Immigrants protest at Bush citizenship plan
Thousands of people marched through Los Angeles, demanding a way for the country’s estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to become American citizens and condemning President George Bush’s latest proposal.
Carrying signs saying “Amnesty Now!” and “Love Thy Neighbour, Don’t Deport Him”, about 15,000 people danced to Mexican ranchera music, chanted “Si, se puede!” (it can be done) and passed large American flags over the crowd.
Many were angry about a White House proposal that would grant illegal immigrants work visas but require them to return home to apply for US residency and pay a €7,630 fine.
“Charging that much, Bush is going to be even more expensive than the coyotes,” said Armando Garcia, 50, referring to the smugglers who transport people across the US-Mexico border. “He will become the number one coyote.”
Garcia said he was in the US legally, but had several brothers there illegally.
Such focused criticism of Bush was a departure from many immigrant rallies over the past year.
While illegal immigrants and their advocates have long focused their ire at conservative Republicans and Congress in general, many had seen Bush as an advocate of immigration reform.
Indeed, Bush has repeatedly said he favours reform that would give many illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
The White House’s draft plan, leaked last week, calls for a new “Z” category visa that would allow illegal immigrant workers to apply for three-year work permits. They would be renewable indefinitely, but would cost €2,642 each time.
Then, to become legal permanent residents, illegal immigrants would have to return to their home country, apply at a US embassy or consulate to re-enter legally and pay a €7,630 fine.
The proposal has been sharply criticised by Hispanic advocacy groups, many Democrats, the Roman Catholic Church and unions that have many immigrants in their ranks. They argue the cost of work permits and the green card application are prohibitive for low-wage earners.
“For my wife and I it would cost about $30,000 (€44,000)),” said Francisco Gomez, 41, who along with his wife is in the country illegally. “Multiply that by all the illegal immigrants here … It’s obvious Bush just wants to fund his Iraq war with our money.”
Maria Lopez, 50, an illegal immigrant who works as a seamstress and sends €154 a month home to family members in Mexico, said she could never apply for residency under Bush’s plan.
“We have no way to come up with that much money, and Bush knows that,” she said. “He is doing this on purpose so we don’t ever become legal residents.”
The latest White House plan is far more conservative than the one passed by the Senate last year with bipartisan backing and support from Bush.
That plan would have allowed many of the country’s illegal immigrants to stay in the US, work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying small fines and back taxes and clearing a background check.
But many Senate conservatives opposed the plan and it failed to gain traction in the then Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
