TheGrandMarch
EkinadeseOkhomina,Betsy Lomeli,andLinLi
How it all started
InMarchof2006,Congress passedtheComprehensive immigrationreformAct.Inthebill, Congressaddedmoreborder patroltotheSouthernbordersof theUS;inotherwords,inMexico. Thisbillalsoallowedborder patrolstobeyondtheborder,find peopleindifferentstates,and deportthem.(109thCongress, 2006)
Thispolicywasunfairbecauseitis directlytargetingimmigrantsofcolor. Becauseofthispeopletooktothe streetsofChicagotoprotest(Glaister &MacAskill,2006).Soon,these protestsspreadacrosstheUSanda Day withoutimmigrantstookplace(Ferreet al.,2006). Itisalsogoodtokeepinmindthat“About 7.2millionillegalimmigrantsholdjobsinthe UnitedStates,makingup4.9percentofthe overalllaborforce,accordingtoarecent studybythePewHispanicCenterin Washington,D.C.”and“Undocumented workersmakeup24percentoffarmworkers andhold14percentofconstructionjobs,the studyfound.”
Despitethis factimmigrants arestillbeing targetedbythe government. Thisiswhythe formofprotest “ADaywithout Immigrants”is asimpactfulas itis.
Lateronimmigrants startedtoprotestthese absurdlawswhich impactedhowimmigrants allovertheworldwere viewed.Thereforeon March29,2006Immigrants andactivistsstartedto gainavoiceand conductedthebiggest immigrationprotest.Also, partsoftheprotest consistedofadaywithout immigrantsmeaningno school,nowork,andno shopping.(stelloh,2017)
Theprotestwasacallfor actiontoremovesome policies.“LaGranMarcha” wasn’tasuccessafterall butthesatisfactionof fightingforwhatisfair madetheimmigration protestsextraordinary. (Ferreetal.,2006).
“MayorAntonioVillaraigosacalledthe protests"verypositive"andsaid,"What's clearisthatthey'repeaceful.What's clearisthatthey'reinacelebratory mood."
Theseprotest resultedinthe Senatepassingabill,leaving consequencesthataffected immigrant communities.Overthe nextfewyears,morethan300,000 undocumentedimmigrantswere deportedbacktotheirhome countries.
“RetiredCol.AlbertF. Rodriguez,awar veteran,saidhe understandsthe contributionimmigrants havemadetotheUnited States,"butthe differenceisthatweand millionsofotherslikeus diditlegally.We'reall heretodaytotellall thoseillegalprotesters, 'Youdonotspeakfor me.'"(Ferre,Garlikov, Oppenheim,Spoerry, Keck,andWhitbeck, 2006)
Thiswas100,000moreimmigrant than weredeportedin2005,theyearbeforethe protest.U.S.immigrantsofcolorcontinue tobedeported.Thisisanissuebecause whiteimmigrantsaren'tbeingdeportedat thesamerateasimmigrantsofcolor.
“Nearlyhalfofthe2.3millionencounterson thesouthernborderresultedinexpulsions underTitle42—thepublichealthrulethat essentiallyallowsborderagentstobypass normalimmigrationproceduresandrapidly expelmigrantswithoutgivingthemachance toseekasylum.”
Whyaresomanybordersbeingadded totheUS”Southernbordersandnotthe Northernborders?
Thisislargelydueto Xenophobia.Peoplecoming infromNorthAmericaare mainlywhitepeoplefrom Canada,anotherEnglish speakingcountrywitha prettysimilarculture.Inthe USthestereotypeof Canadiansisthatthey’re toonice.
Xenophobia-dislikeorprejudiceagainst peoplefromothercountries
Howeverontheotherside,the Southernborderiscloseto countrieslikeMexico,wherethe cultureandlanguageis completelydifferent.Nativism comesintoplayaswellasalot theUS’majority(whitepeople) believethatpeopleshouldn’t “comeintotheircountry”(Engler andEngler,2006)
References
Alphabetize this list, inAPAformat, including hyperlinks if retrieved from internet:
● Comprehensive Immigration ReformAct of 2006, S. 2611, 109th Cong. (2006).https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/2611
● Ferre, I., Garlikov, L., Oppenheim, K., Spoerry, S., Keck, K. & Ｗhitbeck, H. (2006). Hundreds of thousands march for immigrant rights. CNN. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/02/immigrant.day/
● Glaister, D., MacAskill, E.(2006, May 2). US counts cost of day without immigrants.The Guardian. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/02/usa.topstories3
● Stelloh,T.(2006April 30). Tens of thousands expected in May Day protests across U.S. NBCNews.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tens-thousands-expected-may-da y-protests-across-u-s-n753066
● Kim, J. (2023, January 7). Ice arrests and deportations started to pick up in 2022, a federal report shows. NPR. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2023/01/07/1146510281/ice-deportations-report-immigr ation-2022
Image links
2 and 3.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/2611
4. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tens-thousands-expected -may-day-protests-across-u-s-n753066
5. http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/02/immigrant.day/
6. https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/immigrant-protes ts-peak/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/109th_United_States_Congress
7. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2017/07/06/trump -s-plan-for-border-patrol-ice-hiring-surges-face-timing-secur ity-obstacles/
https://depts.washington.edu/civilr/2006_immigrant_right s.htm
8. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/08/us/politics/biden-sout hern-border-immigration.html
9. http://thisisanuprising.org/2016/03/04/the-massive-immigra nts-rights-protests-of-2006-are-still-changing-politics/
(This is the back cover)