Hispanic groups call for Census boycottSome Hispanic advocacy groups are calling for illegal immigrants to boycott the 2010 Census unless immigration laws are changed. The move puts them at odds with leading immigrant rights advocates and creates another hurdle in the Census Bureau's quest to count everyone in the USA.
The National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders, a group that says it represents 20,000 evangelical churches in 34 states, issued a statement this week urging undocumented immigrants not to fill out Census forms unless Congress passes "genuine immigration reform."
Similar grass-roots campaigns are unfolding in Arizona and New Mexico to protest state and local crackdowns on illegal immigrants. Asking immigrants to be counted without giving them a chance to become legal residents counters church teachings, says the Rev. Miguel Rivera, president of the Latino religious coalition.
When the Census counts growing numbers of Hispanics, the counts are often used to support crackdowns on illegal immigrants, he says. About 38% of the churches' 3.4 million members are undocumented, he says. The Census Bureau does not ask people if they are here illegally.
If these people want in, there are laws to allow it.
I hope they are NOT counted.
CHANGE THE LAWS THEN COME IN.
If these people invade the land anyway, as criminals, knowingly, they have decided to GIVE UP the chance for American social services, scholarships, etc.
No free lunch.
Once again, this is not an immigration issue. This is secure borders. If the borders were secure, there would be NO illegal immigration and we could all talk about getting rid of the hideous ideas of 1924 intelligently.
Only our lax, and cynical behavior by those looking for votes, and cheap labor TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, has resulted in this huge problem. No free lunch there either.
Perhaps on the unfortunate and awful day some Hizballoid who snuck in over the Mexican border (where we know they practice) detonates in LA or San Diego, or Amarillo and scores of illegals are killed, those latinos who might otherwise vote for the democrats whom they perceive to be in favor of no borders will rethink what this is all really about.