correction to earlier message

[Guest guest]

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From: Tina Castañares <tina.castanares@...>

Subject: correction on earlier message

Sorry, friends. The article I sent to the listserv does not match the

subject line (all reprinted below). I hope I didn't confuse anyone. It

was, indeed, the article that I meant to send you....about dearth of media

coverage on pro-immigrant (or protests of anti-immigrant) sentiment.

Tina Castañares

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Message: 1

Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 22:03:32 -0800

From: Tina Castañares <tina.castanares@...>

Subject: RE: [PCUN News] Immigration Debate Heats Up! ACTION: Call Sen.

SpecterTODAY!

Thought everyone might be interested in this.... -- Tina

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March 15, 2006

Immigration News

US Media Black Out Immigrant Protests

If you relied on the US media, you might not have noticed

the massive pro-immigrant protests held in US cities in

recent days. A survey of several leading US border and

national media outlets revealed scant or non-existent

coverage of protests against the Sensenbrenner immigration

bill, HR 4437, convened in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and

Tampa by Latinos Unidos, the Illinois Coalition for

Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Sin Fronteras, and scores of

other organizations.

The dearth of coverage is striking considering the ample

doses of recent media attention on the Minutemen,

immigration legislation and the growth of the undocumented

workforce in the United States. Not surprisingly, the US

exception was the Spanish-language television giant

Univision which featured prominent stories about the

protests on its nightly newscast. A program on a Univision- affiliated radio

station in Chicago is credited for helping

promote that city's action.

To sum up: An estimated 20,000 people rallied in Washington

D.C. on Tuesday, March 7, against the provisions of the

Sensenbrenner immigration bill passed by the US House of

Representatives last December. On Friday, March 10, from

75,000 to 150,000 demonstrators-or more- held a massive

protest in the heart of Chicago against Sensenbrenner.

Local media called it the largest demonstration in the

Midwestern City since an anti-Iraq war protest in 2003.

Taking on the characteristics of a strike, businesses were

shut down and traffic was snarled for hours. Bus loads of

demonstrators arrived from surrounding communities in

Wisconsin and Indiana to participate in a march addressed

by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Chicago Mayor

Daly and US Representative Gutierrez (D-Ill.), among

many others. " You are not criminals! " said Gov. Blagojevich

in his speech. " You are workers who love your families! "

Protestor Abigail Marquez, an immigrant from Guadalajara,

Mexico, said she was satisfied at the community response to

the convocation. " I feel happy, because this shows we are

united, " Marquez said. Although US and Mexican flags were

prominent in the crowd, people from other nations joined in

the protest. Contingents from the Caribbean, Central

America, Ecuador, Colombia, Poland, Ireland, and China were

especially noted. Other forces supporting the demonstration

included labor unions, evangelical churches, the Puerto

Rican Cultural Center, and the Nation of Islam.

Besides the Washington and Chicago protests, a smaller

demonstration against the Sensenbrenner bill, but still

drawing hundreds of people, was conducted in Tampa,

Florida, on Saturday, March 11. Despite the large turn-

outs, many US English-language media outlets in the border

region initially ignored the protests. The Internet news

sites of the Laredo Morning Times, El Paso Times, Las

Cruces Sun-News and Albuquerque Tribune did not carry any

stories about the burgeoning pro-immigrant movement in the

two days following the Washington rally. Nor did the print

edition of the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico's largest

circulation daily. The publications are located in cities

with huge Mexican immigrant populations.

Tucson's Arizona Daily Star and the San Diego Union-Tribune

ran small stories from the Reuters and Associated Press

news services, respectively. Written by Hawkins, the

Associated Press piece included quotes from the director of

the Illinois Minuteman Project , nna Pulido, who

participated in a press conference and tiny counter- demonstration in

Chicago. Pulido said she didn't want to

Chicago become a " sanctuary city, " adding that 14 million

underemployed US citizens could assume the jobs currently

done by immigrants. Another Minuteman Project member,

Carmen Mercer, was quoted by the EFE news service as saying

that 9-11 made it imperative to oppose undocumented

immigration.

Although the movement kicking off last week's protests has

obvious national implications, as well as local ones in

communities across the US, the importance was missed by the

US border media outlets surveyed. The significance of the

movement wasn't lost on the Chicago Sun-Times, however,

which ran a follow-up story to last Friday's massive

march. " We've been taught a lesson by Chicago, " said Martha

Ugarte, an activist in Los Angeles, California, with the

pro-immigrant movement. Ugarte said the Chicago rally was

the talk of the town in Los Angeles, where organizers are

gearing up for a similar action later this month.

According to Univision, anti-undocumented worker laws in

Arizona are also inspiring the movement. Back in the Windy

City, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee

Rights plans an event next weekend to help newly-

naturalized citizens register to vote. On the other hand,

members of the Illinois Minuteman Project and 9/11 Families

for a Secure America blasted the pro-immigrant

mobilization. nna Pulido said US citizens are fed up

with the illegal immigrant population. The Minuteman

Project leader hoped that the " the outrage of the people of

Illinois is heard through voting. "

For their part, Mexican border and national press outlets

gave high profile treatment to the immigrant

demonstrations. Accompanied by an article drawn from

different news wires, Mexico City's La Jornada daily

displayed a big photo of the Chicago protest on the home

page of its website, as did El Sur of Acapulco, Guerrero.

The newspaper is widely distributed in state that

contributes large numbers of migrants to the Latino

population of Chicago. El Universal, El Diario de Juarez

and enlineadirecta, an Internet news site based in

Tamaulipas state, all featured stories written by the EFE,

Notimex and the Spanish-language AP news services.

Additional sources: Univision, March 7, 10, 11, 14, 2006.

Univision.com, March 10, 2006. Article by Fabian Santillan.

El Universal, March 11, 2006. La Jornada, March 11, 2006.

El Sur, March 11, 2006. enlineadirecta.info, March 11,

2006. El Diario de Juarez, March 11, 2006. Arizona Daily

Star March 11, 2006. San Diego Union-Tribune, March 11,

2006. Chicago Sun-Times, March 11 and 12, 2006. Articles by

Dave Newbart, Monifa , Avila, Olivo,

and Rick Pearson. HoyInternet.com, March 10, 2006. Article

by Espinosa.

Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin

American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New

Mexico

For a free electronic subscription email fnsnews@...

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