Huddled Masses

When was the last time the streets of downtown Milwaukee brimmed with thousands of people?

It was probably the summer of 2003, when the Great Circus Parade rolled through the city.

On Thursday, there were thousands and thousands marching against discrimination.

That sounds noble, doesn't it?

Everyone is against discrimination, right?

The problem is what some refer to as discrimination, others consider to be breaking U.S. immigration laws.

The question: Was this a march for justice, or a march promoting illegal behavior?

Read the A DAY WITHOUT LATINOS press release.

(Excerpt)

What: WISCONSIN REGIONAL MARCH AGAINST DISCRIMINATION

When: Thursday, March 23, 2006 10:00 AM

Where: The march will start at Voces de la Frontera (1027 s. 5TH St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin)then will cross the 6th St. Bridge

Why: To oppose laws that want to destroy our human dignity by:

• Taking away drivers licenses
• Denying emergency medical care
• Turning all undocumented persons, including children, into aggravated felons; the equivalent of a homicide
• Criminalizing any person or organization that assists the undocumented including: churches, attorneys, teachers, social workers, community agencies, union organizers, workers’ centers, even family and friends.

MARCH IN REGOGNITION OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF LATINOS

First, I oppose laws that destroy human dignity. Absolutely.

The U.S. is a country of immigrants. I am in no way against welcoming immigrants into the community. Come to America for a better life. That's what we're about -- opportunity to work to achieve one's dreams.

I think it's unfair for illegal aliens to demand the same rights as legal immigrants and those who went through legal channels to attain U.S. citizenship.

It's difficult for me to view illegals as victims when they are cheating the system.

Second, persons that entered the United States illegally are criminals. They broke the law. There is simply no way to get around that fact. They are not immigrants. They are illegal aliens. The operative word is illegal.

It's a misnomer to refer to illegal aliens as immigrants. Calling them "undocumented" also is an attempt to skirt the truth, that they are in the country illegally. They are lawbreakers. Once again, the operative word is illegal.

I'm afraid the enforcement of immigration laws cannot be framed as morally wrong. It's twisting reality to create victims of discrimination out of violators of U.S. law.

Third, individuals that assist others in illegal activity are complicit in the crime.

I don't want to be hard-hearted, but I do believe that we must control the borders. We must have a fair system for immigration and enforce the policy.

We could learn something from Mexico's immigration policy.

The ley General de Publacion and its By-Laws that regulate your admission stay and departure from Mexico.

The Constitucion Politica de las Estados Unidas Mexicanos.

Article 1

In the United States of Mexico every individual will enjoy the guarantees granted in this Constitution and these cannot be restricted or suspended, except in those cases and under the conditions established below.

When you enter the country as a "tourist", you are allowed to remain for a maximum of 180 days for the purposes of recreation, health, artistic or sports activities.

You may not work in Mexico.

(That's a killer, isn't it? No visitor is allowed to work.)

If you arrive by air:
You must have your immigration form and present it to the immigration authorities upon arrival at the airport of your destination within Mexico.

If you arrive by road:
You must request your immigration form after having paid the tourist fees at a local bank. Your vehicle must leave the country when your tourist card expires. You cannot sell your car within Mexico nor use it for any other unauthorized purpose.

If you arrive by sea:
You must obtain your immigration permit after having paid the fees at the port of entrance. Once your authorized 180 days are up, you must leave the country.

Interesting.

I don't see anything about people entering Mexico illegally being allowed to stay and receive health care and an education, get a driver's license, and be given all the rights that are granted to legal citizens.

Not only does Mexico have strict laws, the country actively enforces them.

Undocumented Central Americans are routinely tossed out of Mexico -- a glaring double standard in play.

I wonder if thousands of people have ever marched in Mexico to protest that country's laws, crying discrimination.

I doubt it. But that's what happened in Milwaukee on Thursday.

People protested in the name of lawbreakers and demanded rights for those in the country illegally.

Of course, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel puts a positive spin on the marchers' cause.

In one of Milwaukee's largest demonstrations in recent years, a mile-long swath of peaceful protesters marched into the city's downtown Thursday chanting, "¡Sí, se puede!" ("Yes, we can!"), carrying Mexican and American flags and signs condemning what they called "anti-immigrant" legislation.

...Although march organizers put the crowd at 30,000, Milwaukee police estimated that there were between 10,000 and 15,000 marchers, said spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz. She said there were no arrests.

Has there ever been a protest event when the organizers didn't inflate the numbers attending?

The march, which culminated in a 90-minute rally in Zeidler Park, followed a similar event two weeks ago in Chicago that drew a crowd of up to 100,000 people.

...One of the targets of Thursday's protest was a sweeping federal bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) that would keep illegal immigrants in jail until they are processed for deportation, increase penalties for improper entry into the United States, and provide mandatory minimum sentences for illegal immigrants convicted of re-entering the U.S.

Several of the speakers Thursday singled out Sensenbrenner for criticism, including Sheila Cochran of the Milwaukee County Labor Council, who called the bill "wrong-spirited, wrongheaded and just plain wrong."

These protesters are missing the point of the legislation. It is directed at ILLEGAL immigrants. It's not wrong to penalize the lawbreakers.

Xavier Marquez, president of the Racine group Students United for Immigrant Rights, called Sensenbrenner's bill "racist and divisive."

Does Sensenbrenner's bill single out Latinos or some other group? Of course not. It applies to ANYONE, OF ANY RACE.

Sorry, it's not racist or divisive.

...The march and rally stitched together a coalition of political leaders, including Mayor Tom Barrett, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and state Rep. Pedro Colón (D-Milwaukee), as well as labor unions, business groups and religious leaders.

Clearly, Barrett, Moore, and Colón are looking for votes. I'm surprised Herb Kohl didn't magically appear.

I've been trying to find the mayor's remarks. Actually, I don't know if he spoke. I assume he at least said hello.

...The signs the marchers carried drew heavily on emotion and appealed to values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the inscription on the Statue of Liberty.

A large cloth banner said, "Open the doors to citizenship. Immigration is an American experience." A sign showed a photograph of a child wearing a red graduation cap and gown, with the caption, "I'm not a criminal." Another sign said, "You let us fight and die for the country, but we're still not called American."

Hey! The doors aren't closed to citizenship!

Enter America legally. Follow the rules. Become a citizen.

Then, you're not a criminal. You're an American.
________________________________

Jim Sensenbrenner released a statement in reaction to the rally.

He says, "Many have tried to confuse the difference between legal and illegal immigration. Illegal aliens should not be granted amnesty and a path to citizenship. This would be a slap in the face to all those who have followed the law and have come to America legally."

He believes that "America is a compassionate nation that should continue to be the land of opportunity."

Sensenbrenner is not anti-immigration, discriminatory, or racist.

It's fair to debate the merits of the bill. It's not fair to demonize Sensenbrenner.
__________________________________

Read about Hillary Clinton's views on the legislation.

The New York Daily News reports:

Sen. Hillary Clinton used the Bible yesterday to belt Republicans who back a tough new immigration bill she said was not only un-American, but un-Christian as well.

"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scriptures," Clinton said. "This bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan - and probably even Jesus himself."

So, Hillary is a Bible scholar. Who knew?

I suspect her poor poll numbers among Christians prompted her to invoke Jesus, but it has to make the secularists that populate the Dem base a bit uneasy.

In any event, finding religion and exploiting God for personal political gain is not a good idea. The potential for a backlash is enormous, not to mention divine retribution.

Watch out for lightning bolts, Hillary.