Sophomore Melissa Guerrero remembers parading down San Francisco’s Market St., feeling a sense of awe as she noticed the El Salvadorean viceconsuls, Ana María de Canizalez and Luis Roberto Castellanos, waving the country’s flag in support of the immigration protesters on Monday, May 1. El Salvador was the only nation to display its flag outside of the Latin American embassy, making Guerrero, whose family first moved to the United States from El Salvador, feel overwhelmingly uplifted.
“It was funny that my home country was the only one to actively encourage us [demonstraters],” said Guerrero. “I was walking alongside members of my church, and we all felt so proud.”
Guerrero accompanied other ralliers clad in white shirts who marched in solitude at a demonstration in San Francisco’s downtown.
The protest coincided with May Day, a day dedicated to the recognition of the struggle of workers around the world against capitalism and exploitation. Besides serving as a tribute to the world’s labor force, May Day also gives workers an opportunity to petition for safer working conditions and insist on being treated with respect.
“This issue of illegal immigrants directly affects me,” Guerrero said. “Various members of my family came to America illegally and worked hard in order to gain what we consider a legal status. It’s very personal for me. Since the government is threatening to deport illegal aliens, this may have an effect on people I know.”
According to the New York Times, the House of Representatives passed an enforcement-only immigration bill last December, which the Senate is currently mulling over. The provisions of this bill would charge all illegal immigrants as felons and penalize employers who have knowingly hired illegal immigrants. While illegal immigrants account for 24% of farm workers in the US, 17% of cleaners, and 14% of construction workers, only 39% of the nation’s 41 million Latinos are eligible to vote, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, a sector of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center which serves as "fact tank" for trend-shaping political issues.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, approximately 30,000 protesters, mostly of Latino descent, flocked to San Francisco to endorse the cause. San Francisco had a moderate turnout in comparison to its neighboring San Jose, which saw close to 100,000 demonstrators. The Bay Area, being a hot seat for debate on the immigration reform, hosted numerous protest sites. As many as 15,000 supporters championed immigrant rights in Oakland, 4,000 in Mountain View, between 400 and 1,000 in Union City, and 13,000 in Salinas. California by far had the most participants; an additional 400,000 in Los Angeles, 30,000 in Sacramento, and 25,000 in Huntington Park did not attend work to take part in the nationwide boycott.
"I never expected that people could unite under a common cause," Guerrero said, amazed by the abundance of support. “It was awesome to witness such a joining of forces. I was slightly nervous at first, because I’ve never been to a protest before. But when I got there and got a taste of the energy level, I was taken aback.”
Of the two rallies held in San Francisco, Guerrero participated in the march to City Hall, which according to her, spanned an approximate distance of 26 blocks.
"I’m the daughter of an immigrant," said Guerrero, whose parents have been citizens of the United States for over the past 10 years. "I was there to support my mom and dad, my people, and my culture."
At the gathering, drummers, mariachi bands, and ranchero musicians lined the streets to heighten the overall excitement of the event. People held handmade placards with phrases saying, "I’m not illegal, I’m human!" The streets, which were teeming with protesters, echoed with chants of "¡Si se puede!" ("Yes, we can!”)
“The most memorable sign I saw had the words ‘Arnold is an immigrant too’ written across them,” Guerrero said. “A statement like that really has a strong bearing.”
Though Latinos made up a majority of the populace, a wide range of other ethnicities were present to advocate immigrant rights.
“There were African Americans, Caucasians, Asians, and all sorts of other races,” Guerrero said. “It made me feel good to be a part of the whole thing. It’s not like we’re fighting alone.”
Worried that opponents of the boycott would provoke a brawl and cause unnecessary uproar, the organizers of the event hired extra police officers to patrol the closed off areas of the city. According to Guerrero, the coordinators kept asking for donations to cover the extra costs.
“They had to pay around $10,000 to block off roads, make t-shirts for participants, and employ a backup police force,” Guerrero said.
As is common with most large crowds, an assortment of people turned up to promote causes other than immigration.
“My sister was hanging out with these people who claimed to be communists,” Guerrero said, chuckling at the thought. “They were saying, ‘We’re socialists and not ashamed of it.’”
At the end of the march, a signpost informed the participants that they had symbolically crossed the border into the United States.
“When we completed the march, it was like we had entered a new territory,” Guerrero said. “It resembled the finish line of a huge race.”
Another Paly sophomore, Anabell Cervantes, of Mexican descent, was at the event as well. Like Guerrero, Cervantes participated in a rally held in San Francisco. She and her family marched for about five miles from Embarcadero Road to City Hall, which is located on Polk Street.
Cervantes was born in the United States, but her family, including her parents, first came to the states illegally. Now, most of her relatives have acquired citizenship, but there are some who still live in America illegally. According to Cervantes, if an immigration law was passed, most of Cervantes’ family would be sent back to Mexico.
“In many families the parents are immigrants, but the children are citizens of the United States,” Cervantes said. “The parents can’t leave their children behind or else those children lose the opportunity to have a better education.”
“It felt good [marching],” Cervantes said. “All the Latinos and immigrants were united for one cause. We all had our differences, but we showed everyone that we can stand together and fight for a cause.”
On top of Guerrero and Cervantes, other Paly students also participated in this national day of action, given the title "A Day Without Immigrants.” While it is difficult to derive an exact number of Paly students who participated in the protests, there were a significant amount of people absent May 1. However, according to Katya Villalobos, one of Paly’s assistant principals, a student’s absence on May 1 does not necessarily indicate that he/she observed the protests.
“Parents might have called in for health reasons,” Villalobos said. “But, if I had to guess, I would say approximately 20 or 25 [protesters] from Paly.”
Financially, the absences due to the protests did not impact Paly. According to Villalobos, while nearby school districts such as those in Gilroy and San Jose might be affected, Paly’s funding is not dependent on the average daily attendance (ADA). Therefore, the students’ absences did not in any way reduce the amount of money Paly receives from the government.
Although the protests had a relatively minute effect on the majority of Paly, it was meaningful for students like Guerrero and Cervantes, whose families have worked hard to attain US citizenship. Because of the protest, immigrants were able to express their opinion in regards to the United States’ immigration policy.
“We showed that we are not a burden on the economy, but that we are the economy,” Cervantes said. “None of us who have followed all the rules deserve to be deported.”
Added Guerrero, “It seemed like we all felt we were doing something good. It’s such an incredible sweeping sensation. You just know that you’re making a sincere contribution. It doesn’t even matter if you go in big groups or not. Whether you prefer to protest silently or to march in an assembly, it’s just great to do something you truly believe in.”