Pressure builds for proactive legislation

By Toni FresquezEl Semanario June 17, 2010Our nation is filled with civil unrest. The havoc on our southwest border, has recently led to two murders by US Border Patrol (BP), a 35-year-old Anastacio Hernandez Rojas, and 14-year-old Sergio Hernandez Huereca -- creating further tension in an extremely divisive situation.
Our southeastern border is under attack by another BP, a blatant attack on our mother earth and its sea life. What both of these situations have in common is greed. Billions of dollars are at stake. The US continues to dole out wasted dollars to private contractors to build fences and other Inspector Gadget-type devices that are supposed to discourage immigrants from crossing the Mexico/US border; as well as adding funding to employ more border patrol. And for years the US has turned a blind eye to the unregulated oil companies who have made record profits, ironically Latino immigrants who are cleaning up the oil disaster, are being harassed by a Louisiana Sheriff.
On Tuesday, Denver activists made a bold statement in an action that led to fourteen arrests of human rights advocates drawing attention to the government's lack of humane immigration reform legislation. The individuals arrested were charged with obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful order, both misdemeanors.
Of those arrested Nita Gonzales, daughter of the late civil rights leader Rodolfo " Corky" Gonzales, shared her frustration regarding the nation's attitude towards immigrants and the need for public actions. "Our nation is facing a humanitarian crisis," she explained. "We are shocked and angered by the continuous waves of attacks on immigrants. When we march, when we take to the streets, when we rally -- through these actions we call on Congress and the President to say no to bills that do nothing more than divide us."
It was estimated that close to five hundred people participated in Tuesday's march through the streets of downtown Denver, which began at Colfax and Broadway and culminated at the Federal Building at 19th and Stout.
The City's police department appeared to be prepared for the protestors' action and offered several warnings to the activists who spread out across Stout St. and fell to their knees signaling they were not moving.
Several protestors aimed their frustration at President Obama and his campaign promises to enact legislation in restructuring immigration laws.
"It is important to hold President Obama accountable for the promises he made about fixing our country's broken immigration system,: stated Julieta Quinonez, youth organizer with Jovenes Unidos. "Through rallies, protests and other public actions, we are putting pressure on and reminding our lawmakers that immigration reform should be a priority this year. It is unacceptable for lawmakers and the Obama administration to stand by as families are separated; as workers are criminalized through raids and deportations; as the talents and contributions of thousands of students go to waste each year; and as an entire community lives in fear and is treated unjustly and inhumanely. Our actions are held to call on the federal government to take action."
Nationally, the human rights message is rapidly gaining momentum due to SB 1070 passed in Arizona recently.On Monday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors approved two Resolutions urging the federal government to quickly pass comprehensive immigration reform and to voice their opposition to Arizona's harsh immigration enforcement law. In addition to the resolution calling for immediate federal action, the Conference approved language expressing concern that this law may lead to "civil rights violations" and "similar actions in other states".
The Mayors recognize that only a federal solution will succeed in truly overhauling our long broken immigration system. The lack of federal action created a political vacuum that allowed Arizona's new law to become reality. The solution is clear: the federal government must take immediate steps to reform our broken immigration system so that states and municipalities are not taking matters into their own hands with state-based patch-work fixes.
To date, more than 22 states are considering or intend to consider similar anti-immigrant measures, including the state of Massachusetts. The U.S. Conference of Mayors remained steadfast in their belief that the immigration problem is a national problem that requires a federal solution.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stated, "We are long overdue in changing our outdated and ineffective immigration policies. Rather than perpetuate the broken status quo and burdening state taxpayers with costs that are a Federal responsibility, Congress needs to step up to the plate and restore control and order of our broken immigration system. We must pass comprehensive immigration reform that would finally secure our borders and ensure the safety of all our citizens."
The topic of immigration reform entails various issues besides border control; educational advocates continue to demand rights for students arguing that immigration status should not keep a child from pursuing higher education."For many years now, Jovenes Unidos has been organizing to pass the DREAM Act, in-state tuition for undocumented students in Colorado and comprehensive immigration reform. We will continue to organize until the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US are legalized, including all the youth who deserve equal access to higher education and the path to legalization that will allow them to pursue their dreams," declared Quinonez. "Jovenes Unidos will continue to fight for immigrant rights this year and the years to come until our immigration system is fixed."
Gonzales heads the Escuela Tlatelolco Centro de Estudios established by her father in the late sixties, and has been a forceful advocate for educational rights. "Comprehensive immigration reform should make higher education a reality for all of our children -- pass the DREAM ACT now," said Gonzales with strong sentiment, while adding that reform must be inclusionary to "unite families, provide a path to citizenship, reduce travel restrictions, lessen the visa backlog, provide worker protections."