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Hispanic group plans boycott over immigration raid

Group also calls workers to strike on Wednesday and hold rally in support of arrest suspects

RENO -- A group of Hispanic people in Reno have called for a three-day boycott of all businesses in northern Nevada after a federal raid in which 54 suspected illegal workers were arrested.

The group of about 60 people also called for a strike by all Hispanic workers on Wednesday, the final day of the boycott, and for a rally and a march for Reno's federal courthouse in support of those arrested.


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  • "Huelga! Huelga! Huelga!" the group chanted as it stood and applauded near the end of a meeting Saturday at El Cordero de Dios Assemblies of God Church in Reno. Huelga is Spanish for "strike."

    The group also called for a boycott of Reno radio station KKOH and its afternoon talk show host, Bill Manders, who it argued is not compassionate towards undocumented Latinos. A KKOH representative nor Manders could not be reached for comment.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Thursday raided 11 McDonald's restaurants owned by Reno businessman Luther Mack, leading to the arrests of several employees.

    "We feel we Latinos have been bushwhacked, charred and ICE'd by our government," said Gilbert Cortez, president of Casa Latina Centro de Informacion, one of the groups that organized the meeting. "This land belongs to God and not to the United States."

    Mack said he is working with the Department of Labor and immigration authorities to pay the employees who were arrested.

    Payment has been made difficult because the federal government seized payroll records, he said.

    "If those records were available, we would have issued those checks immediately," Mack said.

    Mack said he originally hired the workers and was surprised that people would lash out at him and his business on their behalf.

    "I was rather surprised and in fact hurt," Mack said. "I got victimized by the people I was trying to help. I got caught between a rock and hard spot, but I understand."

    All of his restaurants are open and back in business, he said.

    "We're doing best we can as community leaders and employers, trying to take care of workforce and needs of people," Mack said.

    The group called for a march on Wednesday at noon. Cortez said hoped to get 20,000 people or more to participate.

    Luis Caceres, general director of the Sociedad De Salvadorenos Unidos De Nevada Cooperando Con Atiquizaya, said the proposed action is to draw attention to the fact that immigrant workers are here to work and raise families.

    "If work is a crime, accuse me of committing a crime," he said.

    "Because of the reform that didn't pass, we're paying for it. Our families are being divided and our people are being prosecuted because they didn't have any papers."

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    HUMAN! wrote on March 04, 2008 08:18 AM: 1st of all to me there is no such thing as race! if you come from mexico you are a human, if you come from ireland you are still a human, unless you racist people want to actually try to prove me wrong i could seriously care less. ok try to imagine yourself in this situation. if your family was sick and dying of hunger, but there was no money that could buy either medicine or food, what would you do? would you let them die? or would you try your hardest (the right way) to go out and find a job, instead of asking other people or stealing? even if it does mean breaking a few laws. come on aswer that! would you commit a stupid little crime or make an even bigger crime by letting your 2 year old daughter starve? and yes there are some people who bring drugs to the us, but do you actually think that a whole country should be punished for that? by the way it's not our dam fault that you want to ruin your own life by buying the drugs, your the stupid one because you were the only person who could decide to do drugs or not. i love people. not white people, not mexican people, not black people, not irish people, but people who know that this is only one world not a high school with a bunch of little clicks. who ever said that americans consisted of only white people? then what are those mexicans who work for white people. were do you see the most "american" working their butts off in a field or out in construction, or sitting in a nice little room with ac, a cup of coffee, typing all day?


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    sad wrote on October 02, 2007 04:33 PM: We huelga because of raids on illegals.
    FYI you have raided the USA by crossing the border illegal so before you speak look at your own illegal activity.


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    GOD wrote on October 01, 2007 11:00 PM: Instead of chanting, "Huelga! Huelga! Huelga!"

    Try saying, "Adios! Adios! Adios!"

    Buh-bye illegals!


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    BC wrote on October 01, 2007 02:04 PM: Oh, and Mr. Mack should be sent to prison so fast he'd make Speedy Gonzalez look like Regular Gonzalez.


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    BC wrote on October 01, 2007 01:50 PM: We ought to just annex mexico, guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. Then look how small our southern border would be.

    Border security? BAH!


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    Joe C wrote on October 01, 2007 01:11 PM: We can thank Reid and his kind who will push for another amnesty before the next presidential election.
    Only in the U.S. can an illegal alien criminals claim this land is not the United States but God’s land, as they wave the Mexican flag protesting in the street.
    Please remember their true feeling towards our country and laws and their own agendas.
    They actually feel strong enough to blatantly be honest now. As illegal aliens have used phony statements like we only want work. We know that is a lie by their own words.


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    say what wrote on October 01, 2007 11:59 AM: go back to mexico and boycot there not the usa..


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    oldlawdawg wrote on October 01, 2007 11:20 AM: "This land belongs to God and not to the United States" says it all as to the mind-set of this unhinged enthic support group. What good does it do to harm the locals and the local economy by striking all local businesses when the group is angered over the immigration policies of the United States Government? Protest all you want, folks, and make all of the speaches and marches you believe are necessary to get your message -- as seemingly confused and misguided as it may be -- across to all, but do not "punish" the residents of Northern Nevada who had nothing to do with the raid. I would also make the modest suggestion that you refrain from making statements such as that above unless you merely want to stir up a debate on the wrong issue as you may not like it, but California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Wyoming are the Southwest United States, not "Northern Mexico," and that ain't never gonna' change at the level or map-making no matter how much illegal immigration affects the ecomony or demographics (and legal immigration is not an issue). Support your cause all you want, but get real about what it is you are trying to say or accomplish.


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    RussBBinVegas@aol.com wrote on October 01, 2007 11:15 AM: Let's have more protests .. south of the border! Would that Mexicans in their own country organize mass demonstrations, to demand a basic reorganization of the grossly corrupt & inequitable Mexican economy. Then their familes could stay together and work to enrich their own society, and not have to come north to be exploited by OUR corporations.


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    lawlessness wrote on October 01, 2007 11:07 AM: The Hispanic groups essentially support "border breaking" and lawlessness.


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