Students take to the streets in protest of illegal immigration
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Morgan Hill – More than 150 high school students in the Morgan Hill School District walked out of class Monday morning to object to proposed immigration reform that sparked nationwide protest over the weekend.
They walked downtown in large groups, one group of Ann Sobrato High School students and another from Live Oak High, flying Mexican and American flags and chanting, circling around the city and ending up back at their respective schools peacefully later in the day. They were joined by recent graduates and a handful of other adults, swelling the ranks of the marchers to more than 200. Morgan Hill Police followed the students, according to Sgt. Rick Rodriguez, to ensure their safety.
“We want to stop the law, let everyone know how wrong this is,” said Eduardo Hernandez, 17, a Live Oak senior.
The students joined thousands of people throughout the state and across the country who protested HR 4437 over the weekend, which would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border. It would also put employers who hire illegal aliens and the people or groups who help them at risk of prison time.
The students were still marching around town when the news came from the nation’s capitol that there was an amendment to the bill that sparked their protests. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday adopted an amendment that would do away with criminal prosecution for individuals, churches and charitable groups for helping illegal immigrants.
If the amendment had not been added, and the bill became law, local clergy and human-service providers at the Dayworker Center, Community Solutions and St. Catherine Church may have been subjected to prosecution.
The Senate will begin debating the amended form of the bill today, which passed in the House of Representatives in December.
“La raza unida jamas sera vencida,” chanted the Live Oak students in Spanish, as they marched, which in English means, “The race united will never be vanquished,” and “Se va a complir la causa?” which means, “Will the cause be fulfilled?” to which the demonstrators responded, “sÃ,” or “yes.”
“We’re not criminals. We’re not criminals,” the Sobrato students yelled.
Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Alan Nishino noted that the students’ protest was peaceful, but added that their place is in the classroom. The district will lose some Average Daily Attendance, the system that funds public school districts based on student attendance, from the protest, but it was unclear at press time how much. The district receives roughly $27 per student, per day and a district official said some students who marched never went to school at all.
“Administrators talked to the students to encourage them to return to school,” Nishino said in a statement e-mailed to parents and the Times. “Students will be accountable for any lost class time.”
The protesters seemed to be most concerned about the possible legal penalties for anyone aiding illegal immigrants.
“We want to unite our people,” said Christina Rodriguez, 18, a 2005 Live Oak graduate. “We have to prevent this. It makes no sense. We are not criminals.”
Rodriguez said there will be another protest on April 10, and that Monday’s demonstration was organized at the last minute.
Morgan Hill Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Stan Rose said he understood the idea behind the protests.
“We support the democratic process; there are very few places where something like this could happen,” he said. “However, we want the students to be safe and to be in school.”
Sobrato Principal Rich Knapp said he tried to offer the students an alternative to the walk-out.
“As they were leaving campus, I offered to give them a forum, to give them a place to meet to discuss the issue,” he said. “I am disappointed that students decided to make that choice, leaving the campus. I have to ask how well informed they are on this. Do they have the information needed to make a decision on this? What our next steps are is to find out how they can address that, to make sure there are constructive ways to address this.”
Live Oak High School Principal Nick Boden, who was off campus Monday, said he checked in regularly by phone.
“This is a very important and critical issue for people,” he said. “It really is something that we face in this country. I am a bit disappointed at the measure they took, however, walking out of school. I think there are more constructive ways to deal with this. During the next few weeks at our site we’ll be looking at what are some of the things we can do to forestall this.”
Matthew Medori, owner of the Morgan Hill Center, who watched the students march by, said he didn’t agree with the protesters.
“A lot of people come to this country, and we all have to follow the rules,” said Medori, who is Italian. “We have to wait, go through the legal system … I don’t think it’s fair to tell these people, ‘Okay, you can stay.’ That’s unfair for the people who came here legally.”
