H 66°, L 41° | Tomorrow: 
H 59°, L 45°Wearing white T-shirts and marching to chants of “S� Se Puede,” which translates roughly to “Yes We Can” in Spanish, Milwaukee and Madison marchers Saturday called for a repeal of a recent Arizona immigration law and for President Barack Obama and Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
The nation’s toughest immigration policy was signed into law in Arizona April 23, giving police the right to detain anyone whom they suspect of being in the country illegally, as well as making it a crime for an immigrant to fail to carry immigration documents.
Opponents say the law legalizes racial profiling and will encourage discrimination and harassment of Hispanics.
Seven other states are considering passing legislation similar to the Arizona immigration law, event organizers said.
Voces de la Frontera (Voices From the Border), which organized the Milwaukee event, presented a resolution to create an economic boycott against all Arizona corporations until the law is repealed, as well as encourage general federal immigration reform. The resolution will be introduced into the Milwaukee Common Council Tuesday.
Without comprehensive legislation reform, a “return to Jim Crow segregation and violence” is what is at stake under the Arizona law, Christine Neumann-Ortiz, national leader of Voces de la Frontera, said.
“We are here to send a message of solidarity against forces of hatred and bigotry,” Neumann-Ortiz said.
An estimated 65,000 people participated in the Milwaukee march, according to a statement from Voces del Frontera.
Among the speakers at the demonstration was Omar Damian Ortega, an undocumented immigrant who worked as a welder in Milwaukee and was injured on the job. When he filed for workers’ compensation, Ortega was reported to immigration services by West Bend Mutual Insurance and is now under a deportation order.
“I am a worker. I am not a criminal,” Ortega said. “Just as this injustice has taken place against me, it can happen to you.”
The Milwaukee and Madison demonstrations were among more than 60 May Day marches that took place across the nation calling for more liberal immigration policies.
The Immigrant Workers Union organized the Madison rally Saturday, with hundreds of people marching from Brittingham Park to the state Capitol while chanting “Justicia Ahora (Justice Now)” and wearing shirts that said “Do I look illegal?’”
Dane County Supervisor Barbara Vedder, District 2, read a statement from the Dane County Equal Opportunity Commission which said the commission was “unanimous in opposition to the Arizona law,” because it encurages racial profiling. Student activist Mario Gomez spoke at the Milwaukee rally of the difficulties many immigrant students face in paying tuition for non-University of Wisconsin schools. As a high school senior, Gomez said he was unsure how he would pay for college because he cannot apply for financial aid and most scholarships.
“It’s better to live on your feet than to die on your knees,” Ortiz said as the Milwaukee program drew to a close. “Wisconsin is not Arizona, and we will not let Wisconsin become Arizona.”
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“Student activist Mario Gomez spoke at the Milwaukee rally of the difficulties many immigrant students face in paying tuition for non-University of Wisconsin schools.”
Illegal immigrants should get the same treatment as international students. You’re welcome to come here, but you don’t get subsidized by the Wisconsin taxpayers.
It’s incredible how the protesters miss the main point…illegal immigrants are criminals. Let’s kick out the illegals and admit a bunch more legal immigrants.
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The Arizona laws are direct copies of federal immigration laws that are already in force. They literally make the federal laws directly enforceable by the Arizona police. Nothing more. Nothing less.
The supporters of illegal aliens tell us that the thieves should keep their stolen goods. They tell us that the liars should keep their fraudulent gains from their deceits. They tell us that the criminals should face no punishment. They advocate lawlessness. The US Citizens advocate The Rule Of Law.
Here is the only way to conclusive way to address illegal immigration in America, especially from the corrupt and imploding states of Mexico.
Secure the US Borders - Now.
Require Citizenship Status On Every Drivers License In Every State - Now.
Deport the Illegal Aliens - Now.
Support Legal Immigration - From this day forward.
Si Se Puede!!!
Doing so will cut federal, state and local expenses, reduce the cost of healthcare for American Citizens simultaneously, and restore immigration to the Rule Of Law rather than personal and political corruption.
Have a Rainbow Day!
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Excellent comment above. Way more eloquent than I could say it. But seriously, no one is trying to deport any legals. Why are we the a-holes for trying to require the immigrants to follow our laws? If you came here illegally and are reaping public benefits without paying for them- I have no sympathy for you. If you and your family are here legally- then how hard is it to show your ID and go on your way? I’m sorry if you feel “profiled” but it’s not my fault that there are so many criminals who look like you.
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“I�m sorry if you feel �profiled� but it�s not my fault that there are so many criminals who look like you.”
Are you even aware that you are racist? In my two years at this university, I have noticed that many white kids are egotistical, privileged, and ethnocentric people, but should I generalize them as such because so many egotistical, privileged, and ethnocentric are white? Of course not!! You are an embarrassment to this university and what it represents.
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I’m a student at Northern Arizona University and I can tell you right now that the people rallying in Phoenix are very hard to talk to when you are white…because they are illegal and many of them run off when you try to confront them. They are carrying signs that they can’t even read because they only speak Spanish. The state is in a HUGE budget crisis (just like so many others). Paying for all of the services illegals use are a huge waste of money, and that is MY money they are wasting.
As someone mentioned previously, the federal government already has statutes in place exactly like the ones in this bill. If you think that this bill is racist, all that someone needs is to provide a driver’s license to prove they are a citizen. Hmmm…don’t you already have to show that when you get pulled over anyway? This bill shouldn’t be a problem, unless you are illegal of course.
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All this talk about illegals and no one seems to mention that every day nearly 100 illegals from canada enter the country…
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@May 3 12:20: Could you get any more ignorant? Racial profiling is obviously not legal. It’s also incredibly discriminatory—people should not live in fear of needing to carry papers on them at all times. You obviously have no respect for minorities. Keep your racism to yourself next time…I’m sure your friends at your next white supremacist meeting will be happy to hear the hate you’re spewing.