More than 10,000 people crowded the streets of Phoenix March 24 carrying signs reading “The Sleeping Giant Woke Up,” and “No More Deaths at the Border.”
The protest was in response to a bill that passed through the house of representatives earlier to create stricter immigration policy. In Los Angeles, more than 2,700 students walked out of high schools and middle schools to march on behalf of friends and relatives who would be affected by the bill.
According to CNN, Georgia protest organizer Teodoro Maus estimated that about 80,000 Latin workers failed to show up at work protesting a separate immigration state bill.
The recent wave of protests arose because of House Resolution 4437, which was accepted in the house of representatives and will be voted on by the Senate. The bill will make illegal presence in the United States an enforceable aggravated felony.
Still worse for those affected by the resolution, anyone offering aid or assistance to ‘illegal aliens’ would be guilty of an aggravated felony as well.
The bill also advocates the construction of 700 miles of security fencing along the U.S./Mexican border.
Specific words from HR 4437 drew considerable attention from faith-based communities. Since it criminalizes aid and assistance given to undocumented residents and their families, social service and faith-based outreach workers are likely to be affected by that portion of the bill.
Business owners employing undocumented workers could also face penalties.
In cities such as Chicago, aid workers allied with the tens of thousands of protesters against the proposed immigration reform.
U.S. school systems will also be affected by changes concerning the ability of undocumented immigrant students to continue attending school. Today’s law says that all children in the United States (regardless of legal status) under the age of 18 must attend school. It is also illegal for a public school to deny access based on immigration status.
If an amendment passed changing these policies, ETSU would certainly be affected. “This is not a problem that can simply be fixed by fences, it is an international problem that can be worked out with effort, and the U.S. must take initiative,” said Department of Communications professor Dr. Jack Mooney.
Professor Ardis Nelson of the foreign language department said we also have to keep in mind the great number of individuals whose lives the changes in law would alter, as the emotional subject is discussed.
The largest protest continued on into the weekend following the Phoenix assembly, with a gathering of over 500,000 adults and students converging in downtown Los Angeles.
Rallying cries of “America is a country founded on immigration” and “We are all illegal immigrants if you trace our heritage all the way back,” were heard. The public protests have been largely peaceful and non-violent.
There are already written bills concerning false documentation and apprehension at the border. Anyone found to contain forged documentation of U.S. citizenship is subject to up to five years in jail and fines.
Anyone caught trying to cross a border illegally can be fined from $50 to $250, as well as accompanying sentences followed by deportation.
U.S. policy concerning criminal acts by undocumented persons in the country usually mandates a sentence served followed by deportation.
Although these provisions are not all-inclusive, HR 4437 would be the first bill to make it an aggravated felony carrying heavy penalties, to give aid and assistance in any way to undocumented residents.
The new anti-immigration bill also clearly states that any illegal immigrant is subject to an aggravated felony charge.
After review, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed amendments that would allow undocumented workers the opportunity to work towards legal status without first being deported, and the creation of a guest worker program that would also allow immigrants to work towards citizenship.
Another major change will call for undocumented residents to be treated as misdemeanants instead of the proposed felon charge.
Senator Dick Durbin advocated an amendment for doing away with felony charges associated with giving aid. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist proposed legislation that will be voted on as well and does not contain the same amendments.
Full Senate hearings on the issue began Wednesday, March 29, and are still underway.

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