Latinos invest in immigration reform
Latino groups across the nation have been holding fund-raising events to help people get to Washington, D.C., this weekend for the big immigration reform rally. Jeff Tyler reports.
Francisco Javier Hernandez, who came to the U.S. from Zacatecas, Mexico, 35 years ago, gains U.S. citizenship. (David McNew/Staff)
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TEXT OF STORY
TESS VIGELAND: This weekend, about 100,000 activists are expected to converge on Washington D.C. to rally for reform. Health care reform? No. Financial reform? No.
Immigration reform. It's a pocketbook issue for many in the immigrant community. And, in a sense, just getting to the demonstration presents a financial hurdle. To help foot the bill for Latinos to lobby Congress, communities have held grassroots fundraisers across the country.
Marketplace's Jeff Tyler takes us to a couple of them.
Jeff Tyler: We start in northern Ohio, in Ashtabula. It's a Rust Belt town of 20,000 on Lake Erie. Here, near the border with Canada, you wouldn't necessarily expect to hear this:
[Mariachi music]
The Hispanic community makes up about 5 percent of the town's population. Two weeks ago, they held a fundraiser at a local church -- but it wasn't called a "fundraiser."
Veronica Dahlberg: It's actually a Mexican word, it's "kermesse."
That's Veronica Dahlberg, executive director of a local nonprofit Latino organization called Ola. The goal was to raise $1,200 to pay for buses to bring people to Washington.
Dahlberg: This is a perfect fundraising tool for our community, because, with the economy being so hard right now, you can't charge folks a lot of money.
Folks at this fundraiser buy tickets for about a dollar each. Then, they exchange the tickets for food -- tostadas de ceviche, tamales, enchiladas.
Dahlberg: It's kind of like a spaghetti dinner, but with Mexican food.
Angel Zavala owns a Hispanic grocery store in town; he donated ingredients for the food. For him, investing in immigration reform protects his own economic interests. He says business at his store has been slow.
Angel Zavala: Last year, we lost a lot of people, because immigration police were taking too many people and sending back to Mexico.
The kermesse is a lot like any conventional American fundraiser, though you hear a bit more Spanish. Kids played games for a dollar a pop, like throwing darts at balloons.
[Sound of balloons popping]
Like any good civic citizens anywhere, the local Hispanic businesses leaders donated prizes for a raffle.
[Person announcing name of raffle winner]
Organizers decided not to include one fundraising gimmick that had previously backfired. Veronica Dahlberg says, a woman at another event was raising money by selling fake marriage certificates.
Dahlberg: I think, adults were $2 and kids were a dollar to get married. And she would perform a little ceremony. And it was really cute, and the people were paying it.
A married man bought a marriage certificate, but not for his wife -- she learned about the fake marriage when the DJ announced it.
Dahlberg: And his wife said, "What? What is this?" And she went over and literally whacked him in the back of the head with her hand.
No one got whacked in the head at this event. And the kermesse brought in $1,500, $300 more than their goal.
Hispanic groups all over the country have been holding similar fund-raisers.
In Los Angeles, one organization gathered money by throwing a house party. Under disco lights in the backyard, people did a Texas-style line dance to a Spanish-language version of "Achy Breaky Heart."
[Spanish version of "Achy Breaky Heart."]
The cover charge for the party was $5. Margaritas cost $4. The party raised a few hundred dollars for the trip to D.C. Tony Bernabe organizes day laborers for CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. He estimates that each person needed $600 to pay for the flight, hotel and food. The organization could help, but nobody got a completely free ride.
Tony Bernabe: Sometimes, they are being helped with a donation or somebody's paying for them. But they have to put $100 to go.
Why require poor laborers to come up with $100? He says the money demonstrates commitment.
Bernabe: We have to pay for our struggle. Nothing is for free.
Bernabe won't compromise -- even for his own daughter.
Bernabe: She's saving the allowances to pay for $100. Because she has to pay $100 like any other flying to D.C. with us.
One of those flying to D.C. is 17-year old Anna Juarez. To raise money, she bought Mexican candies from the store and sold them at school.
Anna Juarez: For everything, it cost me like $25. And I was going to earn $46. But I stopped selling them.
She had plenty of customers, but she also had an ethical problem.
Juarez: I don't eat candies. So, it's like, weird, because I'm selling candies, and I don't eat them. It's unhealthy and everything, so I stopped it.
She still raised enough for the trip, with some left over, though she can't really expect any appreciation on $10 worth of lollipops flavored with chili.
In Los Angeles, I'm Jeff Tyler for Marketplace.
Comments
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From Columbus, OH, 03/20/2010
Illegal residents don't admit they have ignored the legal pathway that has been established for them. They don't deserve amnesty.
The CIR ASAP bill, "as written" would grant amnesty and bring even MORE foreign workers into the country.
I seriously doubt a national, biometric ID card will be welcomed by very many Americans. We don't need another ID.
Stories earlier in the week spoke of 100,000 protesters. Now, I'm reading a few buses from OH, FL, MA, and so on. If anyone gives an estimate, it's now lower, tens of thousands.
Congress and the WH will be busy with health care. They don't want bothered, this weekend, with immigration reform.
There's even an anti-war protest scheduled for Sun. So, these three events will compete for media attention.
I estimate about half the country wants health care reform. It's been an uphill fight and it's going down to the wire.
I doubt that 25% of Americans support immigration reform. Especially, in this depressed economy.
Illegal residents did break the law. However, most of them are not violent criminals. I'm fearful of the violent ones. You would think we could prevent them from coming into the country, but we can't.
We need comprehensive immigration enforcement.
03/20/2010
immigration is following the law of consume and demand. hispanics and other immigrants from abroad that in some particular moment was to come and support their family has been misinterpreted because their pay are miserable compare to the natives and they cant argue since they dont have any political power. and all the business and individuals that benefit from the hispanics should be fine and all hispanics should be deported BUT. Mexico should stop consuming, and not feel obligated, and our agricultural sector should not be heavily subsidied by big companies to export cheap corn to mexico. and I can name more latin america and the world are watching us... we talk about darfur, taiwan, daili lama, isrel that have cost us trillions of dollars and yet if we tell the world have your 3% parasites from our system is going to tell us take your filthy multi corporations that is extracting our resources an go somewhere else... have we ever seen a mexican car? mexican television? mexican line of clothes without having americans into the scheme? becareful for what we wish for, the problem is that the world is getting smarter and we cannot reap it off from its natural resources to give us the kind of life we use to have. if you want a better life go to school so this magnificent system which is CAPITALISM doesnt set you aside from the losers and the winners. and not to be exposed from a nonenglish, no license, 8 dollar an hour wage.
From Silverthorne, CO, 03/20/2010
I hope there is reform that seals up out boarders. Send the criminals back to their own country. If we cannot send them back then we need to invade Mexico and take over its government and resources.
A car thief supports the economy too. He provides inexpensive parts to the market, he provides for his family, he provides for his community, all at the expense of other law abiding citizens. Is a car thief any different than a criminal alien?
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