City News Service, April 10, 2006, Monday

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April 10, 2006 Monday 11:16 PM PST


HEADLINE: Thousands March in Southland for Immigrant Rights

DATELINE: LOS ANGELES

BODY:
Thousands of people joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Cardinal Roger Mahony outside La Placita Church today, urging lawmakers to make it easier for undocumented immigrants to become citizens.
The candlelight vigil and procession is part of a national "Day of Action" that follows the U.S. Senate's failure to approve federal legislation that would have provided a path to citizenship to some illegal immigrants.
"Today we say to America -- we've come here to work," Villaraigosa told the crowd near Olvera Street. "We clean your toilets. We clean your hotels. We build your houses. We take care of your children. We want you to help us take care of our children as well."
Villaraigosa encouraged demonstrators to continue rallying for legislation that will enforce the nation's immigration laws but also provide illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship.
"We work hard. We play by the rules -- acknowledge our existence," Villaraigosa said. "We want to come into the sunlight. We want to come out of the dark."
About 10,000 people took part in the procession, a Los Angeles Fire Department official told ABC7.
A representative of a group opposing illegal immigration called the ongoing protests "orchestrated rallies that ... certainly represent the views of people who broke the law in this country."
"They're very different from the way most Americans feel about this," Ira Mehlman said. "Mainstream law-abiding Americans generally don't do their protesting on the streets. They do their protesting by getting in touch with their elected officials and making their voices heard on election day."
"I would caution any politician to keep that in mind because come election day, voters in this country ... will remember who was in favor of rewarding people who broke the law and who was in favor of protecting American workers."
Two weeks ago, more than 500,000 people jammed downtown Los Angeles to protest a House bill approved in December that would have made it a felony to be in the country illegally. That bill also would have punished clergy and others helping illegal immigrants.
Mahony, an advocate of immigrant rights, delivered an opening prayer and blessing at the start of the interfaith procession.
"We are America, the nation of immigrants seeking a better life for ourselves and our children," Mahony said. "We are all God's children, united for a just immigration reform. We all deserve respect and care. I stand here today united with each one of you in prayer for a just immigration policy."
Before his remarks, Mahony asked demonstrators to only wave American flags, which street vendors were selling for $1 outside the church.
In addition to the flags, the 1,500 demonstrators carried signs reading, "Supporting the U.S. Economy is Not a Crime," and "Liberty and Justice for All."
Demonstrator Carlos Gomez said that since last month's massive rally, immigrant rights groups have become more united and outspoken.
"I think they just woke up a sleeping giant," Gomez said. "We want to be treated like human beings. It's suppose to be a country of freedom -- we're suppose to be free. Together, we are all American."
Senate leaders had hoped to approve a measure last week offering legal permanent residency to undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for more than five years. But the legislation failed, with only 38 votes, and Congress is now on spring break.
President Bush and others are opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants no matter how long they've been in the country, saying it would be unfair to those who try to become citizens by following the rules. Many immigrants who came to the United States legally also are opposed to granting illegal immigrants citizenship.
In a column published in today's Wall Street Journal, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who immigrated from Austria, called for legislation "based on a simple philosophy: control of the border and compassion for the immigrant."
"These are the twin pillars around which we must construct a new immigration policy," Schwarzenegger wrote. "They are both essential elements in our overall immigration strategy. Without both, our strategy is destined to collapse."
Maria Elena Durazo, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said today's nationwide demonstrations show the importance of immigration legislation.
"The message is this is not just about L.A. or California or the Southwest," Durazo said. "This is a burning issue for immigrants all over the country."
"We want to communicate to the immigrant community and, broadly beyond the immigrant community, that there is a very, very strong coalition between labor, between the unions, between the clergy and immigrants themselves," she said.
For Marqueece Harris-Dawson with Community Coalition, it is only logical for blacks to support the predominately-Latino movement.
"African-Americans who were born here, we know what it's like to work very hard in this country and not be given full citizenship," Dawson-Harris said.
"Many of us are old enough to remember -- you can come here and work, play by the rules and be denied citizenship. We're proud to stand with people who are unfortunately going through the same thing."
However, a 2004 book, "The Impact of Immigration on African Americans," found that immigration has led to lower wages for less skilled and less educated blacks and their substantial displacement from the job market, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"In this era of mass immigration, no group has benefited less or been harmed more than the African American population," one of the book's authors, Vernon M. Briggs Jr., a Cornell University labor economist, told The Times.
In the San Fernando Valley, about 7,000 people took part in a candlelight vigil tonight outside the Hermandad Mexicana office at 7915 Van Nuys Blvd., then walked about a mile to the Federal Building at 6230 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys, a Los Angeles Police Department official told ABC7.
That demonstration was organized by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, Progressive Jewish Alliance, American Civil Liberties Union and several labor unions helped organize the event.
Los Angeles has been a hotbed of pro-immigrant activity, with some of the nation's largest rallies. In the days following the mass rally last month, thousands of students walked out of school to protest immigration proposals they consider harsh. Those protests led to school lockdowns and a pledge from school and law enforcement officials to enforce truancy laws.