Tag Archives: immigration laws

John Saltas wrote in this week’s Salt Lake City Weeklyabout the demonstraton against immigration legislation that was held last weekend. He referenced the mass multitude of protestors and the handful of anti-protestors, a group of “minutemen” that advocates for illegal immigrants to be sent back to their countries. Saltas says:

Those protesting the marchers proclaimed that “illegals” want to steal our freedoms. Really? More than 10 percent of the United States war dead in Iraq have Hispanic surnames, including a Utah war casualty who had yet to gain U.S. citizenship. They claim “illegals” take money from the economy by working for cash pay at low wages. Is that so? Then throw the employers in jail for exploiting them. They shouted that the marchers should not wave the Mexican flag. Where were those patriots on St. Patrick’s Day?

Well said.

Stay tuned. May Day (May 1) may see more action.

One Utah has a great post about the immigration rallies over hte weekend.

I will be posting photos in a day or so about the march on Sunday in SLC to protest pending immigration legislation (a friend of mine attended – said she was moved to tears and will forward me her photos and comments for posting here).

Here are articles in today’s news about rallies nationwide yesterday:
‘We are America’ — Hundreds of thousands demand citizenship for illegal immigrants – New York
S.L. crowd appeals for rights; Shurtleff and Rocky call for unity – Salt Lake
Latinos hope to use momentum
From marches to ballots: Utah minority leaders want the community to start voting – Salt Lake

The Salt Lake Tribune also has published this information:
Across U.S.

I wasn’t able to attend the rally yesterday, but I am ecstatic to see in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News:

Police estimate immigration rally crowd at 20,000

One of the largest protests in Utah’s history, in fact probably the largest, a “Dignity March, attracted between 20,000 to 50,000 people to voice opposition to pending immigration legislation. Organizers of the event estimated the crowed to be closer to 50,000.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and Salt Lake County Peter Caroon both spoke to the crowd:
In Salt Lake City Sunday, Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson addressed rally participants by loudspeaker. Americans fulfill “our country’s potential for greatness through the contributions of immigrants and their descendants,” he said.
He quoted the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statute of Liberty’s plaque, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Anderson led the crowd in chanting, “Let’s work together for a better America!”
Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon welcomed those at the rally, praising the diversity that immigrants bring. “The American dream should not be for a select few,” Corroon said. “It should be for all of us.” (Desert News)

The Salt Lake Tribune has published a gallery of photos of today’s event.

There was a group of anti-protestors dubbing themselves as “pro-America” – comprised of the “Minutemen”, a group that advocates keeping illegal immigrants from crossing the border into the U.S. I found this bit of information interesting:

Early in the afternoon, Tony Yapias, an organizer of the Dignity March, approached and shook hands with Alex Segura, a Utah Minuteman organizer of the counter-demonstration. Segura said he and Yapias had spoken on Saturday and agreed they wanted to keep the two marches peaceful.
According to the Tribune, everything went without relative incident.

This was an exciting event for Utah. Kudos to the organizers.

Links to other news about today’s rally
Clarion call for dignity: Huge S.L. crowd urges residency for immigrants – Deseret News
Latinos march en masse to urge fairness, respect
Historic: In a Utah protest of record size, Latinos, others urge respect for the undocumented – Salt Lake Tribune
Channel 5 KSL
Channel 2 KUTV
ABC Channel 4

There is a “Unity Rally” at the City County Building at Washington Square, 451 South State Street, on Monday, April 10, at 4:30pm, in solidarity with such rallies nationwide. About 100,000 are expected to rally on the Mall in Washington D.C.

“Sunday, April 9 and Monday, April 10
Immigration activists seek ‘Day of Action’ Utah’s immigrant rights activists
are calling on Utahns to join a “National Day of Action” on the immigration
issue. Two events planned by Proyecto Latino de Utah and the Utah Hispanic
Legislative Task Force are meant to give Utah’s Latinos a voice as federal
lawmakers debate immigration policy reform.

A “Dignity March” is planned for Sunday, April 9, from noon to 5 p.m., from
the City and County Building, 450 S. State, to the state Capitol. Then, on
Monday, April 10, the community is invited to join in the “National Day of
Action” with a 4:30 p.m. rally at the City-County Building.

Nationally, marches calling for solidarity against get-tough immigration
reform have been gathering steam. In Utah, hundreds of high school and middle
school students have already participated by walking out of class this week.”

Today’s news is full of articles on the immigration issue. (See my previous posts.) I’ve listed below the various items in Utah’s two major papers.

There should be no reason why people cannot move freely about under an established set of criteria.
The current trade laws are aimed at business only and not people. If money and goods can freely move across borders, why can’t people? It’s the “same old, same old” – the laws are designed for those who benefit the most from themn – the elite wealthy.

Deseret News
The real border issue – Deseret Morning News editorial
Illegals are hot issue for Utahns – article on election year issue with focus on state house races.

Salt Lake Tribune
Students make their voices heard: Utah students stay focused on immigration

As the issue on laws aimed at immigrants continues, Utah students also continue their protests as part of a week of rallies at several schools in Utah and across the nation.

In the Deseret News Article today, Utah Governor Huntsman states:
Thursday, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said there has to be some way for those undocumented workers to become citizens. He and other Western governors have proposed reform that that would give those “living in the shadows” a pathway toward citizenship.
“You can’t simply wish people away. I think that is unrealistic,” Huntsman said during the taping of his monthly press conference on KUED Channel 7. “When you say, ‘Let’s simply send people back to their home,’ well, where is their home?

But then Alex Segura, director of the anti-illegal immigration group Utah Minuteman Project and a West Valley candidate for the state House of Representatives,
acknowledged the students’ First Amendment rights. But he said protests across the country seem to be “intimidation tactics” aimed at keeping Congress from enforcing immigration laws.
“They’re misguided about what it means to be American,” Segura said. Of their Mexican flags and Spanish chants, he said, “It means they are proud of their country and feel that this is part of Mexico.”

Students don’t see it that way.
“It’s not fair. We come here to work, and they just want to kick us out,” Gallegos said. “We are the economy of the U.S.”

Earlier this week I wrote a post about Utah students demonstrating against proposed immigration laws. The demonstrations continue as the U.S. Senate began the debate yesterday on a bill that in general is designed to strengthen enforcement of U.S. borders, regulate the flow into the country of so-called guest workers and determine the legal future of the illegal population scattered across all 50 states.

The debate is centered around whether or not illegal immigrants would be given “too much amnesty”.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, voted against the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee, even though it contained language that would grant in-state tuition to undocumented students, something he introduced himself in a previous bill.
Hatch said there were “many things I like about the bill” but it essentially grants amnesty, which he does not support, and it contains too many provisions he felt would hurt small businesses.

Funny how Hatch focuses only on business and doesn’t say how the bill would affect people.

I am reminded that the United States of America was founded by “illegal immigrants”. Native Americans did not give permission for immigrants to visit and stay on their land. In fact native americans welcomed these immigrants with open arms. I guess it’s been way too long for our “leaders” to consider the historical facts – that their ancestors were once illegal immigrants who were “granted amnesty” in a foreign land so that they could pursue better opportunities.