The burgeoning immigration movement remains divided on whether to boycott and strike Monday, but its leaders insisted their goal remains the same: making the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States legal.
Organizers of the April 10 March on the Washington Mall are opposed to a boycott and argue that Congress should have a chance to respond to the massive turnouts before such drastic measures are taken. The call for the May 1 boycott has been more forceful in the West, where the federal government is struggling to fix the immigration system. California immigrant leaders cameto D.C. to make their voices heard.
“The May 1 boycott is on,” said Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of Latino Movement USA, of Los Angeles. “No work, no school, no selling, no buying.”
Instead of boycotting, local immigrant leaders are organizing gatherings around the District, Maryland and Virginia on Monday afternoon to demonstrate support for immigration reform, to register supporters to vote and to gather signatures to petition Congress. At 8:15 p.m., they ask supporters to light a candle and wave a flag as a sign of support, then take a photo and send it to Congress.
Even those opposed to a May 1 boycott, like Maryland Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, admit they have long dreamed of “a day without immigrants” that would demonstrate how much they contribute to the nation.
“But we have to keep the eye on the prize,” Gutierrez said. “And that’s on Capitol Hill, where Congress is going to make decisions that will change the lives of millions.”
She and other Hispanic elected officials in the Metro area said employees who can afford to take off Monday should take a vacation day, and they urged that everyone to avoid spending and unnecessary consumption. But they worried that workers might lose their jobs or be torn from their families if they take part and get arrested.
But Raul Murillo, president of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, of Los Angeles, said immigrants who left their countries to take jobs that others won’t do risk their lives every day and won’t be afraid of skipping work.
Jamie Contreras, president of the National Capital Immigration Coalition, opposed the May 1 boycott but welcomed its leaders to Washington.
“This is America the beautiful,” Contreras said. “People have the right to go around the country and voice their opinions, and that’s why we love America.”
Behind the boycott
» Boycott leaders estimate 1 million participants across the U.S.
» There were about 500,000 immigrants in the Metro area, according to the 2000 U.S. census.
» The largest Hispanic organizations in the D.C. area oppose a boycott, but support a day of civil action.
