Armed with a megaphone in his hand, political science graduate
student Alfonso Gonzales’ voice and chants could be heard
down Bruin Walk on Monday as he attempted to engage students in the
debate on immigration that has stirred Congress and the nation in
recent weeks.
There are two bills currently being debated in Congress: one
that would create avenues for undocumented immigrants to become
citizens and another, HR 4437, that would place more stringent
restrictions on those same people.
At the same time that protesters in more than 70 cities across
the nation gathered to call on Congress to pass immigration reform
that would ease the citizenship process and to vote against HR
4437, students at UCLA encouraged their peers to take an interest
in the legislation.
From 50,000 people in Atlanta to 500,000 in Dallas, hundreds of
thousands protested Monday.
Students at UCLA and people across the country waved Mexican and
American flags and held signs with such slogans as “We Are
America” and “Immigrant Values are Family
Values,” showing support for the estimated 11 to 12 million
undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
Five students ““ four from UCLA and one from Garfield High
School in East Los Angeles ““ spoke of their individual
connection to immigration and called on passing students to realize
that they are personally linked to the issue because of the broad
group of people who could be indirectly affected by the bill per an
article that holds citizens accountable for assisting illegal
immigrants.
HR 4437, also called the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and
Illegal Immigration Control Act, would make it a felony to be
undocumented in the United States, criminalize people who
associated with the undocumented in ways such as employing or
feeding them, and strengthen security on the U.S.-Mexico
border.
The bill was passed by the House last November, but debate in
the U.S. Senate has stalled it there.
HR 4437 has prompted many demonstrations and rallies since
debate on the bill started in the Senate last month, and have shown
no sign of dying down.
Salvador Garcia, a student at Garfield High School and a speaker
at the event, had walked out on his classes to protest and lead his
fellow classmates to city hall late last month to protest the
legislation.
“Having 2,000 students (marching) behind me is the
greatest feeling in the world,” he said.
The immigration debate has stalled in Congress, leaving the
Senate-proposed bill and HR 4437 unresolved before Congress’s
two-week break, aggravating activists who had hoped the issue would
be quickly resolved and reform would be eminent.
Garcia criticized to the anti-terrorist part of the act’s
title, denying any relationship between immigrants and
terrorists.
“I am not a terrorist. Mexicans are not terrorists; we are
hard workers. My parents came here for an opportunity, and the
government tries to deport us,” said Garcia, whose father was
deported back to Mexico about a year and half ago.
Garcia’s words excited applause and cheers from the
crowd.
On the back of Gonzales’ brown shirt were four statements
that signify the demands and initiatives of Raza Graduate Student
Association, which organized the rally Monday: full legalization of
all illegal immigrants currently in the US, no militarization of
the borders, equal treatment toward undocumented and those who help
them, and an increase in ethnic studies in primarily Hispanic
schools.
Prior to the break, the Senate discussed a bill that would
outline means for gaining citizenship and break undocumented
immigrants into three categories based on how long they have been
in the United States.
One class encompasses immigrants who have been in the U.S. for
more than five years, taking about six years to be eligible for
citizenship after paying fines, taxes and learning English.
The second class represents those who have been in the U.S. for
two to five years. Immigrants falling into this group would have to
leave the country but could return with a temporary work visas and
eventually be eligible for citizenship.
The last class would deport undocumented immigrants who have
been in the United States for less than two years.
Alex Galicia, a third-year communication studies student who
came to the rally, said he was concerned that his friends who are
undocumented could be deported, and most importantly, be unable to
complete their education.
“We’re here to support education and the
undocumented community that might be affected. If the bill is
passed, they will be considered criminals and be unable to continue
their (higher) education or be deported,” Galicia said.
With reports from Bruin wire services.