Area Hispanics to join immigration reform job walkout

National May 1 event draws local support

By: David Campbell
   Hispanic workers in the Princeton area plan to take part in a nationwide daylong job walkout planned for May 1 to support U.S. immigration reform that would create a guest-worker program and citizenship opportunities for undocumented aliens.
   In New Jersey, the daylong protest is being organized by Hispanic community and union organizations across the state to show support for immigrant families and illustrate the great extent to which the economy depends upon the work and services they provide, said Elena De Jesus, a caseworker with Mercer County Hispanic Association.
   "We are supporting the employees, the immigrant people who are trying to survive here," Ms. De Jesus said. "We are trying to show the president and legislators that we are big in the United States. We are the largest immigration group in the U.S. — and they have to do something about it."
   The caseworker confirmed that Hispanic workers and employers in Mercer County plan to take part in or support the May 1 boycott, which is being planned following a mass rally last month that drew an estimated 500,000 immigration advocates to downtown Los Angeles calling for reform legislation in Congress.
   A compromise bill now stalled in the Senate — based on earlier legislation sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) — would create citizenship opportunities for undocumented aliens and a guest-worker program.
   Princeton immigration lawyer Ryan Stark Lilienthal said the May 1 protest is being planned nationwide, with boycotts expected in Chicago and Los Angeles. Unless the Senate moves soon on the compromise legislation, he noted, it will die until the next congressional session is convened following the November elections.
   "They value the opportunity to be in the United States, and they also feel they bring value to the United States," Mr. Lilienthal said of immigrant reform supporters. "The May 1 event, from my perspective, is an expression of that sentiment."
   There are an estimated 12 million undocumented aliens in the United States. Princeton is home to a large immigrant Hispanic population who work in businesses locally and in the surrounding region.
   Guadalupe Gonzalez, 23, a baker at The Whole Earth Center natural foods grocery on Nassau Street, said she will take part in the May 1 strike, to support family and friends who live and work locally but don’t have legal status.
   She said she knows of at least two dozen people from the Princeton-area Hispanic community who also plan to participate.
   "I have so much family that don’t have any legal papers here, and also friends, and I think it’s very important to support them," said Ms. Gonzalez, a native of Mexico who has legal resident status. "We, as immigrants, we really do have an impact on the economy and country."
   She said the one-day protest is also meant to show what "a day without immigrants would be like" in the workplace.
   Maria Juega, chairwoman of the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said LALDEF is focusing its efforts primarily on political advocacy with elected representatives. She described May 1 as a grassroots "call to action" by the immigrant community that will also involve boycotts of consumer activities like shopping in stores.
   "Clearly, the intention is to show the impact of the immigrants on the national economy," Ms. Juega said. "This is an issue that is clearly urgent and vital for the economy. We need some action. A major effort needs to be made to reach a compromise and pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill."