[migrawatch-public] Immigration movement divided as May 1 boycott, rallies approach

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [watsonvillebrownberets] Immigration movement divided as May 1
boycott, rallies approach
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:29:05 -0700
From: Luis Angel Alejo <laalejo@msn.com>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

*The Register-Pajaronian, April 25, 2007*
*Immigration movement divided as May 1 boycott, rallies approach *
Published: April 25th, 2007

A demonstrator carries a sign translated as, "Piolin=Traitor, open the
doors to the marches," during an immigration rally April 7 in downtown
Los Angeles.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Last year, popular Spanish-language disc jockey
Eduardo "Piolin" Sotelo was hailed for helping to persuade hundreds of
thousands of people to join protests demanding amnesty for illegal
immigrants.

But at a recent immigration rally , many people called him a traitor ,
accusing him of not working hard enough to support the cause.

The change opens a window onto the immigration reform movement , which
has grown increasingly divided — and, some say, frustrated — as it
approaches a national day of protest planned for May 1.

Immigration groups have called for such actions as a work stoppage ,
after-hour rallies and town hall meetings. Activities are planned in Los
Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix and other cities.

However, immigration protests have failed to produce large turnouts
since reform legislation stalled in Congress last summer.

Organizers blame divisions over tactics and proposed reform bills; fear
in immigrant communities about stepped-up raids; and decisions by many
groups to focus on citizenship and voter-registration drives rather than
marches.

Last year's May 1 boycott brought out more than a million protesters
across the nation, with thousands of immigrants ditching work and many
businesses closing in solidarity. In Los Angeles alone, 72,000 students
skipped school to join rallies.

This year, organizers expect a much lower turnout.

"There is no cohesion for May 1," said Juan Jose Gutierrez, president of
Los Angeles-based Latino Movement USA. "Those of us on the ground, who
have constant contact with immigrants, don't have the feeling we'll have
a massive outpouring."

Some activists are pointing fingers as they try to rekindle the amnesty
campaign.

At an April 7 march, several dozen protesters carried signs that read:
"Traitor Piolin. Open the Doors to the Marches." The protesters claimed
the disc jockey was no longer promoting rallies on his nationally
syndicated show.

Sotelo said he did mention the rally but perhaps not as forcefully as
organizers wanted.

"I was supporting the march, but cautiously," said Sotelo, who has
launched a campaign encouraging listeners to write a million letters
that he can deliver to Congress in support of immigration reform. "There
are many different ways to promote immigration reform ."

One of the biggest sticking points among organizers is whether to call
on immigrants to miss work, an issue that also divided groups last year.

Many organizers have decided they cannot call on people to do something
that could cost them their jobs, said Angela Sembrano, director of the
Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.

"A boycott has its merits, but as an organization we can't ask people
not to go to work and then see them get fired," she said.

Others argue a boycott is the only way to show the economic power of
immigrants. They say energy is building for the May 1 protests, despite
the divisions.

The boycott "is the only game in town in terms of the mass struggle ,"
said Javier Rodriguez of the March 25th Coalition, which is named after
a demonstration last year in which 500,000 people rallied in downtown
Los Angeles.

Rodriguez said he sees growing support for the boycott. Several Southern
California restaurant chains intend to close, and thousands of Hispanic
truckers plan to stay off the road, he said. In addition , his group
wants Mexicans to refrain from using cell phones to call family in
Mexico on May 1 to demonstrate their economic clout.

In the past year, however, the March 25th Coalition has splintered and
has few remaining members .

Regardless of what happens on May 1, immigration reform advocates said
they have already won many battles in recent months.

They point to the November congressional elections, when several
conservatives who advocated cracking down on illegal immigrants were
defeated. They also cite record numbers of citizenship applications and
an Illinois House vote last month to allow illegal immigrants to get
"certificates" to drive legally on state roads.

Immigration advocates are also planning to launch a "New Sanctuary
Movement" next month to give refuge to illegal immigrants facing
deportation in churches across the country. Organizers have been
inspired by Elvira Arellano, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who has
taken refuge since mid-August at a Methodist church in Chicago.

"The movement isn't getting weaker; it's just becoming more
sophisticated," said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

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