Thousands in NYC Protest Immigration Bill

NEW YORK - Thousands of immigrants formed a line stretching more than a mile long Saturday as they marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, waving flags from more than a dozen countries as they demonstrated against possible immigration reform in Congress.

Heralded by a cacophony of trumpets, whistles and drums, the crowd of mostly Latin Americans gathered in downtown Brooklyn and trudged a path laden with symbols of the city's immigrant strength on their way to a plaza in lower Manhattan.

The marchers mustered in a neighborhood settled by the Dutch, crossed a bridge designed by a German, and finished in a square at the edge of Chinatown in an area that once held the Irish slums glamorized in the 2002 film "Gangs of New York."

On the way, they passed the Statue of Liberty, hot dog carts run by Middle Easterners, taxis driven by Russians and police officers speaking Chinese.

More than 10,000 people flooded Foley Square, turning it into a sea of colorful banners and echoing noise. The crowd came dressed in the colors of Mexico, Uruguay and Ecuador, but just as many draped themselves in red, white and blue.

"If you hurt immigrants you are hurting America," read a sign held by one marcher. "We are your economy," said another.

Another marcher, a woman from Mexico who spoke no English, carried a sign reading, "I cleaned up ground zero."

There were demonstrations across the country this week against legislation already approved in the House, which would make it a felony to be in the U.S. without the proper immigration paperwork.

Competing legislation under consideration in the Senate would take an opposite approach and give the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. a chance at citizenship.

"We came to say that we're here," said George Criollo, who arrived in New York a decade ago from Cuenca, Ecuador. "We have to speak, legal or illegal. We have to speak about this issue."

Criollo, who said his family was in the United States illegally, feared that legislation could lead to his deportation or jailing. In the House, legislation already has passed that would set penalties for anyone who knowingly assists or encourages illegal immigrants to remain in the country.

In Costa Mesa, Calif., about 500 people protested the crackdown on illegal immigrants.

"Aiding my kids should not be a crime," said Dagoberto Zavala, 52, who immigrated from El Salvador to the Santa Ana area, and said he brought his two children into the United States illegally. "Congress needs to know the laws we have don't work."

Last year, the Costa Mesa City Council approved a policy that would give local police in certain cases the authority to enforce federal immigration law. The plan is not likely to take effect for at least several months, as federal officials decide whether to accept the city's proposal. If put into effect, it would make Costa Mesa the first city in the nation to train its police in federal immigration enforcement.

Different illegals in different areas of the United States may not be the same, and though I have been to New York many times, I cannot say I know the illegals of NYC.

But I can say, I do know the illegals, specifically the illegals from Mexico, of the San Francisco Bay Area. I can tell you, among other groups, be it Viet, or Cuban, or Chinese and so on, attitudes change dramatically among one group from the other. And anyone who knows me, knows I am not afraid to intermingle among any group friendly or hostile, and being very political I have connected with some communities such as the Vietnamese for example.

But, there is a question that I am now pondering.

I hear Wall Street types call illegal aliens “entrepreneurs”, as if we are importing entrepreneurship by taking in the poverty of Mexico. The response of many conservatives to the no-borders crowd among Wall Street and within the Bush Administration is to ask, are we importing poverty?

I wonder about that, but I also wonder about another question.

Are we importing, Communism? I am not trying to be funny by asking such a question, albeit my anti-communism roots go way, way back.

I feel that I know the illegal alien culture very well simply because of where I live and of those who live around me and intermingle with me daily on a personal basis. And from my familiarity with and among illegal aliens from Mexico, I do not see the Communist element. But that may be my myopic view of reality. Because we do see the rise of radical socialists and communism in Latin American countries again on the rise, what to speak of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. I know for a fact that the far left is gaining ground in Mexico, the Fidel Castro type wing of Latin communists and socialists.
I observed some of the Latino teenagers who were protesting, and I listened to what they were saying. What I heard, was typical of what I here Leftist Professors yell and indoctrinate into their students.

Now among the adult or elder Latinos, that is the illegals over 25 years old, they were saying different things then these teenagers. From the adult illegals, it was the standard complaints and demands typical of what we hear from the old media about "fairness", and "hard work" and so on.

But from the younger ones, the teenagers, it was a different message.

It was definitely a leftist message, defiant and trouble for our country. I heard about “Mexican land grants”, and attitudes that California is their Mexican nation, not America’s. And I noticed something that struck me - yes, many were flying Mexican flags. This included adult illegals. But among the adult iilegals, there were some waving American flags.

But among these teenagers, they waved the Mexican flag. And they shouted in cheer if others did so as well. They were Mexicans. Not just first, be always. They had an attitude. It was them against others attitude, and they were not asking but going to, as one said, “take this country”.

I think we better consider, that if amnesty is given again, this will encourage another 20 million to come. And I think it is very likely, the next 20 million will not be the same as the first 20 million. I think they will come in with the same message I heard from these teenagers the other day.

We also have to be very careful. We do not want to see Mexico go communist.

It is a very, very difficult situation.

That is only going to get worse, of which in large part I blame George Bush who has literally wasted six precious years not helping the situation. These were six precious years in the timeframe of what is changing around us. Now those years are lost, and they could have very well have been the years that could have made the difference.

It's over.

It's amnesty.

And there isn't a damned thing any of us can do about it -- so stop whining and accept reality.

Folks, we have no one to blame for this but ourselves. We all knew what the Big Business Party was like when we voted for them. For us, it's God, then Country, then Money. For those we elected, it's Money, then Money, then Money. This is the result. Live with it, America.

"But what are we going to do, B-chan?" you ask?

The only thing left to do is this, and it only has two words:

LEARN SPANISH

They forget to mention that the Dutch-Germans-Chinese-East Europeans-Japanese-Italians-Scandinavians-Russians-Poles--and all the rest did not demand a 'second language' be taught in our schools and be printed on our official documents to suit their fancies--no, indeed they made their children learn English and were proud to be American citizens without politicians playing games for their votes by ignoring those 'immigrants' who came before them and were bona fide citizens---plus, they did not march with flags of their native countries raised over the Stars and Stripes of the USA---this bunch wants to take and not assimilate as all before did---they want the rest out of their lands as they put it on their signs and banners--close the borders---round up and deport all illegals---thern consider a 'guest worker program' that is fully and fairly enforced---we can send men to the moon but cannot control our borders due to suckup politicians who care nothing about the nation except getting money for reelection term after term--not one dfime from me until I see some results of what the US citizens want.

"Another marcher, a woman from Mexico who spoke no English, carried a sign reading..."

...carried a sign reading:

"Rest Assured, I'll not only get myself and all of my family members into local emergency rooms,
but also George Criollo and his entire family, Dagoberto Zavala, his two children and all of
his eighty-six cousins, but also Pedro Hernandez, his wife, their fouteen kids and sixty-five cousins,
along with Raul Fuentes, his sixteen children and all of their seventy-three cousins, but also Miguel Juan Zapata,
his dozen kids and one hundred and forty-three other relatives who are all illegals and of course,
Jesus Gonzales and his twenty-six kids along with his two hundred other assorted relatives."

(the last line in her sign reads:

"And while all of the four hundred of us stated above head towards your
local Emergency Rooms, you stipud gringos will hear - -

- a cacophony of trumpets, whistles and drums...while we laugh all the way."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.