| 2006 Immigration Policy Boycott In The United States |
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The Great American Boycott of 2006, known in Spanish as '''''El Gran Paro Americano''''', was a nationwide Boycott and General Strike of United States schools and businesses held on May 1 2006 . The date was chosen to coincide with international May Day observances, a traditional Labor Movement holiday in many countries. As a continuation of the 2006 U.S. Immigration Reform Protests , the organizers called for supporters to abstain from buying, selling, working, and attending school, to demonstrate the impact of Illegal Immigrant labor on the U.S. Economy . They also fought to demand general Amnesty for non-citizens of the United States who reside in the U.S. illegally. For this reason, the day is also referred to as '''A Day Without an Immigrant''', a reference to the 2004 Film '' A Day Without A Mexican '' (although the actions were on the behalf of all illegal immigrants, regardless of their country of origin). Some sources have estimated that over one million workers skipped work in protest.ABC News "1M Immigrants Skip Work for Demonstration" High rates of absenteeism were reported in the Los Angeles Unified School District and in Chicago, as well as in schools throughout the country with high Mexican American populations. Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and supporters of a relaxed immigration policy, many dressed in white, attended Protest s, Demonstration s, and Teach-in s, the largest of which were in Los Angeles and Chicago . While the economic effects are not yet clear, some initial reports have indicated that, while the Boycott failed to halt "business as usual", commerce slowed significantly in certain areas. Internationally, CTV.ca "U.S. 'day without immigrants' gets wide support" . ORIGIN The boycott was called on April 10 by the March 25 Coalition of religious groups, immigrant and alien rights organizations, labor unions, and other groups, including Hermandad Mexicana , CHIRLA , Amigos De Orange , and MEChA . Pacific News'' "Groups Call for ‘A Day Without an Immigrant’" The coalition arose out of the Protests against H.R. 4437 , a legislative proposal which would make felons of Illegal Alien s and impose stiffer penalties on those who employ and harbor them, and calls for new walls along 700 miles of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. The coalition takes its name from the date of the first mass protest against the bill, a day which saw upwards of 500,000 demonstrators on the streets of Los Angeles, as well as hundreds of thousands in other major U.S. cities. According to the ''New York Times'', "The boycott grew from an idea hatched by a small band of Grass-roots advocates in Los Angeles, inspired by the farmworker movement of the 1960's led by Cesar Chavez and Bert Corona . Through the Internet and mass media catering to aliens, they developed and tapped a network of union organizers, immigrant/alien rights groups and others to spread the word and plan events tied to the boycott, timed to coincide with International Workers' Day."''New York Times'' "Immigrants Take to U.S. Streets in Show of Strength" INITIAL RESPONSE The boycott and strike provoked controversy as soon as they were proposed. National organizations and prominent figures split over whether to support the boycott, with many moderates endorsing demonstrations but witholding support for the boycott. Many of the "moderate" demonstrations were scheduled for three o'clock in the afternoon, after working-hours for the many unskilled professions where illegal alien labor tends to be concentrated. President George W. Bush urged immigrants not to boycott, and instead to protest after work and on the weekend.''Los Angeles Times'' "Bush Asks Immigrants to Reject Work Boycotts" On April 27 , the California State Senate approved a measure to endorse a statewide economic and educational boycott. However, California's top education official opposed the boycott and called for students to stay in school on Monday. California Superintendent Of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell also encouraged students interested in the immigration issue to voice their opinions after school.''San Jose Mercury News'' "State Senate endorses Monday's immigrant boycott; schools chief opposes it" Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa , the city's first Mexican-American mayor since the 19th Century , called for children to attend school and for a late afternoon rally.'' Los Angeles Daily News '' "City's students absent in droves" The United States Conference Of Catholic Bishops urged immigrants to attend Mass instead of boycotting, and suggested that churches toll their bells in memory of immigrants who died trying to come to the U.S. They also urged students to stay in school. Fox News'' "'A Day Without Immigrants'" National Hispanic and immigration-advocacy groups were also split, with some fearing that the actions would provoke a backlash. The League Of United Latin American Citizens , normally a moderate-to-conservative organization, was one of the few to fully support both the boycott and the strike.League of United Latin American Citizens LULAC press release The Mexican American Legal Defense And Education Fund (MALDEF) took a cautious stand of discouraging truancy from school, and encouraging participants in the strike to "get pre-approval of a holiday or 'leave without pay' from work".Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund [http://www.maldef.org/news/press.cfm?ID=309&FromIndex=yes MALDEF press release The Washington, D.C. -based National Capital Immigration Coalition denounced the Boycott, while the National Council Of La Raza took no position whatever. A new group, the "You Don't Speak For Us" coalition, was formed in response to the Boycott to challenge the notion that May 1 protesters speak on behalf of all Latino s. According to former Assistant Secretary Of The Treasury Pete Nunez, who is the group's spokesperson, "Millions of Hispanic-Americans -- including many who have gone through the immigration process the right way -- are offended by the demands being made by people who have broken our nation's laws."Yahoo Business News "Illegal Aliens on the Streets 'Don't Speak for Us,' Says New Hispanic-American Coalition" Anti-war groups such as the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, as well as other Leftist and Socialist groups, also endorsed the Boycott. LOCALLY Organization of events fell to local groups. In some cases, the national split that occurred on the level was evident on the local level in that separate events were planned by the various organizers. Major events were held in:
BUSINESS RESPONSE Tyson Foods closed Meatpacking plants, citing market conditions and a possible shortage of workers. Cargill Meat Solutions gave 15,000 workers the day off so they can participate, the Associated Press reported.CNN "U.S. prepares for 'A Day Without an Immigrant' - Organizers plan massive boycott on Monday to stop business as usual" Smithfield Foods of Virginia said it will take time on Monday to help employees to write to United States Senator s and Representatives with demands for changes in Immigration Law , including "a path to citizenship for those who are willing to work," according to a company press release.Smithfield Foods Press release Goya Foods , which bills itself as the nation's largest Hispanic-owned food chain, suspended delivery everywhere except Florida, saying it wanted to express solidarity with immigrants who are its primary customers.SF Gate "1M Immigrants Skip Work for Demonstration" In Los Angeles, the 7th Street produce market, which supplies thousands of Southern California restaurants and markets was closed for business. OPPOSITION Groups opposed to the protest organized counterdemonstrations in various cities to coincide with the day's events. Some encouraged their members to buy from American businesses to offset the economic impact of the boycott. Among them are the Southern California Talk Radio hosts John And Ken , who called for "The Great American Spend-a-Lot", a contest with prizes for listeners who spend the most money.John and Ken Show "The Great American Spend-a-lot" The anti–illegal immigration Minuteman Project , which has organized citizens' patrols along the Mexican border to monitor and deter illegal immigration, plans rallies across the country, beginning Wednesday in Los Angeles.''Grand Forks Herald'' "Groups rally in Minneapolis for tighter immigration controls" Other organizations have denounced or ignored the boycott entirely. Jaime Contreras, the head of the Washington, D.C.-based National Capital Immigration Coalition, called on his supporters not to support the boycott out of fear of potential job losses from employer backlash.CapitolHillBlue.com "Boycotting the boycott" The National Council Of La Raza did not mention the action at all. In Phoenix the issue was particularly contentious, with one major group initially supporting, but later withdrawing support for, the boycott.Yahoo Business News "Illegal Aliens on the Streets 'Don't Speak for Us,' Says New Hispanic-American Coalition" Some political commentators, such as CNN's Lou Dobbs criticized the boycott for its promotion by groups such as the left-wing International ANSWER and the pro-indigenous organization Mexica Movement . Dobbs also suggests that the choice of May Day betrays a Communist affiliation on the part of the organizers.''CNN'' "Radical groups taking control of immigrant movement" SEE ALSO
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