Rep. Peter King as an “un-American” lawJoining protests that have spread around the country, nearly 100 immigrants, advocates, union leaders and politicians gathered outside Hempstead Town Hall yesterday to denounce what they called the harshest piece of anti-immigrant legislation in decades.
They said the proposed legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), would turn undocumented immigrants into felons, send church workers and others who assist them to jail, and erect a 698-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We're here on George Washington's birthday to demonstrate our moral outrage against this un-American bill," said Luis Valenzuela, executive director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, an immigrant advocacy group. "Our founding father would be turning over in his grave if he knew what was happening."
Supporters call the 257-page bill a reasonable step to attack an out-of-control problem that has led to an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants -- including about 100,000 on Long Island.
The bill, filed by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), passed the House in December by a 239-182 vote and is expected to be debated in the Senate in coming weeks. King has said it would allow, for instance, Pentagon technology to be used for border enforcement and permit "deputizing" local police as immigration agents.
He denies it would lead to jail for church workers or others who assist or hire undocumented immigrants, saying similar laws have been on the books for decades and are aimed at people such as smugglers. Still, he has said he is willing to retool that part of the bill.
"It's the strongest, most comprehensive enforcement bill we have seen in a generation or more," said Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank that favors stricter limits on immigration. "It goes about 70 percent of the way to getting us to actually enforcing the law, if it were ever implemented."
But the protesters, who included Hempstead Village Deputy Mayor Henry Conyers, said the bill would do nothing to reduce illegal immigration and that it was merely red meat being thrown to anti-immigrant sectors. They also disputed King's contention it would not open church workers and others to prosecution. Some carried signs saying, "My grandmother is not a criminal" and "We are a country of immigrants."
"This will just push people deeper into the shadows," said Edison Severino of the Manhattan-based Local 78 of the Asbestos, Lead and Hazardous Waste Laborers. He added that "I would be a criminal for having members [of the union] who are undocumented. If you have a maid in your house or someone who takes care of your children who happens to be an undocumented immigrant, you'd be a criminal, too."
Protesters said the root of the problem is that the United States labor market requires 500,000 low-skilled immigrant workers a year but provides only 5,000 visas for them. King has said he is not opposed to reconsidering the visa system but believes border enforcement must come first.
The bill is provoking street protests among immigrants and activists from Boston to Miami to California. In Philadelphia, some restaurant workers stayed home on Valentine's Day. The same day, the foreign ministers of Mexico, Colombia, Panama and El Salvador flew to Washington to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and voice alarm over the bill.
The 70% figure is interesting, though we'd rather see 100% compliance, of course. Paraphrasing FrankG - if they're squealing, then we must be doing it right... or at least close enough for Govt work.