US immigrants set for massive rallies

Pro-immigrant backers of a nationwide boycott set for Monday predict millions of immigrants will stay away from work, school and stores and rally in support of an overhaul of America’s immigration laws.

Pro-immigrant backers of a nationwide boycott set for Monday predict millions of immigrants will stay away from work, school and stores and rally in support of an overhaul of America’s immigration laws.

The walkout has caused a dispute over strategy within the ranks of immigrant-rights advocates, with some fearing that the action will trigger a

backlash and questioning how many people will actually participate in the boycott.

Yet proponents say the move is needed to prod US President George W Bush and a divided Congress to end an election-year squabble and enact legislation to help the estimated 12 million people living illegally in the US.

“We are all losers if we continue to play this sinister game of condemning a segment of the population to live and work in the conditions of modern-day slaves,’’ said Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of the Latino Movement USA.

Boycott organisers want amnesty and eventual citizenship for illegal immigrants and predict many of America’s major cities will grind to a halt as primarily Hispanic immigrants walk off their jobs, skip school and attend massive rallies.

In New York, leaders of the May 1 Coalition organising the boycott said a growing number of businesses had pledged to close and allow their workers to attend a rally in Manhattan’s Union Square. Large US meat processors, including Cargill Inc, Tyson Foods Inc and Seaboard Corp said they will close plants. —Thomas Ferraro