Tag: ICE

A New March on Washington

admin /
supporters of immigration reform
supporters of immigration reform

This Sunday March 21st millions of protestors, the majority Latinos, will march in Washington DC to tell President Obama and Congress to finally make the changes in immigration reform that they were promised. The march will start at 2:00pm which is coincidently the same time that the House of Representatives will vote on the health care reform bill.

The protestors of the march are not just from the Latino community but many immigrants from different countries who feel that immigration reform needs to happen now and fast. However, a good portion of the protestors are documented children of undocumented citizens who are fighting for the rights for their parents to stay in the United States. With the increase in ICE raids and deportations in the United States many parents are taken from their families.

An article on Univision.com discussed the story of two brothers, Cecia and Ronald Sosa, whose mother was deported in January of 2008 and has yet been able to return to the United States.  Cecia states,

“We are going to ask the President to stop the raids and that my mother can return to our side.”

Supporters for immigration reform have been asking for action since the arrival of the Obama administration in 2009 but have yet to see any significant action take place. When asked about the issue of immigration reform President Obama has said that he needs Republican support in regards to bi-partisanship support for the bill.

Though there seems to be barriers to the immigration reform I believe that this march will show not only Congress but the rest of the American people how important and vital reform in immigration is and the magnitude of people it would affect in the United States.

To listen to an interview with Furman student Luis Gonzales on the immigration rally click here

For photos from my interview with Luis Gonzales and immigration rallies click here

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers

admin /
ICE raid rumors at wal-mart
ICE raid rumors at wal-mart

Imagine receiving a text message on your cell phone stating that you could not go to the store because as soon as you stepped through the doors you would be arrested and taken away. Well this scenario became a reality for millions of Latinos around the United States.

In the beginning of March millions of Latinos received a text message stating that Wal-Mart was working with ICE agents to stage immigration raids in the stores. However Wal-Mart has denounced such rumors and sent out a statement saying:

“The rumors circulating via text message, and other means, about Wal-Mart coordinating or supporting immigration raids in our stores are not true. These rumors are baseless and inaccurate.”

The text messages were received in Georgia, South Carolina, and New Jersey. All of which have a high concentration of Latino immigrants.  Though the text messages were seen as a hoax their implications still put fear into those in the Latino community, which make up a large portion of Wal-Mart shoppers.

Recently it was commented on the news forums of Univision.com, by a person with the initials J.A.S.G., that two days after receiving the text message he went to Wal-Mart and saw ICE agents asking everyone for their papers but this was not confirmed.

Some say that the cause of the text messages was the push by the Georgia Latino   Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) to boycott Wal-Mart stores starting March 21st to urge the corporation to support immigration reform.  It is thought that it was someone from this organization who sent the text message.

No matter who sent the message I believe that it is counterproductive to the cause of immigration reform when people start to throw false accusation and cause unnecessary panic among a people who are already under the stress of waiting on the outcome of immigration reform.