Vast crowds oppose immigration bill
by Mauro Pineda
Call To Action
Over 200,000 people marched through downtown Chicago March 10 carrying signs and shouting catchphrases that included “Si se puede” (Yes, we can!) The overwhelmingly immigrant crowd rallied to oppose House Resolution 4437, introduced by Republican House Judiciary Committee Chairman Sensenbrenner, because it attacks the constitutional values of due process and criminalizes not only undocumented immigrants but the actions of U. S. citizens as well.
The rally in Chicago quickly became known as the Mega-March and set the standard for demonstrations that followed throughout the country during the month of March. As a show of unity, rally participants wore white to symbolize peace and demonstrated patriotism by covering the streets with American flags. The rally gathered a broad range of participants that included tens of thousands of undocumented workers as well as Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin, Mayor Richard Daley and Governor Blagojevich, all of whom assured the immigrants that no one is going to be forced to leave Chicago. This was the first time in history that a group of immigrants paralyzed downtown traffic of any major U.S. city with approval from every local government official.
Spurring the rally was Rafael Pulido, a Spanish language DJ and a defender of immigrant rights now at the forefront of the fight against HR 4437. Pulido, 37, known as “El Pistolero,” extended his influence to Milwaukee, Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix and especially Los Angeles, where 500,000 people stretched over 26 blocks on March 25. Normally, disc jockeys are not taken seriously on political issues, but Pulido inspires immigrants in a way that is reminiscent of Cesar Chavez. Even Sen. Barack Obama called the radio station to show his support.
Many Catholic bishops denounced HR 4437, which would also criminalize any citizen who helped undocumented immigrants — even in parish soup kitchens. In Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony said if HR 4437 became law, he would tell his priests to defy the law and commit civil disobedience.
Demonstrations in more
than a dozen cities marked the beginning of a massive immigrant civil rights
struggle clearly demonstrating that the sleeping giant has awakened. Already,
the first victory was claimed on March 27 when the Senate Judiciary Committee
approved a bill giving millions of illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship.
At press time, the full Senate began their debate with the aim of passing a
bill by April 7.