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Schools
and Businesses Brace for 'Day Without Immigrants' |
Posted:
04.28.06
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Immigrants around the country are planning a day away from work
and school to demonstrate the impact they have on America's culture
and economy, but critics think the effort is misguided.
Printer-friendly versions: PDF
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Organizers are calling the May 1 nationwide boycott "a day
without an immigrant." They are asking that immigrants skip
work or school and avoid spending money.
 The
boycott comes just weeks after hundreds of thousands of mostly
Latino immigrants and supporters protested proposed laws that
would crack down on illegal immigration.
Organizers say they want reforms that work to provide a path
to citizenship for illegal workers.
"We want full amnesty, full legalization for anybody who
is here," Jorge Rodriguez, a union official who organized
earlier marches, told Reuters.
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Impact on
the economy? |
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 It's
estimated that millions of immigrants could participate in the
day's events across the county.
"There will be 2 to 3 million people hitting the streets
in Los Angeles alone. We're going to close down Los Angeles, Chicago,
New York, Tucson, Phoenix, Fresno," said Rodriguez.
Some businesses that rely heavily on immigrant labor, such as
restaurants, hotels, construction sites and farms, are making
plans to close or operate with fewer employees.
They acknowledged the significant role that immigrants play in
the U.S. economy.
"The bottom line is we need to find a way to design our
immigration laws to protect our economy and match those people
who want jobs with the number of jobs that exist," Mike Gempler,
executive director of the Washington Growers' League, told the
Seattle Times.
The restaurant industry is particularly dependent on illegal
immigrant workers.
"These people work hard, they will do whatever, they sweep
the floors, wash the dishes. If they go away you would have to
pay Americans top dollar, and the next thing you know a hamburger
would cost $5," the manager of a New York City diner told
Reuters.
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Split in
the immigrant community |
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Some Latino leaders think the May Day boycott could lead to further
anti-immigration backlash among politicians and Americans in general.
"We support [a boycott], but not right now because we believe
right now the ball is in the hands of the Senate," Gustavo
Torres, executive director of CASA de Maryland, told the Chicago
Tribune.
The Senate plans to take up the immigration reform debate again
after failing to pass legislation prior to its spring vacation.
Immigration advocates in general want a Senate bill to be less
harsh than legislation passed by the House of Representatives
that makes it a felon to be in the United States illegally and
proposes building a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
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Boycott alternatives
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Some groups have suggested alternatives to a day-long boycott.
"We can make May 1st a 'win-win' day here in Southern California
… go to work, go to school, and then join thousands of us
at a major rally afterward," Cardinal Roger Mahony of the
Los Angeles Catholic archdiocese said in a statement, according
to Reuters.
 Leaders
from Latino Movement USA, one of the national event organizers,
said any kind of participation would be good.
"The fact that most of the people are in fact doing different
activities on May 1 [is] in itself is a major step forward in
the struggle for comprehensive immigration reform," Juan
Jose Gutierrez, director of Latino Movement USA, told the Washington
Times.
"Without the boycott, they probably wouldn't be doing anything
at all."
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Some Americans'
views |
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Anti-immigration groups are not happy with the planned boycott.
 "It's
intimidation when a million people march down main streets in
our major cities under the Mexican flag," Jim Gilchrist,
founder of the Minuteman volunteer border patrol group, told Reuters.
Even some politically liberal Americans are conflicted about
the recent pro-immigration rallies, according to experts.
"Here's a population that for years had been quiet and easily
dominated -- they do the work, make the low pay and send it home,"
Gillian Royes, professor of multicultural relations and communications
at Georgia State University, told the Seattle Times.
"Now the persona of the illegal immigrant is shifting in
the American psyche that perhaps this is not the group to be taken
for granted anymore."
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Compiled by Annie Schleicher for NewsHour Extra
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American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
