More than 50,000 immigration supporters from across the country got together with friends, family and neighbors Nov. 18 to hear Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) lay out the strategy for winning reform on a telephonic briefing, according to Center for Community Change.
The call came just days after Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano reiterated the president’s commitment to passing comprehensive immigration reform in early 2010, showing support for reform is strong and growing, advocates claim.
People were able to join the call individually or from the nearly 900 house parties held across the country. The large number of house parties is remarkable considering last week a major anti-immigration group could only rile up its base for 53 events, sponsors bragged in a press release.
The “major anti-immigration group,” Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, saw the house parties a little differently.
“Congressman Luis Gutierrez is claiming his big phone conference Wednesday night is a success that gathered 60,000 people on the call,” ALIPAC says in a fund-raising pitch. “This is a very interesting projection considering that we listened in on the English language version of the call and they proclaimed only 16,000 people were on the line.”
The email also reminds readers Gutierrez promised his supporters he would file he would an amnesty bill by the end of October, then it was November, now he says December. Also, ALIPAC says, 44,000 of the Families, Freedom and Faith: A Call to Action for Immigration Reform conference call participants spoke with this member of Congress in Spanish.
“If accurate, we can honestly say that Luis Gutierrez is building a political army that includes many illegal aliens because legal immigrants are required to have some limited proficiency in English,” ALIPAC said.
No independent organizations verified the number of people at the tea parties or on the conference call.
The way William Gheen, president of ALIPAC, tells it, the none too successful anti-immigration tea parties may bankrupt his organization. Gheen has been sending emergency fundraising messages in an attempt to raise $9,000 by Nov. 30 in order to keep the doors open. “Anything less and we will not be able to continue our mission into 2010,” he says in an email pitch.
Between pitches on Nov. 18 and Nov. 20, the group apparently raised $16,000. You can pledge via the web.
Comments
Sure, anyone can say 900 party houses and 60,000 listeners, but where's the proof? And while the pro-illegal party is busy dogging on ALIPAC, the rest of the anti-illegal American citizens are busy burning up the phones lines of the Senate. Broad amnesty for ILLEGAL aliens? Not in my lifetime. I'll give my life, if needed, to prevent it from happening and I'm not alone.
Please look up the difference between illegal and legal migration. Most Americans who are against ILLEGAL immigration, stand by legal immigrants. You know, the ones who did things the right way and don't act like the US should be giving them something after they broke our immigration laws. And most Americans really do know the difference, something the pro-illegal camps should take heed of.
Racist April. It will happen no matter how many calls you make. No one cares about your lazy hillbilly life. Your forefathers came to this country illegally killing thousands of Indians. Don't be a pimple on my ass. Welcome others, after all they are doing more for this economy than you are. This country was built on the backs of the illegals while the hillbillies took credit.
I'm racist because I called this article on it's crap? Are you so sure I'm a hillbilly? And considering how you used the word, I'm guessing you don't know the history of true hillbillies anymore than you know what illegal means. Considering my forefathers include my full blooded Cherokee great-great grandmother, who happened to survive the Trail of Tears, and immigrants much further back (think 1582) who never raised a hand against the natives, I think I'll call you on statements.
This current crop of illegal aliens is costing the US a hell of a lot more in benefits than they'll ever pay into taxes. Instead of running your mouth, go into the sanctuary communities and see for yourself. Being educated is one step closer to being smarter.
I'm confused about something. The writer of this article says that ALIPAC is an "anti-immigration" group. But ALIPAC stands for "Americans For Legal Immigration". This would suggest that ALIPAC is in favor of immigration, not against. Am I overlooking anything?
Robert, you are missing something: quotation marks. The article quotes Reform Immigration for American calling ALIPAC an anti-immigration group.
Andy, here is the quote from the article: "The “major anti-immigration group,” Americans for Legal Immigration PAC, saw the house parties a little differently."
No where in the article do I see the group Reform Immigration for American named. The only time I see it is when you mention it in your comments. To expect a reader to know that you mean another group has supplied the words, and not yourself, when you don't credit it is bad journalism.
You go April. Keep this place straight. However, I would like to remind all anti-immigrants that we have a problem on our hands. We cannot just deport 12M illegals. They will need to stay in this country in some form or other. A sensible reform while closing the border is what is needed. For every anti-immigrant comment there can be 10 pro-immigrant comments and vice versa ofcourse.
April, you will give your life to stop an immigration reform bill which will inevitable contain a form of amnesty. Why not go and serve in the armed forces? It is a better expenditure of your energy. You are being extreme and quite idiotic. I assume you are one of those redneck "hillbilly" Teabaggers.
ALIPAC agenda is anti-immigration. They cover their intentions with a fancy name! Hope the close down!
Why is it that the pro-amnesty camp always resorts to name calling and violence? Can't you think of anything more productive to do? While y'all are busy thinking up non-original names to call us and marching with your foreign land flags, the folks backing anti-amnesty are strategizing and flexing voting power. Amnesty again? Not in my life time.
Tom1, this is where we disagree. I do believe that the 12-25 million illegal aliens in the US can leave. I don't think we need to deport them, but we do need to cut off their employment. We need to go after the employers who illegally hire illegal aliens. We need to make E-verify mandatory for all employers. With the country in such a deep recession, we're all ready starting to see some illegal aliens returning to their home countries. We continue to put pressure on the broken employer-employee system and they'll self deport.
Unless you are 105 yro on your death bed, April, I guarantee an immig reform bill will pass in your lifetime. Party line votes are a minimum. But note there are more reps. and senators who are bipartisan on the immigration issue than they are on the healthcare issue!
You are the same racist bigots who were against the desegregation of schools, civil liberties in the 60s. This is nothing new and not name calling just saying it as we see it. Have you seen and heard the Teabaggers? If they are not some inbred racists bastards I don't know what they are.
By mid 2010 there will be one form of sensible immig reform or another signed in to law. Rest assured of that no matter how much you fight against it. If you are completely devastated I will willingly take you out to dinner to console you.
By the way, I am a white Republican. Sorry to disappoint you.
Simple economics everyone. The economic push and pull will sustain a relevant amount of illegals in our system at all time. Maybe we can get rid of some but nowhere close to the amount that will satisfy either you or I. I don't know if you guys read of the Irish, Chinese, Japanese saga, all let in "legally" for economic needs (pull). They couldn't jump a fence and hence were brought in. But a similar need exists and the Mexicans are just filling that need here by jumping the fence. Furthermore Mexico is poor.
If the employers had to pay market wages for the jobs illegals do soon all of you will be leaving America for a reasonable life elsewhere! You would not be buying lettuce for $20 a head!
We have always traded human labor. From the days of slavery to now. Don't expect it to change soon.
Hey, James, wow, that must be one hell of a crystal ball you got there. You know that I'm not only a racist, but also against desegregation of schools and the civil liberties marches of the 60s? Would you please show me where I've brought race into the conversation? You can't because I haven't. I'm against amnesty for illegal aliens who broke our immigration laws and reside here illegally, regardless of their race. Get your facts straight and I will gladly debate this with you.
I don't believe that there will be any kind of amnesty in 2010. I don't think Congress or Senate have the votes for it. Time will tell, but I'll keep up my end of the fight against amnesty.
For the record a I'm Scotch-Irish-Cherokee female, registered Democrat, middle class, 100% American and I still think that illegal aliens don't belong in my country.
"Illegal aliens are not immigrants, they are foreign intruders.
Amnesty for illegal aliens discriminates based on national origin, it benefits 30 Latin American for every since Asian, African, or European who benefits".
Jean Baptiste Truong
Executive Director
Immigrant Rights Foundation
www.immigrantrightsfoundation.org
Seems these real (lawful) immigrants were not invited to the party, apparently it was mostly Hispanic illegal aliens invited. A partly led by apparent Tan Klan Grand Poobah and flaming racist Luis Gutierrez.
Hahahaha. You all are crazy! April, I think what James was trying to say was that all anti-illegal immigrant supporters are racists and have a propensity to be the bigoted kind.
Unfortunately this has also been my experience. For some reason if one is anti-amnesty they are more likely to be a racist, anti-gay, anti-desegregation of schools and the anti-civil liberties type.
I don't think you are one but I wouldn't bet my money on that though!
H.K.
So you think people who want equal opportunity immigration instead of a 30 to 1 advantage for one race over all other races, are racist? No you and all illegal alien supporters are the racists.
You are the same racists who supported slavery, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and started the KKK. Look up Robert Byrd. Now his racism leadership has be passed to Luis Gutierrez and Robert Menendez. Speaking of segregated schools, principal of the Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter School, Marcos Aguilar, has said he believes in racial segregation and sees his school as part of a larger cultural "struggle." Then there is the Mexica Movement, who thinks all non-brown people should leave this Continent. Both of these groups support illegal immigration same as you.
Vinh Le, come on, why are you so bitter? Relax or go back to Vietnam! hahahahahaha Do I sound like a bigot here?
No one really supports illegal immigration. Although these 12M Mexicans are illegal we need to do something about them-- probably keep them here. There is a resource here for all of us to extract.
Anyway, too much has been said about this already. We both know the pros and cons. Nothing new. Let's rather talk about beautiful women.
Examiner reader,
Heck yes you sound like a bigot. You haven't heard all the "pros and cons". Speaking of beautiful women, what about my sister who died in Vietnam during the long wait for her green card, a long wait created by past amnesties for illegal aliens?
She died because of poor Communist health care, if she had instead been in the USA she would be alive today. There are thousands of cases like this every year. But no, you and the US Government prefer Latino immigrants, you care nothing about the thousands of legal immigrants who die every year while waiting for their green card.
If as you say "no one really supports illegal immigration", mandatory e-verify would have been passed 10 years ago along with an appropriate increase in legal immigration, and those 12 million Mexican illegal aliens would not even be in the USA. Seems to me quite a few very powerful and influential people do support it, and those same people still support it today.
gheen is a goon! Go on alipac.us and see their posts. They go on tirades against hispanics. Any time a latino commits a crime, they post his picture. They get confused. They think all latinos are illegal immigrants and all of them commit crimes.
They should go to the metro section of any major newspaper and see all the non latino names of criminals committing crimes. BTK and Gacy were both over-weight middle aged white guys, like Gheen. Does that make Gheen a serial killer?
alipac should be closed down.
btw, april is one of the long time members of alicrap.
she has kkk embedded on her forhead.
Here are the powerful groups and people who did and still support illegal immigration:
George Soros, Ford Foundation, US Chamber of Commerce, Democratic National Committee, Teresa Kerry, Rockefeller Foundation, Republican National Committee, Bank of America, General Motors, the list goes on.
They fund racist illegal alien advocacy groups like La Raza, and/or they fund political campaigns and later lobby those politicians to allow illegal immigration.
There are millions of people around the world who would like to immigrate to the US but are not ever given the chance, because just like you these racist pro-illegal alien groups want Latinos instead.
like i said, go on alicraps website today. they have two separate threads showing the names of two separate latino guys who committed a crime.
What are we supposed to conclude from that? That all latinos are criminals? that all are illeeegals???
That is how misguided, racist, xenophobic, restrictionist the ole boys at alicrap are.
Vinh Le,
Are you for real? Is that your name? Are you a Vietnamese immigrant? Asian-American? If you are, then you would KNOW that Asian American groups partner with PRO Immigration Reform groups.
www.asianamerican.net/organizations.html
If you are for real, you would know this and about these groups and about these partnerships.
AP,
ALIPAC doesn't post stories about "Hispanic" criminals, they post stories about illegal alien criminals. Since "Hispanics" comprise 80% of illegal aliens like the US government desires, the chances are pretty high an illegal alien criminal is going to be "Hispanic". ALIPAC also posts stories about non-Hispanic illegal alien criminals, but since the US government allows very few non-Hispanic illegal aliens, those stories are few and far between.
Civil Rights leader and black Congresswoman Barbara Jordan headed the US Immigration Reform Commission, they recommended the immigration laws be enforced and legal immigration reduced to sustainable levels, ALIPAC has exactly the same positions.
So it seems you are saying Barbara Jordan also had KKK embedded on her forehead.
Johnson,
Wrong. Two threads on Alicrap:
1. NC: Amber Alert ends
article about a man with a hispanic last name who may be the perp. Nothing about illegal. The only reference, hispanic last name. Why on earth would they post this except to the hispanic surname reference?
2. In the same thread,
"there is an amber alert for texas for a 14 year old hispanic girl.apparently taken by an 18 year old boyfriend. heading to mexico"
The actual news article says NOTHING about "illeegal" or "mexico", only Hispanic female and male.
3. Man wanted in Greensboro sex abuse case.
A latino name. Nothing about Mexico in the article. Nothing about "illeegal" status.
We have 50M American Latino citizens in the US. alicrap continualy confuses latino for illeegal, casting a broad brush that if One Latino commits a crime, ALL Latinos are criminals, ALL are bad, THAT is WRONG. I just proved YOU and Alicrap WRONG in these 3 examples.
So it seems, Johnson, you are talking out of yours.
American Patriot?
Yes I am for real. There are thousands more like me at the Immigrant Rights Foundation, www.immigrantrightsfoundation.org.
Yes I know about the Asian groups supporting amnesty, these groups have been bought off by the rich, powerful pro illegal alien groups I listed below. Also immigration is only a small portion of what these groups do, they also do lots of civil rights and other work for American citizens of Asian descent, and they don't want to loose all the funding they receive for other issues over what to them is the minor issue of illegal aliens.
IRF on the other hand ONLY deals with immigration, it's members are legal immigrants and their supporters. The IRF is not beholden to any pro-illegal alien deep pockets foundation like the other Asian groups you mention are.
Johnson,
You definitely have problems with math and analogies.
We have 300M citizens in the US.
50M of them are Latino.
Because one person commits a crime and he happens to have a Hispanic last name DOES NOT mean that all Latinos committed that crime. It just means one person committed the crime.
Regarding "illegal immigrants", they have a much lower felonious criminal rate than citizens. The reason most are incarcerated are for immigration issues.
Vinh Le,
You certainly are judgemental about other Humanitarian Groups.
What country are you from? Vietnam?
Let's review the immigration policy. Let's discuss this.
Do not be afraid.
Instead Seek 1st to Understand then to be Understood.
Johnson,
I love how racist hate groups like VDare and alicrap take Barbara Jordan's words out of context. She certainly would NOT be on YOUR side today!! Jordan did, in fact, chastise exploitive employers, but she was also a humanitarian, seeking humane was to correct the current broken immigration policies.
American Patriot?
I am not as judgemental about other Asian groups as I am the multi-billion dollar foundations and corporations who fund them. As the saying goes "follow the money". These foundations and corporations are the ones who support and implemented a highly racially biased immigration policy. I think you should ask them why.
If you want to as you put it "understand" that is.
Would America be better off if after stealing the country from the Indians we had closed the doors and kept it to ourselves?
Speaking of racists, Vinh Le why do you sound so bitter and are you still a Commi?
American Patriot?
I am not as judgemental about other Asian groups as I am the multi-billion dollar foundations and corporations who fund them. As the saying goes "follow the money". These foundations and corporations are the ones who support and implemented a highly racially biased immigration policy. I think you should ask them why.
If you want to as you put it "understand" that is.
Hey Bigot,
Nobody is talking about keeping non-Americans out except you.
Did black Americans who struggled for equal opportunity in the 1960's sound bitter to you?
I fought against the Communists in Vietnam, that's why I am now here in the USA. The US only let in non-Communists until around 1990 when the Soviet Union collapsed, now the US allows Communist immigrants.
How about you Bigot, are you a Communist?
Hey Bigot,
Nobody is talking about keeping non-Americans out except you.
Did black Americans who struggled for equal opportunity in the 1960's sound bitter to you?
I fought against the Communists in Vietnam, that's why I am now here in the USA. The US only let in non-Communists until around 1990 when the Soviet Union collapsed, now the US allows Communist immigrants.
How about you Bigot, are you a Communist?
OK enough of this BS talk from all you people. No one wants to hear a Commi argue with a bigot, with an idiot girl who is willing to lay her life down against illegals, with a racist, etc., etc.
If you have solutions other than what is already known then speak, else go back to your mommy's basement and play dungeon and dragons with your other loser nerd friends.
Hey Bigot,
Nobody is talking about keeping non-Americans out except you.
Did black Americans who struggled for equal opportunity in the 1960's sound bitter to you?
I fought against the Communists in Vietnam, that's why I am now here in the USA. The US only let in non-Communists until around 1990 when the Soviet Union collapsed, now the US allows Communist immigrants.
How about you Bigot, are you a Communist?
I suspected you were Vietnamese. One of my nieghbors was from Vietnam and has a similar name. You are missing much of the point, given your status and how easy it was for you to immigrate here. You were granted asylum.
It is not that simple to legally immigrate here from south of the border. You have to have a sponsor and/or pay significant penalties / fees and wait up to 20 years for legal status. Additionally, those attempting to clear their issues in immigration courts are stuck. There are vast shortages of immigration judges and long, long (years long) delays before cases are heard. In the meantime you are subject to racial profiling, detention centers and ICE Raids. The broken policies have to be fixed.
Hey Bigot,
Nobody is talking about keeping non-Americans out except you.
Did black Americans who struggled for equal opportunity in the 1960's sound bitter to you?
I fought against the Communists in Vietnam, that's why I am now here in the USA. The US only let in non-Communists until around 1990 when the Soviet Union collapsed, now the US allows Communist immigrants.
How about you Bigot, are you a Communist?
Sorry about the multiple posts, I don't know how that happened.
American Patriot?
You call six years being shot at by Communists, 10 years in a Communist forced labor camp, escaping 500 miles across the ocean after three attempts in a small boat without a compass, and four years in an Asian refugee camp easy? When I was released from the camp I didn't even know what year it was, and had lost 20 pounds. If that's easy I want to know what hard is.
American Patriot?
Mexicans already comprise 30% of legal immigrants, or ten times their percentage of the world population. Seems those "south of the border" have very preferential treatment compared to those across the oceans.
The 20 year wait is for fourth category family immigrants (siblings), the wait is so long because of all the past illegal aliens given amnesty have clogged up the system, before the 1986 amnesty the longest wait was 5 years, most entered in less than one year. Now those waiting times have more than tripled mainly due to past illegal alien amnesties.
90% of those in immigration courts are illegal aliens trying to legalize their status through bogus asylum or marraige claims.
It seems you feel anyone who wants to immigrate to America should be given a green card, no conditions and no limits, is that right?
American Patriot?
Mexicans already comprise 30% of legal immigrants, or ten times their percentage of the world population. Seems those "south of the border" have very preferential treatment compared to those across the oceans.
The 20 year wait is for fourth category family immigrants (siblings), the wait is so long because of all the past illegal aliens given amnesty have clogged up the system, before the 1986 amnesty the longest wait was 5 years, most entered in less than one year. Now those waiting times have more than tripled mainly due to past illegal alien amnesties.
90% of those in immigration courts are illegal aliens trying to legalize their status through bogus asylum or marraige claims.
It seems you feel anyone who wants to immigrate to America should be given a green card, no conditions and no limits, is that right?
Vinh Le, why are you whining like a little girl about your hardships in leaving communism behind? You are not the only one who is/was distressed in a harsh land. Vietnam is not as bad as many of the other countries say in Africa. At least you successfully left, many are dieing everyday in other parts of the world and has no chance in hell of coming to America, legally or illegally. Stop whining and be happy.
Mexicans die in hoards while crossing the boarder albeit illegally. If Vietnam was where Mexico is your ass would be jumping the fence just like the Mexicans are.
So shut up and go away. No one likes to hear an ex-commi whine all day on a post meant to discuss immigration reform.
Defender,
You are a major pussy and a liar, 100 times more Vietnamese boat people like me died than Mexicans do jumping the border. I was lucky to survive. Thousands of other boat people who survived experienced starvation and rape.
When Vietnam was under strict Communist rule it was as bad as any place in Africa today, millions of Vietnamese died from Communist oppression but your press covered it up since most of them supported the Communist takeover.
As a member of the IRF I support refugees like you speak of immigrating to the US instead of the 20 million Latino economic opportunists, that is why those refugees have no chance, the US Government prefers Latino economic opportunists instead.
If Mexico was populated by Vietnamese instead of Mexicans and it had a nominally Democratic government like Mexico has and which is the only type the US would allow, American illegal aliens would be breaking into Viet-Mexico. For example, look at all the American illegal aliens in Ca
You know Defender,
You would not have survived what I went through, after 1973 there were still some US prisoners in North Vietnam, I saw some of them later when I was in the forced labor camps. You don't know about them because none of them survived. You are just a hateful, bigotted, wuss.
As for our potential in a free country, the per-capita income of Vietnamese-Americans is higher than that of white Americans, and second only to Chinese-Americans and Jewish-Americans. Maybe that's why you hate me.
VL- I am a MM supporter, I agree with her assertions. Caucasians are the white-skinned peoples of Europe, not the mixed mongrels of India, Pak, or Afgh. If you care to go or otherwise search, all 1st World countries are under assault of the BankingElite, using 3rd worlders as the weapon to degrade and ruin.
MMRA,
You have let the Banking Elite controlled media brainwash you into limited thinking. The people of India and South Asia are just like Europeans except they have darker skin and hair, a result of living close to the hot, sunny Equator. I think you need to look up Caucus Mountains on a map and see where it is, that is where the term Caucasian came from, the inhabitants of this region which is in Eastern Asia.
I agree the Banking Elite is assaulting the First World, but not all First Worlder's are Caucasian, and not all Third Worlder's are non-Caucasian.
Vinh, you are why many here don't like immigrants. You seem to come here, enjoy what we have to give and have a condescending tone about you.
We should send your Communist skinny ass back to Vietnam and let them put you in your place. Respect the citizens or leave. This is not your country no matter what your papers say!
VL-Thanks for answering,I have woken myself up. Peoples of the places you mentioned are NOT Caucasian any more than you are. A White person (EUROPEAN) is of a pure race as are africans and orientals, others are mongrels, regardless of location of caucus mtns on your map. Btw, you should learn about inborn differences, as most people do not consume human fetus(abortion) like orientals do as sex-aid.
MMRA,
That was funny! Hahahahaha
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