RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL September 8, 2006
400 protest bill on immigration About 400 people took part in a planned march and protest Thursday in response to new immigration bills being crafted to toughen enforcement, according to the event organizer. Gilbert Cortez, president of the new group Casa Latina Centro Informacion and a Reno businessman, said he hoped the demonstration would send a message to lawmakers to come to a humanistic solution to the "problem of millions of undocumented workers who live in the shadows of fear of persistent deportation." "People are quite concerned and discouraged about the way the Senate is (sweeping) reform under the carpet," he said. "They don't have the guts to tackle the problem." House Republicans want tougher laws to prevent the broadening of legislation that would give legal status to many illegal immigrants. In June, the Senate passed a bill that would let a majority of illegal immigrants already in the country remain here and earn citizenship, create a guest-worker program and toughen boarder security issues. No problems were reported during the march, which began about 10 a.m. at Miguel Ribera Park on Neil Road and ended just before 3 p.m. at the Bruce R. Thompson Federal Building on Virginia Street. Similar protests of proposed immigration laws were in Reno in March and May. With the looming election, Republicans held dozens of hearings in July and August to criticize the Senate bill. Cortez said that depending on legislative action, another rally could be organized. Cortez's organization was formed about three months ago to educate and Americanize the Latino community, he said.
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