Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Activists Bring Immigration Debate To Life To Chicago

There are more than 1,600 miles separating Chicago from the state of Arizona, but the controversial immigration law passed there has resonated throughout the country--and Chicago's vast Hispanic community has sprung into action.

Earlier this week, more than 30 protesters were arrested in suburban Broadview when they blocked a van taking deportees to O'Hare Airport while chanting, "Illinois is not Arizona" and "No deportations today."

On Thursday, an estimated 100 protesters gathered outside the Chicago Cubs/Arizona Diamondbacks game at Wrigley Field, condemning the state of Arizona and the Diamondbacks for the "racist" new law.

"Arizona has legalized racial profiling. I cannot in good conscience go into this game," Paul D'Amato told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter outside the ballpark. He then ripped the ticket he'd bought to see the Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks into pieces.

The Arizona law would allow police who suspect someone is an illegal immigrant to ask them for papers showing they are in the U.S. legally.

Perhaps the most outspoken opponent of the new law in Chicago is Congressman Luis Gutierrez. Gutierrez has been pushing for immigration reform throughout his career, and has slammed everyone from state Democrats (most recently Governor Pat Quinn) to President Barack Obama on the issue. This week, he accused Quinn of appointing a disproportionately small share of Hispanics in state government. He has also ripped the president for inaction on immigration reform.

On Saturday, the congressman will attend a protest over immigration reform at the White House, where he is expected to be arrested...again. The Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports:

Gutierrez -- arrested twice in 2001 protesting the Navy's use of the island of Vieques for bombing practice -- will take part in civil disobedience "to keep the pressure up on President Obama and the leaders of the Democratic party," said Gutierrez spokesman Doug Rivlin.

Aside from expressing anger over the Arizona law, the focus among many Chicago activists has turned to "coming out" as illegal immigrants, and no longer living in fear. Chicago Public Radio reported on the renewed energy of immigration activists in Chicago. They featured one student who grew up in Chicago all her life--and announced her status in front of TV cameras:

"My name is Reyna and I am undocumented...I will not hide any longer. I will come out of the shadows. I'm a human being. I deserve to be happy."

Though the president himself has said comprehensive immigration reform won't happen in 2010, Rep. Gutierrez remains undaunted. Speaking on the National Mall last month, he shouted:

"I want comprehensive immigration reform. I want justice. And I want it now."

Comments

[spytheweb]

05:04 AM on 05/15/2010

This is only the start. Many states will have this type of law on the books. They are jumping on AZ now but what's going to happen when the country is united against illegals? When all 50 states say, are you legal? They just have to go home.

[RockyMissouri]

10:50 PM on 05/02/2010

Isn't life hard enough without punishing someone who just wants to work and live and contribute?

[Humanrights11]

09:40 PM on 05/01/2010

R@cist:
Brewer: "I do not know what an illegal alien looks like."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJrcVvfv26Q&feature=related

[maxtruthful]

10:53 PM on 04/30/2010

Why not just open the border fully for all illegals & make the USA just like Mexico.
If this were to happen, the Mexicans would leave.
Problem solved.

[cincinnati]

06:24 PM on 04/30/2010

Cong. Gutierrez I think sometimes goes overboard for illegals, perhaps there are many in his Chicago district. I support Dem's but we have to find a middle path, a path that respects the
honor and benefits of US citizenship. Illegals can work their way towards it, with a significant
penalty that can be paid over years. To allow them to simply get citizenship without any
penalty for breaking our laws is not fair to Americans or those who came here legally.

[Skool Boiz dot com]

05:56 PM on 04/30/2010

Arizona Says Adios to E.T.
http://thesattirenews.blogspot.com/2010/04/arizona-says-adios-to-et.html?spref=gr#close=1

[Emma2011]

03:18 PM on 04/30/2010

Obama ignores the plight of the immigrants. What can they do to get attention? Parts of the Hispanic Caucus could refuse to cooperate until Obama makes immigration reform a priority and the Hispanic electorate could stay home in November, because after November, immigration reform will be dead until after 2012, so they might as well let the chips fall where they may.

[cincinnati]

06:25 PM on 04/30/2010

Oh that is either right wing trash talk or someone who might as well be part of that thinking. Ignores, seriously, no way !

[Aldyth]

03:05 PM on 04/30/2010

Congressional oath of office: "I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Where does it say that this oath doesn't apply to dealing with illegal aliens and other criminals - that's right. Illegal means criminal.

[JazzyJim]

02:24 PM on 04/30/2010

I wonder how many Latinos on the AZ roster. How embarrassing.

[dloon5]

01:49 PM on 04/30/2010

What part of ILLEGAL do these people not understand? What happens if someone gets caught in Mexico and they are undocumented? Pretty sure you serve a couple of years in jail... It has nothing to do with racism... It has to do with people who are leaches on a system which is already in peril...

[JazzyJim]

02:25 PM on 04/30/2010

You don't invite the gestapo in to help with your problem. It's that simple.

[cold press corn oil]

12:52 PM on 04/30/2010

c'mon as a liberal, let's have some common sense. as a human, I empathize with the plight of illegals. however as a realist, unskilled illegal immigrants affect the job prospects of native unskilled workers (whether white, black or hispanic).

and as someone who believes in fairness, it is unfair that hundreds of thousands of want-to-immigrants play by the rules and participate in the US visa lottery/don't overstay their visa/etc. while illegal immigrants (whether from Mexico, Poland or China) get a free pass.

The only way to address illegal immigrants is to step up workplace enforcement but that's not going to happen. Small business likes cheap labor.

[cincinnati]

06:30 PM on 04/30/2010

A doc film, Food Inc., was just on PBS. Besides a ton of other interesting stuff it showed how meat packing factories routinely hire illegals as the work is so hard and the pay relatively low.

In North Carolina they showed a large plant with maybe 1-200 illegals, yet it is not raided, because of connections, maybe pay offs, with local officials, maybe even the Feds. Yet the illegals were raided in their homes, taking maybe 10-30 a week; this was pretty ugly of course, busting in doors, with sometimes kids there to see this. So it was understood that only enough would be caught each week that could be replaced by new people at the plant. These companies are the ones that should be raided and heavily fined.

[lungfish]

12:24 PM on 04/30/2010

The only debate is whether illegal immigrants that game the system, jump the borders, use stolen IDs and the people who employ them deserve to be legal... and they do not.

Since they are all bunched together, we should see INS and some buses shortly, if nobody is above the law as Obama claims...