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Immigrant Rights Protests Rock the Country: Up to 2 Million
Take to the Streets in the Largest Wave of Demonstrations
in U.S. History
Publisher of Texas Spanish-Language Daily on Immigrant Protests:
"This is a Personal Issue...A True Political Mobilization"
Dallas High School Student Describes Organizing Mass Walkout
Eighth Grader Commits Suicide After Being Threatened by School
Official With Jail Time for Organizing Walkouts
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson Reacts to Unprecedented
Immigrant Rights March
Immigrant Rights Marches Likened to Second Civil Rights Movement
Immigrant Rights Protests Rock the Country: Up to
2 Million Take to the Streets in the Largest Wave of Demonstrations
in U.S. History
In an unprecedented wave of protests, as many as two million
people took to the streets Monday in more than 100 cities
and towns around the country to march for immigrant rights.
We hear some of the speakers at the largest rallies in New
York and Washington and we speak with some of the demonstrators
about why they are taking to the streets. [includes rush
transcript]
Today we spend the hour on the issue of immigration. In
an unprecedented wave of protests, as many as two million
people took to the streets on Monday in more than 100 cities
and towns around the country to march for immigrants' rights.
Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of undocumented
workers, legal immigrants, labor unions, immigrant rights
advocates and their supporters demonstrated in what was billed
as the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice.
In New York, over 100,000 demonstrators converged in lower
Manhattan for a rally near City Hall. In Atlanta, as many
as 80,000 people flooded the streets. In Phoenix, an estimated
100,000 rallied at the Arizona Capitol. 50,000 marched in
Houston. 25,000 in Madison, Wisconsin. 10,000 in Boston. 8,000
in Omaha, Nebraska. In Fresno, California 10,000 people turned
out in what a police spokesman called "by far the largest
event we have ever had in the city." Even in the tiny
farming town of Garden City, Kansas, 3,000 people took to
the streets - more than 10 percent of the local population.
The rallies Monday followed a day of demonstrations in San
Diego, Miami, Birmingham, Alabama, Utah, Idaho and Iowa. A
Sunday rally in Dallas drew half a million people, the largest
protest in the city's history.
Many are likening the extraordinary national mobilization
to a second civil rights movement.
One of the largest protests on Monday took place in Washington
DC. Hundreds of thousands streamed past the White House to
a rally on the National Mall. The demonstration took place
just yards from the Capitol, where Senators last week failed
to reach agreement on wide-ranging immigration reform that
would allow the 11 million undocumented immigrants living
in this country a chance to work here legally and eventually
become U.S. citizens. The Senate will resume the debate on
the issue in two weeks" time, after the spring recess.
The House passed its own bill in December that has been described
as the most repressive immigration bill in 70 years. HR 4437
would, among other things, turn every undocumented immigrant
into a felon and make it a crime to offer help to undocumented
immigrants.
Among those who addressed the massive crowd on the Mall in
Washington DC was Jaime Contreras, president of the National
Capital Immigration Coalition. He outlined some of the demands
for immigration reform.
- Jaime Contreras, president of the National Capital Immigration
Coalition speaking in Washington DC, April 10, 2006.
Meanwhile, in New York City over 100,000 took to the streets.
Thousands converged on City Hall Park for a massive rally.
Among those who addressed the crowd was Roger Toussaint, president
of the Transport Workers Union.
As tens of thousands marched on City Hall, Democracy Now
hit the streets and spoke with some of those protesting.
- Demonstrators talk about why they are taking to the streets.
Publisher of Texas Spanish-Language Daily on Immigrant
Protests: "This is a Personal Issue...A True Political
Mobilization"
Texas has seen some of the largest immigrant rights protests
over the past three days. On Sunday over a half-million people
filled the streets of Dallas in the city's largest civil rights
march ever. We go to Dallas to speak with Gilbert Bailon,
publisher and editor of Al Dia, a Spanish-language daily that
serves North Texas. [includes rush
transcript]
Texas has seen some of the largest protests over the past
three days. On Monday over 50,000 marched in Houston. On Sunday
over a half-million people filled the streets of Dallas in
the city's largest civil rights march ever. Up to 30,000 protesters
also demonstrated on Sunday in nearby Fort Worth.
- Gilbert Bailon, publisher and editor of Al Dia, a Spanish-language
daily that serves North Texas. He is the former executive
editor of the Dallas Morning News.
Dallas High School Student Describes Organizing Mass
Walkout
We speak with Gustavo Jimenez, a junior at Duncanville High
School who helped lead a student walk-out in Dallas last month
that saw thousands of students leave classes to protest proposed
anti-immigrant legislation. [includes rush
transcript]
Jimenez also addressed the massive immigrant rights rally
in Dallas on Sunday.
- Gustavo Jimenez, student organizer from Duncanville High
School. He helped plan the student walk-out in Dallas and
spoke at the rally.
Eighth Grader Commits Suicide After Being Threatened
by School Official With Jail Time for Organizing Walkouts
An eighth grader in California killed himself two weeks
ago after being threatened by a school official for participating
in the student immigrant rights walkouts. Anthony Soltero,
14, died after he shot himself in the head on March 30th.
We speak with the attorney representing Soltero's mother.
[includes rush
transcript]
Along with the mass demonstrations, tens of thousands of
students have staged walkouts across the country in support
of immigrant rights. Students defied school lockdowns and
strict bans to take to the streets in unprecedented levels
and participate in the immigration protests.
But tragedy struck two weeks ago in California when an eight
grader killed himself after being threatened by a school official
for participating in the walkouts. His family claimed a school
administrator pulled Soltero aside on March 30 and told him
he could be jailed for three years, banished from his graduation
and his parents could be fined for his involvement in the
protest.
Anthony Soltero died after he shot himself in the head later
that day. He was just 14 years-old.
About 200 people gathered in a church in Long Beach on Monday
to remember him. Some of his friends wore black shirts with
a picture of Anthony on the front.
On Monday, school district officials released a statement
but failed to address whether the incident occurred. The statement
read quote "The district expresses its sincere sympathy
for the student's family and friends. Out of respect for the
family's privacy and because litigation is being threatened
against the district, we can't comment any further regarding
this very unfortunate incident."
- Samuel Paz, a civil rights lawyer representing Anthony
Soltero's mother, Louise Corales.
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson Reacts to Unprecedented
Immigrant Rights March
In Salt Lake City, as many as 25,000 people took to the
streets on Sunday to march for immigrants rights in what may
have been Utah's largest demonstration ever. We speak with
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. [includes rush
transcript]
In Salt Lake City, as many as 25,000 people took to the
streets on Sunday to march for immigrants rights in what may
have been Utah's largest demonstration ever. Thousands marched
from City Hall to the State Capitol. The protests continued
for a second day Monday as several thousand people rallied
at City Hall.
We go now to Salt Lake City to speak with Mayor Rocky Anderson.
He took part in Sunday's demonstration and was one of the
speakers at the rally.
- Mayor Rocky Anderson, of Salt Lake City.
Immigrant Rights Marches Likened to Second Civil
Rights Movement
Many are likening the extraordinary national mobilization
for immigrant rights to a second civil rights movement. We
go to Birmingham, Alabama to speak with the Rev. Lawton Higgs
of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. [includes
rush
transcript]
- Rev. Lawton Higgs, Chaplain of the Birmingham Chapter
of Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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