Hundreds from across state protest immigration law

Those protesting the recently passed immigration law on the Capitol grounds Sunday weren’t expecting changes to be made, but rather for their voices to be heard and for others to understand their frustrations, concerns, and in some cases, pleas.

Hundreds gathered at the state Capitol grounds in protest of last week’s passage and signing of HB 658, the latest version of Alabama’s immigration law. The protesters remain upset at the lack of changes in what they consider flaws in the law, including the involvement of schools in tracking data on immigrants and police being able to stop those based on whether they appear to be in the country illegally.

The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice led the mega-march from the Capitol to the Governor’s Mansion.

Groups from all over the state including Albertville, Alexander City, Athens, Clanton, Decatur, Dothan, Birmingham and Russellville participated in the march. Frank Barragan traveled from Mobile.

“The idea of what this law is doing to this state, and eventually it has affected the country economically … breaks my heart because it seems in Mobile, there’s going to be a few of the nurseries that are going to be closing because there’s no more workers.

“We’re just here to make sure people understand,” he said. “We’ve got to get the dignity, (the) confidence back up in (the Hispanics) and whatever we need to do, we need to do it.”

The fight isn’t about just immigration, Benard Simelton, president of the NAACP Alabama State Conference stated in a news release.

“It’s about judging people on the color of their skin instead of the content of their heart. This is not the kind of law we want in Alabama, this is not who we are. We are one family, one Alabama marching together for justice.”

Sayuri Marin, a 16-year-old Tuscaloosa County High School studentm, traveled to the rally because she is concerned about her college education. She calls Tijuana, Calif., home. It is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and the center of the Tijuana metropolitan area.?

“We want our education,” she said. “We want to study and do everything you’re supposed to do in high school and graduate with honors and go to college. We’re hoping people can understand that we’re not here to hurt anybody, or damage anybody, but we’re just here to look for something better than what we have in our country.

“We have no opportunities over there, especially for students. The only hope we have is to study here and to make this country a better place.”

David Ferguson traveled from Atlanta. A member of the Socialist Workers Party, he joined in Sunday’s protest because he is outraged by the injustices.

“They’re punishing honest, hard-working people who are trying to get jobs to provide for their families,” he said. “I think every time the people go out on the streets and the rulers of Alabama see how dissatisfied the people are with this legislation, it helps.

“Obviously, it will take a lot more people on the streets to turn things around, but it’s a movement in that direction.”

Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma, approached the Capitol building steps and spoke to the crowd about having to unite to fight.

“We are fighting for freedom, and the heat can’t stop us, the Legislature can’t stop us, the governor can’t stop us, nothing will stop us,” he said. “If they come for you this week, they will come for us next week. We must unite to fight.

“The odds are against us, but the odds are always against us. In the 1960s when we didn’t have the right to vote … the odds were greatly against us, but we fought anyway. One side had everything — the laws, the guns and gunmen, the buildings and jobs, banks and money, elected officials, media, everything.

“And the other side had very little. But we took not defeat … and we united, and we won. And we will win again in spite of the odds.”

The march, Barragan said, won’t change the law. The march was meant to bring awareness.

“It’s not acceptable,” he said of the law. “Hopefully, we’ll try to make the (Republicans) accountable for what they are doing. How will we do that? Well, the economy is going to show. It’s affecting the non-documented, and the documented, too. They don’t want to be profiled.”?

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