"A people united will never be defeated." Thousands of demonstrators gathered to shout out refrains like this on May 1, the nationwide U.S. Day Without Immigrants.
The goal of the boycotts, in which immigrants were encouraged to take the day off from work, was to highlight immigrants' importance in the economy and allow them the opportunity to rally for additional rights.
To varying degrees, Tufts, the Somerville community, and the state of Massachusetts have rallied along with them.
Several Tufts students formed the May Day/STAIR (Students at Tufts Acting for Immigrant Rights) Coalition to prepare for the protests. In the coalition's main action, members marched from the Tufts campus to a rally in Somerville's Foss Park.
According to graduate student and STAIR member Dan DiMaggio, the purpose of the march was to demonstrate solidarity with the plight of many immigrants.
"I hope that people will realize the level of support that exists for immigrant rights in this country," he said.
DiMaggio said that marching is an effective way to demonstrate this support.
"I think we need more marches," he said. "I think they show we're serious in our support [and they] get the word out there."
Sophomore Daniel Becker agreed that the march helped to "show that we care" and to make a show of Tufts student support in the community.
Although its members were certainly vocal in their support, Becker said that the group aims to do more than merely create a commotion.
"It's not just for people to come together and make noise," he said. "Some of the big misconceptions you could only get rid of by talking to people."
At the Foss Park rally, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone spoke about his attitude toward the immigrant population.
"I'm here to deliver a very simple message to all of you and to all of the people who live in Somerville," he said. "Let me be very clear: This is your city. It doesn't matter where you come from."
He said that immigrants, "no matter what their citizenship or national origin, enjoy the same rights and are entitled [to] the same protection as any other resident of this city."
Curtatone said that he anticipates continuing this commitment regardless of the outcome of the legislative debate taking place in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
"But whatever the outcome of that debate, one thing will not change," he said. "Here in this city of immigrants, we will honor your rights as citizens, and we will honor your contributions to this community."
He also read a resolution that he has since introduced to the Board of Aldermen that reaffirms Somerville's commitment to providing equal access to public services and its policy of having police officers only ask for documentation if their inquiry is in connection with a crime.
The Board of Aldermen referred the resolution to a committee for further investigation. As of press time, a date had not been set for the committee to meet.
According to Curtatone, local communities should not be actively looking for documentation from all citizens. Federal agencies are entrusted with documentation work, he said, and bringing local law enforcement into that role would destroy community relations.
"It's just not going to work," the mayor told the Daily. "We're trying to reach out to these different communities ... and to divert from that and become the local arm of the federal government's attempts to clean up their mess regarding immigration would really just jeopardize our attempts."
Franklin Dalembert, the executive director of the Haitian Coalition in Somerville, said that if this resoultion were implemented, it "would be a very positive sign - a sign that shows us that the leadership of the city is working in favor of the immigrant community."
Much of the talk during the day was also focused on national efforts to reform immigration policy. Protestors wanted to call attention to the debate in U.S. Congress over a bill passed earlier this year by the House of Representatives that would criminalize undocumented immigrants.
Before leaving Tufts for Foss Park, Jesse Kanson-Benanav, a community organizer for the Somerville Community Corporation, spoke about the dangers of the House immigration bill, which is sponsored by Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R - Wisc.).
Kanson-Benanav said that the bill would have a particularly strong impact in Somerville, where approximately one-third of the residents are immigrants.
"If this racist, hateful Sensenbrenner bill was ultimately approved and signed by the president, it would criminalize thousands of people within Somerville," he said.
DiMaggio thinks that the bill, which has not been approved by the Senate, has essentially been defeated by public outrage. "The massive walkouts, the massive protests over the past few weeks [make] it look like that bill is dead," he said.
Curtatone also opposes the House bill. The concept of criminalizing undocumented immigrants and those who support them is "absurd, extreme, and unrealistic," he told the Daily.
Curtatone said that he is in favor of legislation that offers a path to citizenship.
Massachusetts Senator and Democrat Edward M. Kennedy's citizenship proposal, which allows many workers to obtain citizenship after waiting a specified period, paying a fine, and meeting English and civics requirements, is one possibility.
Curtatone said that he is in favor of a "clear, predictable, and realistic rule ... that will pave the way for [undocumented immigrants] to become naturalized citizens."
Massachusetts Representative Democrat Ed Markey warned that "it is very important that we do not undermine the legal immigration process when trying to deal with the illegal immigration problem in our country today."
"I support a middle ground," Markey told the Daily through his press office. "Something like the Kennedy-McCain bill - whereby illegal immigrants who are otherwise law-abiding can eventually earn citizenship."
According to Joe Ramsey, a Ph.D. candidate at Tufts and STAIR member, speakers at a May 1 rally on the Boston Common took a more radical position than the path-to-citizenship approach.
"That rally was calling for amnesty for all immigrant workers in this country," he said.
Ramsey also said, however, that most people at the rally were not involved in politics and were thus able to support the amnesty position "which most politicians, regardless of party affiliation, refuse to take."
Yet many people are skeptical of the concept of offering citizenship to undocumented immigrants.
Jim Rizoli, who is running for the Massachusetts State House as a write-in candidate, is a controversial and vocal opponent of undocumented immigrants and a member of the Framingham group "Concerned Citizens and Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement." Rizoli said that undocumented immigrants should not be subject to the same protections as U.S. citizens because they entered the country illegally.
"They broke into the country," Rizoli said. "They have no rights [other than] human rights."
Rizoli presented a proposal in Framingham earlier this month to insert a clause into the town's Board of Health application that would make it illegal for restaurants to hire undocumented immigrants for reasons of public health.
"[Undocumented immigrants] have not been checked for their health anywhere in their travels," said Rizoli.
Rizoli said that health issues can have the largest impact in restaurants, and he asserted that health standards should be applied to everybody working in the food industry, immigrant or otherwise.
"Anybody working in the restaurant field should be able to pass tests or should be able to [be] certified that they're in good shape," he said.
Although it is already illegal for restaurants to hire undocumented workers, Rizoli said that the law often goes ignored.
"It's funny how that all gets pushed to the sides. No one even thinks about it," he said, adding that the leaders in Framingham are making matters worse through their inaction.
"The officials of Framingham are basically aiding and abetting illegal immigrants by not telling them that their working here is wrong," Rizoli said.
He also accused the people of Framingham of ignoring the law.
"The people of Framingham like to aid and abet illegal immigrants. What they are basically doing is helping people break the law," he said. "It's a very corrupt and lawless town."
Rizoli said that if officials set an example by enforcing the law, undocumented immigrants would listen.
"What you have to do is start doing it to a couple of [undocumented immigrants], and the rest of them will leave," he said.
Rizoli's proposal, presented at a Framingham town meeting, was not accepted, and the Framingham Board of Health found no connection between undocumented workers in town restaurants and the spread of disease.
"I'm just blown away by it because the Board of Health does not seem to care," Rizoli said. Rizoli switched from an unenrolled to a Republican candidate on May 10, and faces a primary election in September.
Aru Manrique, the Multicultural Director for Somerville, acknowledged that it is illegal for restaurants to hire undocumented immigrants, but he feels that actions like Rizoli's miss the point.
Manrique thinks that those against immigration would prefer not to have any immigrants in the country, regardless of their legal status.
According to Manrique, the best approach is to focus on improving the quality of life of those who are already here, partly because it is unrealistic to believe that the legislation and federal officials can deal with every undocumented immigrant.
"The federal government [has its] hands full in trying to track down criminals," he said. "They're not actively hunting down a small family."
He said that many immigrants come to the United States to flee repression, so telling them they cannot work in one town will not solve the problem.
"Once they're here, it's going to be incredibly hard to get them to leave," he said.
Manrique said that it is impossible to find a solution if people refuse to compromise.
"It makes it hard to work with people when ... their mentality is so negative," he said. The outcome is that "neither party will be happy, and the problem will remain the same."
According to Massachusetts State Representative and Tufts alumnus Carl Sciortino (LA '00), the bipolarity is indicative of a larger struggle within Massachusetts.
"Everyone is aware that this problem exists, and very few people are coming to grips with what we need to do to fix it," he said.
Sciortino represents the 34th Middlesex district, which encompasses parts of both Medford and Somerville.
"I think there's a mixture of sentiment in both communities," he said. "The only consensus that I perceive from my constituents is a strong feeling that there's a problem that needs to be addressed. I don't think we agree on the solution."
Sciortino said that the issue calls for a serious debate in Congress to address the critical issues at stake.
"They have yet to have that debate, and it's long overdue," he said.
He added that a comprehensive reform bill is necessary at the federal level. Without such reform, he said that state legislators are often left looking at a problem that they cannot control.
"State legislatures are left to grapple with the consequences of a failed immigration policy, while having no control over the legal status of individuals and families living in our communities," he said.
Markey agreed that there is a serious problem.
"Our current legal immigration process is badly broken," he said. "It sometimes takes years for families or workers to enter our country through legal channels."
Both he and Sciortino believe there needs to be an appropriate balance between enforcement and reform in order to address the universally acknowledged problems.
"We need to have strong enforcement of immigration policies, and we need to have a reform of the policies because they're clearly not working," Sciortino said.
