million to 12 million people who are in the United States illegally. Proponents say keeping tabs on immigrants is vital to national security. President Bush echoed that sentiment in comments to reporters Thursday.

"Part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest-worker program that encourages people to register their presence, so that we know who they are and says to them, 'If you're doing a job an American won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job.' " (Watch Bush push for a 'civil' debate over immigration -- 1:53)

But Democrats are saying the Frist and Sensenbrenner measures go too far, especially the provisions that threaten to criminalize anyone who helps an undocumented immigrant. "This bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York.

The Web site for Voces de la Frontera, which in Spanish means Voices from the Border, states that in addition to turning immigrants into felons and pressuring employers, Sensenbrenner's bill also could affect immigrants' driving privileges and emergency medical care.

Voces de la Frontera, > http://www.vocesdelafrontera.net/ a Milwaukee-based organization focused on educating low-wage and immigrant workers about their rights, said in a statement that Sensenbrenner's bill essentially "would destroy our human dignity."

Other protests are planned in Atlanta, where an alliance of Hispanic organizations is encouraging Latino residents to participate in a commercial boycott and work stoppage Friday to demonstrate how Latinos help bolster the Georgia economy.

On Saturday more than 2,500 groups plan to participate in a rally in Los Angeles, California. The state ranks first in Hispanic population, according to the Census Bureau. Organizers are predicting that up to 500,000 people will attend, and they hope to outdo Chicago, Illinois, where an estimated 300,000 protesters demonstrated two weeks ago.

Chicago's record turnout was achieved because Sensenbrenner and Frist have introduced some of "the most restrictive immigration legislation in 70 years," said Doug Rivlin, spokesman for the National Immigration Forum.

"It doesn't fix our immigration system. It only drives it underground," he said.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-costa23mar23,1,5101801.story

COSTA RICA SEEKS TO SHUT ITS DOORS TO ILLEGAL MIGRANTS FROM NICARAGUA:
March 23, 2006

The Central American nation is worried that the unchecked influx is straining its services.
By Marla Dickerson and Rebecca Kimitch, Special to The Times

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Crime and joblessness have long been part of the tough Leon XIII neighborhood of Costa Rica's capital, where residents such as Alexandra Martinez do their best to steer clear of broken pavement and street-corner drug dealers.

But the 37-year-old homemaker says that things have gotten worse in the last few years. Her explanation: "There are a lot of Nicas here," she says, using a slang term for Nicaraguans.

Martinez says these immigrants, many of them undocumented, are hard-drinking, aggressive people who compete with Costa Ricans for jobs and drain the nation's public services. She approves of a recent federal law aimed at stemming the influx.

"It's the biggest problem we face in the country," she says.

Many Costa Ricans are more temperate than Martinez when discussing immigration. But the continued southward flow of impoverished Nicaraguans into Central America's most prosperous nation has inflamed tensions between these neighbors. The 192-mile border is virtually unguarded, allowing Nicaraguans to slip easily into Costa Rica, where the per capita gross national income of $4,700 is six times higher than in Nicaragua.

Some analysts say Costa Rica, known as the Switzerland of Central America, has benefited from the steady supply of cheap labor to harvest the nation's bananas and coffee, mop its floors and tend to its children. Costa Rica boasts the region's highest standard of living and provides universal healthcare. The nation has invested heavily in education and boasts a thriving technology industry. But nagging poverty, sluggish economic growth and fraying of the social safety net have many Costa Ricans fearful that uncontrolled immigration is undermining their hard-won gains.

An estimated 180,000 undocumented Nicaraguans account for about 4.5% of the nation's population, a slightly higher percentage than the overall proportion in the United States, where illegal immigrants make up 4% of the population.
Including legal residents, experts calculate that as much as 15% of Costa Rica's population is foreign-born. Most of them are Nicaraguans, who have been arriving in large numbers for 25 years because of war, natural disasters and social instability in their country.

"Even the United States would have problems" absorbing so many newcomers, says economist Eduardo Lizano, president of the San Jose think tank Academy of Central America.

Approved late last year and slated to be implemented in August, Costa Rica's new immigration law is aimed largely at those who profit from undocumented workers. It makes human trafficking a crime punishable by as much as six years in prison. And it significantly increases fines on Costa Ricans caught employing illegal immigrants — to $3,600 per violation, up from as little as $10, says Johnny Marin, Costa Rica's immigration director.

Marin says the nation of slightly more than 4 million people lacks the resources to guard its border or to engage in mass deportations. Costa Rica deported just 775 people last year.

"Control of the migratory phenomenon lies in the employer sector," Marin says. "Because if they don't hire illegals, the people won't come, they won't migrate." Marin says immigration has largely been a good thing, providing Costa Rica with labor and cultural diversity. But he says rising acrimony has necessitated reforms.

Costa Ricans blame Nicaraguans and other foreigners for all manner of ills, Marin says. News reports frequently note the nationalities of foreigners accused of crimes, particularly Nicaraguans and Colombians. He cites an urban myth here that 1 million Nicaraguans are living in Costa Rica. "The theme of migration awakens passions here," Marin says. "Migratory chaos is always dangerous…. We have to maintain an equilibrium."

Some Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica say their lives have become more difficult because of increasing resentment. Juana Lopez recounts how a security guard humiliated her and her children at a public park.

"The guard asked me for my identification card and documents for my children, and he wouldn't let me in. He said we don't have the right to enter any playground," says Lopez, who lives in a San Jose slum known as Triangulo Solidario, a tangle of tin and wood shacks.

The immigration issue has added to long-running tensions between Costa Rica and its northern neighbor. The countries are embroiled in a dispute over navigation rights to the San Juan River, which runs between them. Nicaragua recalled its ambassador to Costa Rica last fall and previously sent troops to the border region, a move viewed as particularly provocative by Costa Rica, which has no standing army.

Nicaraguans are incensed by the November death of Natividad Canda Mairena, a Nicaraguan living in Costa Rica. A suspected burglar, Canda was mauled by a Rottweiler guard dog for 1 1/2 hours while bystanders watched. The attack prompted a barrage of jokes in Costa Rica, including a cartoon showing a pack of Rottweilers defending Costa Rica's northern border.

Although there is a widespread impression among Costa Ricans that their safety net is being strained by Nicaraguans, some studies show that the latter are using services at rates well below their share of the population. Many Costa Ricans blame Nicaraguans for a surge in street crime, but prison statistics don't appear to bear that out either. From 1998 to 2003, Nicaraguans made up 5.8% of the jail population, according to the United Nations Development Program.

Immigrant advocates say Costa Rica's reforms aren't likely to stem the tide of job seekers. Employers have come to rely on this cheap source of labor. And desperation knows no borders, says Gustavo Gatica, who works with Pastoral Social, an immigrants rights group affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in San Jose.

"Even if they build a wall along the border with Nicaragua, like they have between the United States and Mexico, this won't stop immigration," Gatica says. "As long as there is hunger, as long as there is poverty, immigration won't be stopped."

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RELATED LINKS=

3/28-28: Nationwide Weekend of Actions to Support Immigrant Solidarity!
:Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:27 am
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Border01/message/2896

National Immigrant Solidarity Network
No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
Email: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org

New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)544-9355
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A YEAR OF DEATHS ON THE ARIZONA DESERT (2004-2005) :
March 15th, 2006
http://www.ciepac.org/bulletins/ingles/ing498.htm#tabla1

Original Table @
http://www.derechoshumanosaz.net/deaths.php4
Websource: http://www.derechoshumanosaz.net/
Email: coalicion@derechoshumanosaz.net + @
http://humane-rights-agenda.blogspot.com/2006/03/year-of-deaths-on-arizona-desert-2004.html
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Children of Immigrants: What Does the Future Hold? :March 13, 2006
http://us.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.connectforkids.org%2Fnode%2F4016
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http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1136331.php
100,000 rally for immigrants in Chicago: Mar 11, 2006
CHICAGO, IL, United States (UPI) -- More than 100,000 immigrants and supporters rallied in Chicago in opposition to a federal bill that would put a fence at Mexico`s border…..
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Immigrant Rights Agenda Yahoo Group + Links
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Immigrant-Rights-Agenda/

Humane-Rights-Agenda Yahoo Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Humane-Rights-Agenda/

http://humane-rights-agenda.blogspot.com/2006/03/immigrant-rights-reportfriday-march-24.html

03/24/2006 11:43:02 PM
Edit: PSL

C/S