http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandc ... =Eircomnet

Day of protest by illegals in US closes many businesses
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 2nd May, 2006


Factories were silent, fields stood empty and shops and restaurants remained shuttered across the US as hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants took part in a national day of protest.

Angered by a Republican proposal to criminalise all undocumented immigrants and those who help them, many of the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants stayed away from work and school and avoided shopping.

The biggest demonstrations were in southern California, where police expected up to half a million people at a march in Los Angeles, and schools reported that thousands of children stayed away. In downtown Los Angeles, as many as one in three businesses shut down.

Much of California's agricultural business came to a halt as fruit and vegetable pickers, most of whom are immigrants, stayed at home.

Building sites and restaurants throughout the US shut down and 70 per cent of workers failed to show up for work at some branches of McDonalds.

Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat producer, closed 12 of its more than 100 plants and saw "higher-than-usual absenteeism" at others. Poultry processor Perdue Farms closed eight of its 14 chicken plants.

By early afternoon, police said 300,000 people had gathered in Chicago to demonstrate against the criminalisation of illegal immigrants and to call for the undocumented to be given a chance to become US citizens.

In New York, protesters gathered in Queens, the city's most ethnically diverse district, waving US and Latin American flags and holding banners saying, "We are Americans" and "Full Rights for All Immigrants". In Washington's Adams Morgan neighbourhood, home to a large Hispanic population, most shops and restaurants closed as thousands of demonstrators met in Malcolm X Park. Some immigrants cut short their working day to attend demonstrations and others waited until after work to protest.

The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform opposed yesterday's boycott as counter-productive, urging supporters to attend work and demonstrate later.

Yesterday's protest was the latest in a series of high-profile demonstrations undertaken by immigrants in the US in recent months.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan yesterday restated President George W Bush's opposition to the boycott but said the president was determined to introduce comprehensive immigration reform.

"I'm not sure what kind of impact it has on the discussion in Congress. But the president is focused on continuing to work with senators to get a comprehensive Bill off the floor of the United States Senate and into conference committee. . . this is an emotional issue. But we have a broken immigration system, and we have some 12 million undocumented people in this country," he said.

Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate will resume discussion next week of a proposal that would tighten border security but allow most illegal immigrants already in the US to stay in the country and apply for citizenship.

Republicans in the House of Representatives oppose the Senate Bill, which they describe as an amnesty.

America will fall to ruins without the "little" People, lol, bush will think twice before he tries a pull a stunt like that again

What stunt did Bush pull? Bush, for some reason or another, supports amnesty.



Ta-heet.

That's the best line right there.

wow imagine that, mexicans not working

I have to say, although you Peeps still have some sort of annoyance power, especially in N&D, I've really stopped hating you when i started reading LW posts. Perspective i guess.

yea, because everything i say is said with 100% seriousness and never ever ever a drop of sarcasm

I can give you credits for that. Now i feel like a real man.

Well thank god for that as the saying goes "sarcasm is the lowest form of wit"

But humor is the best form of humor.

how do you criminalise people who are already criminals?

Let me simplify this for everyone.

Republicans will not do anything because they are addicted to thier power and the campaign contributions coming in for companies that use undocumented workers extensively.

Democrats will not do anything because they realize that all of these people will eventually vote democrat and they are hell bent on becoming the party of control once again.

It's grown up king of the mountain. Politicians are gigantic babies kicking sand in a sand box.

When you break this down it's simple economics. That's why the borders have to be closed, and we have to punish corporations for using undocumented workers severely. The message should be that you cannot riot for citizenship and free government benifits. If you want to come in to this country do it legally, the way all of our forebears did and there won't be any problems.

This is not personal. On a personal level I understand the plight of poor people living in northern Mexico I get it. I've worked with them before. Most are pretty good people.

However, because these people do not pay into the system they only drain the resources(example see Bankrupt California) that the government has available to itself, thereby raising taxes on all the people who do pay into the system making life harder for everyone else. Meanwhile they send money back to mexico and all those dollars go into their economy, making the idiot scumbag Vicente Fox and the rest of the pathetic inadequate and corrupt Mexican Government happy. Afterall why provide for your own citizens welfare when you've got a giant actually productive "legitimate" economy just to the north.

But hey, all of this could be solved with the fair tax.

Pick up a soft copy of the book today with your new Pearl Jam album. That's what I'm doing.

The way we look at the USA is a country built from illegals, all your ancestors were leaving their homelands for a piece of the pie, so why stop the mexicans now, how can Bush decide to criminalise them, and not only them but those who try to help them.....
people dont care enough as it stands, but if a law like that comes in women will be literally giving birth on the street without any man stopping to help for fear of being arrested and charged with helping illegals....
i think bush is an idiot at the best of times, but he's outdone himself this time

The way we look at the USA is a country built from illegals, all your ancestors were leaving their homelands for a piece of the pie, so why stop the mexicans now, how can Bush decide to criminalise them, and not only them but those who try to help them.....
people dont care enough as it stands, but if a law like that comes in women will be literally giving birth on the street without any man stopping to help for fear of being arrested and charged with helping illegals....
i think bush is an idiot at the best of times, but he's outdone himself this time

Sorry for double post

i would say, bullshit

this country was built on immigrants, not illegal immigrants. they were fleeing a church run govt, and wanted to start something new.

do you truly have no idea how much the illegal immigrants cost this country on a yearly basis? there is a legal way to enter this country, and gain the benefits that are afforded the benefits of living here.

heres a hint, carrying a matress on your back to put under a fence so you dont get scraped up when you crawl under it, is not the legal way to go about this

I am torn on 2 fronts. One, I know that mexico is a awful nation to live in and is a piss poor system. There is no work there and no money to be made. Mexicans overall do a vast amount of the work this nation is subjected to the way side and I have to say that the Masses of blind americans who let it happen must take some responsibility. Do I condone millions of american jobs being sorted by corporatations to illegal immagrants? Hell no. Do I believe that even in today's times immagrants should have the same chance to become an american when they have poored there heart and soul into our working class? Yes I do. What many fail to know is how difficult it is to become and legal american.

So as stated, I am torn, I don't want these people flooding our nation in it's current state of circumstances with out some sort of stricter laws and border protection but I feel those here should be give n a chance to prove them selves as amaericans and go through the process like any other american.

Shows you that they are just as desperate to to get out of their own countries as were your forefathers

Illegals cost every country extra every year not just america - dont you think, considering your history - you should have a little bit more empathy for these people that are apparently shoveling up YOUR shit?

i have no empathy, none. you want to come here, you do it the legal way

absolutely i've been on holidays to the usa and canada several times.... but no thanx to working there, i would never get the wages there that i get here with the celtic tiger and all
Much better way of life here also, mexico must be really BAD if they stow away to the states like that

and you are welcome to your opinion on the states while living in ireland, no matter how wrong it is

I love the states, i think the people are really friendly and there is so much to see and do, in fact i'm planning on going to las vegas next easter - should be FUN