An energetic crowd marched through the streets of San Francisco yesterday, declaring their opposition to HR4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The march, which moved from the Federal Building to Senator Diane Feinstein’s office, culminated a week of action against the bill, including numerous rallies and a hunger strike. Protestors drew attention to the bill’s dire consequences for immigrants, including the criminalization of undocumented immigrants and service providers who assist them, forcing day laborer centers to check immigration papers, and turning local law enforcement into federal immigration agents.

Estimates of those who attended the event ran as high as 2,000, with a large majority of young participants. Many youth wore bright orange armbands to show they had walked out of class in support of the event.

“I’m here to support my people,” said Nadia Mendez, a Kennedy high school student. “I’m a Mexican, these are my people, and they’re trying to kick us out for no reason.”

Her fellow Kennedy high student Evelyn Avila agreed.



“We do the same thing as everyone else – we work, we learn, we live here,” said Avila. “Everybody’s the same except for their race. So why should we be treated different?”

The event was the result of organizing by a wide variety of local immigrants rights groups, including La Raza Centro Legal, San Francisco Day Labor Program , the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition (BAIRC), Deporten a la Migra, and Mujeres Unidas y Activas. Organizers said they were acting in solidarity with the massive protests occurring across the country in the past week against HR4437, including events in Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver.



Many at the protest said the bill attacked the very people who help make the country run.

“We build your buildings, we put roofs over your heads, we clean your pools,” said Rob Rodriguez. “Then you’re going to give us a time to come in here, work, then kick us out? That’s like slavery.”

Rodriguez was referring to the controversial guest worker program, which will likely be a primary source of the debate in the U.S. Senate over the bill. HR4437 has already passed the House of Representatives.

The event included representatives from a variety of Latin American countries, with flags from Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and Ecuador all flying at the event.

“I’m very happy to see so many people here; it makes me very proud of my race,” said a day laborer who declined to be identified. “Latinos make the economy grow. We want a world without borders.”



By the end of the day, the cumulative impact of the recent nationwide protests became clear as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-6 against legislation that would criminalize undocumented immigrants and those that provide services to them. Democrats were unified against the bill, while Republicans, fearful of a Latino backlash in November, were split.

Momentum is also building for the compromise Kennedy-McCain bill that combines a guest worker program with the right of the current 12 million undocumented immigrants to become citizens in several years without having to return to their home country. With the US Chamber of Commerce joining SEIU in support of this legislation, it now may represent the best opportunity for reform this year.