Solving immigration problems is a driving concern
Last Monday was a surreal day for me: from patron saints, to driver license demonstrations, to NASCAR racing to eating tamales in between. I started the day by having sub sandwiches and salsa with old friends at the Guadalupe Church. I wanted to learn how it is that Salt Lake's St. Patrick's Day Parade, honoring Ireland's patron saint, Patrick, has a float sponsored by the Guadalupe Church, whose patron saint of Mexico is La Virgen de Guadalupe.
The surrealism began when I went to observe Latinos preparing to march from City Hall to the Governor's Mansion to ask him not to sign a bill creating special licenses for illegal immigrants. The march was organized by M.E.Ch.A., a University of Utah Mexican student organization.
Among the several hundred people who gathered were parents with small children and mothers with infants in their arms. They were a quiet and compliant group worried about how their lives would become more chaotic and uncertain. One could not help but be touched by powerless people hoping for a miracle.
While they marched to the Governor's Mansion, I figured I could go home, grab a bite to eat and then drive to the mansion to observe the demonstrators as they made their plea to the governor. As I sat down to eat my tamales, I saw on the news where NASCAR racing was launched in Mexico — not targeting the Mexicans in Mexico, rather the growing Mexican consumers in the United States.
When I arrived at the mansion, there was no crowd. Returning to the vigil at City Hall, I found that the demonstrators, after setting out on the march to the mansion, had decided to turn back, worried it would only raise the wrath of the governor and defeat their purpose.
The crowd later dwindled to several dozen people, some still with children, talking about their fears, their struggles and wondering about their future. They felt that those who had claimed to be their leaders were negotiating behind closed doors over the licensing issue and did not have their interests at heart. They talked about indigenous leadership within the group that marched and what they could do to improve their lives.
NASCAR and the sign on the car dealership across the street from city hall said it all — "se habla espanol." It really is about the economy. It's the employers and the business community of the state that are eager to attract Mexican workers and consumers so they can increase their profit margins over their competitors and, in some instances, avoid paying market wages and benefits.
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