Deportation initiative funding to be sought
By Andrew L. Wang
Tribune staff reporter
Waukegan became the latest microcosm of a nation split on immigration Monday as thousands of people descended on the far north suburb to protest a controversial program that would allow local police to initiate deportation proceedings for immigrants convicted of serious crimes.
“This is ground zero for us,” said Ramon Becerra, regional head of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. He said the techniques his organization used in Waukegan—getting information out quickly on Spanish language radio stations, chartering buses, distributing flyers to pro-Latino businesses and threatening a boycott of others—are templates for his group and others to make their voices heard when they feel local officials aren’t listening.
About 3,000 people attended the 5 p.m. rally outside City Hall, according to Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran. Chartered buses came from Chicago, Elgin, Wheeling and Cicero. On Monday morning, outraged callers flooded two Chicago-based Spanish radio shows.But it wasn’t just the Latino groups who attracted activists from elsewhere. Among the leaders of the anti-illegal immigration protesters was William Gheen of North Carolina, president of Americans for Legal Immigration. He said the debate in suburbs such as Waukegan is critical because their leaders aren’t yet beholden to minority interests.
“Chicago’s too far gone right now,” he said. “Chicago is the next L.A.”