IMMIGRANT MARCHES TO HAVE SEQUEL.Byline: RACHEL URANGA Staff Writer Organizers of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. pro-immigration march that drew half a million people and attracted international attention have plans for more street demonstrations in September to urge Congress to pass an equitable immigration-reform bill. Similar marches were organized in Chicago this month drawing 10,000 protesters. With pressure mounting on both sides of the debate, immigration reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of could once again come to center stage. ``We are out there pushing for better and real immigration reform. ... People are out there waiting; they want to march,'' said Javier Rodriguez, an organizer with the March 25 Coalition. Rodriguez said a Labor Day weekend march would follow the same route as the March 25 pro-immigrant march downtown and like that march, organizers would rely on word of mouth and media to spread details. They are calling for full amnesty for illegal immigrants. Another march is planned for that weekend in Wilmington by the newly formed Liberty and Justice for Immigrants Coalition -- comprising Teamsters Teamsters large, powerful union of U. S. truckers. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2703] See : Labor , Hermandad Mexicana and the Mexican American Political Association Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) is an organization that promotes the interests of Mexican-Americans in the United States. History Following a 1959 summit of 150 Mexican American leaders in Fresno, California, MAPA was formed in 1960 as a means to . ``We prefer no bill this year (over) a bad bill. We can go out there and demonstrate that people are willing and encouraged to defeat both pieces of legislation this year,'' said Nativo Lopez, president of MAPA MAPA Malaysia Airlines Pilots' Association MAPA Mexican-American Political Association MAPA Manila Action Plan for APEC MAPA Metropolitan Area Planning Agency MAPA Mine Action Program for Afghanistan (UN) . Organizers of the protests that swept the country this spring credit the images of millions of immigrants and their sympathizers taking to the street for stalling immigration reform in Congress. Protesters centered their anger on a House bill by James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., that would have made all illegal immigrants felons and created a 700-mile wall along the Mexican border. The bill garnered support from many House Republicans. But other observers say more marches could create even further division between both sides of the red-hot immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. debate. ``All it does is solidify the people that are for them, and those that are against them; it's unclear how it impacts people on the fence,'' said Ricardo Ramirez, an assistant professor of political science at University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission . Since the marches, dozens of groups -- from immigrant-rights activists to political associations -- have launched citizenship and voting drives to focus the momentum created by the mass protests into political clout. And anti-illegal-immigrant groups have redoubled re·dou·ble v. re·dou·bled, re·dou·bling, re·dou·bles v.tr. 1. To double. 2. To repeat. 3. Games To double the doubling bid of (an opponent) in bridge. v. their efforts, watching their membership rolls soar. House Republicans have even created their own immigration road show -- holding hearings in more than a dozen states over the summer -- aimed at forcing President George W. Bush to cave to the House's more restrictive legislation. ``The experience is that these marches have backfired,'' said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization in the United States that advocates for reforms of U.S. immigration policies that would result in significant immigration reduction. , a group advocating tighter border controls. ``The American public look at these and they are outraged. There are millions of people breaking the law and they are being rewarded for it.'' rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3741 |
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