Hispanic Groups Vow Protests In 60 US Cities GG2.NET NEWS [08/04/2006]
US HISPANIC groups demanded an amnesty for illegal immigrants and planned a nation-wide day of protests, as a much-touted compromise immigration bill stalled in the Senate.
The groups, which are organizing a wave of protests in 60 US cities on Monday in a bid to halt plans to expel illegal immigrants, reacted after the compromise law that would have allowed millions of undocumented workers to normalize their status in the United States failed to pass in the Senate.
But Latino leaders said that even the compromise bill that deadlocked in the Senate was inadequate.
"We do not want half measures, we demand an amnesty, the immediate and unconditional legalization of the 12 million undocumented workers who work in this country," said Nativo Lopez, president of the influential Mexican American Political Association (MAPA).
Lopez and the head of the March 25 Coalition, Javier Rodriguez, staged one of the largest protests in recent US history on March 25 when they assembled a crowd of at least 500,000 people in Los Angeles to protest the proposed crackdown on illegal immigrants.
They plan to step up their fight on Monday with a rash of fresh demonstrations across the United States, which is home to around 33 million people of Hispanic origin.
Many US Hispanics feel personally targeted by much tougher legislation already passed in the House of Representatives that would kick out illegal workers, a move that would split many families.