May 1 boycott by immigrants triggers a rift in movement

LOS ANGELES — Organizers of the movement that has led hundreds of thousands of immigrants onto the nation's streets are split over whether to press ahead with the next big protest: a May 1 national work stoppage and student boycott.

Backers of the protest want to dramatize the importance of immigrants to the U.S. economy by leaving construction sites and restaurants understaffed, crops untended and hotel rooms uncleaned. They also hope empty classrooms will demonstrate that an immigration overhaul is a major issue for future voters.

But others fear such protests will make immigrants look anti-American, annoy the public and alienate lawmakers who are wavering about how to reshape U.S. immigration policy. They worry, too, that thousands will get fired.

Encouraging students to skip school "just adds fuel to the argument that we don't care about our children's education," said Jose Lagos, a community organizer with Honduran Unity in Miami.

Some are afraid the split in their ranks could suppress participation May 1 and cause the movement to lose momentum.

"Our credibility as a community is on the line," said Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance for Human Rights, a Southern California organization pushing for the boycott. "We've shown our power politically, but if we can't show it economically, we are going to lose it."

In the past few weeks, unions and religious and Hispanic groups have mustered nationwide marches — including one that drew 20,000 to 30,000 people in Seattle — supporting a chance at U.S. citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.

Some organizers hope to see a May 1 turnout so large that it will protect participants from retribution.

"If immigrants continue demonstrating in large numbers, are they going to fire all of them?" said Julita Rincon, 21, an illegal immigrant and University of Houston student who leads a student activist organization.

Some leaders have staked a middle ground, supporting a protest May 1, but after school lets out and businesses close.

"If they lost their jobs, there would be nothing we could do," said Ana Maria Archila, executive director of the Latin American Integration Center. Her New York City group plans alternative May 1 activities, such as persuading businesses to close for 30 minutes in honor of immigrants.

Sporadic criticism of the boycott began soon after organizers announced it in early March. But the skepticism has been intensifying, and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, an outspoken supporter of illegal immigrants, discouraged the idea during Easter Mass.

"Go to work. Go to school," Mahony said. "And then join thousands of us at a major rally afterward."

Leaders of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has gotten thousands to rallies and helped with crowd control, said they cannot endorse a boycott because of collective-bargaining agreements. And some union leaders think such action would be premature, anyway.

Two weeks ago, the Senate nearly voted on immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, noted Jaime Contreras, an SEIU spokesman and chairman of an influential immigration group in Washington.

"You are using the last weapon in your arsenal now," Contreras said. If senators move toward more punitive legislation, "then what are you going to do?"

In another development:

Immigration agents arrested seven current or former executives and hundreds of employees of a manufacturer of crates and pallets Wednesday as part of a crackdown on employers of illegal workers.

Authorities raided offices and plants of IFCO Systems in at least nine states, the culmination of a yearlong criminal investigation, law-enforcement officials said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested seven current or former IFCO Systems managers on charges they conspired to transport, harbor and encourage illegal workers to reside in the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain, said Glenn Suddaby, chief federal prosecutor in Albany, N.Y., where some arrests were made.

Information about the Seattle march came from The Seattle Times archive.