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Tucsons oppose Senator Kyl's anti-immigrant bill
by Nog Jenkins
Sunday, Mar. 26, 2006 at 2:12 PM
More than 1,000 people protested anti-immigrant legislation Friday by lining the streets in front of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl's Tucson office. Similar rallies took place in Phoenix, Flagstaff, Los Angeles, and Denver over the weekend.
More than 1,000 protesters rallied in front of U.S. Senator John Kyl’s Tucson office the morning of Friday March 24, carrying American flags and a variety of hand-painted posters. Signs were in English and Spanish, displaying slogans such as, “We’re Not The Enemy, We’re Part of the Solution”, “Our Work is Permanent, Residency Should Be Too”, and “Don’t Deport My Parents!”.
The rally was organized in response to Kyl’s support for immigration reform measures similar to those contained in U.S. House Resolution 4437 (also known as the “Sensenbrenner Bill”). Measures in this bill would make it a felony to be in the United States illegally, deputize local police to enforce immigration law, build more border walls, and outlaw giving humanitarian aid to undocumented people in the United States.
"We do not need policies like H.R. 4437. Instead we need an immigration policy that provides a means for immigrants to attain permanent residency and a border policy that upholds community security and border security. A safe border must also be a just and humane border," said Griselda Moya Flores, Border Action Network member.
A simultaneous rally in Phoenix drew 15,000 demonstrators and another in Los Angeles attracted more than 500,000. These rallies are part of a nation-wide mobilization on immigration and border policies organized by a coalition of labor and immigrant rights groups. The groups support comprehensive immigration reform emphasizing a path to citizenship for immigrant workers and their families.
Kyl issued a statement in response to the rallies which emphasized his position. Kyl supports greater enforcement and penalties against employers who hire undocumented workers. His own proposal, the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act or “CEIRA,” also requires undocumented Americans to leave the country within five years.
Two counter-protestors attended the Tucson rally and stood across the street, carrying a sign promoting the construction of a border wall. They accused foreign governments of causing American immigration problems through corruption and poor economic policies. In response to the demands of the demonstrators, they claim to support legal immigration into the United States. “We’re just asking that they come through the front door.”
Arizona’s other Republican Senator, John McCain, has criticized the Sensenbrenner Bill as being built on a “transient illusion” and supports a more comprehensive solution to immigration problems. Democrat Jim Pederson, who is challenging Kyl for his Senate seat, opposes the plan as “infeasible.” However, he also supports increased border and immigration enforcement. Democratic U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva supports legalizing America’s undocumented work force as part of a program that also protects U.S. workers.
For more photos of the demonstration, go to: http://arizona.indymedia.org/news/2006/03/38864_comment.php#38875