Washington – The immigrant rights movement showed Monday that it could build an organization, mobilize 1 million people across the country and wield economic power.
But the protesters do not appear to have achieved their primary goal – changing votes in Congress. And some critics say the demonstration may have generated a backlash, hardening positions on Capitol Hill.
The protests, which began in March and resumed Monday with a boycott of work, school and shops, have grabbed the nation’s attention when the issue of illegal immigration is high on the agenda in Washington.
The heightened attention will make it difficult for Congress to duck the question of what to do with the estimated 12 million people living illegally in the U.S.
The outpouring has drawn comparisons to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, but questions remain about whether the protesters can translate their passion into political results.
Although some companies closed, it is too early to assess the economic impact of the boycott. The effects were diminished because many workers notified employers ahead of time that they planned to take the day off.
“This was a one-day deal,” said Randel Johnson, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Congress, which supports legislation to legalize immigrants. “If immigrants decided to abandon their jobs for two weeks, that would definitely have an impact.”
Some advocates who support putting illegal workers on a path to citizenship say the protests have given the concept a lift in the debate on Capitol Hill.
Others say few, if any, minds were changed.
“I have no effective data on this, but it has probably hardened positions and maybe has done a little bit of wedging,” said Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey, a Democrat and former senator who said he supported the protesters’ cause.
Clearly, the protesters have discovered there is a thin and potentially dangerous line between promoting national pride and pushing the buttons of their opponents. They made tactical errors – flying the Mexican flag, recording “The Star- Spangled Banner” in Spanish – that have left even some of their supporters a little queasy.
The American public is deeply divided on illegal immigration. A survey in March by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group in Washington, found that 53 percent of respondents say people who are in the U.S. illegally should be required to go home, while 40 percent say they should be granted some kind of legal status that allows them to stay.
“What buttons were pressed?” asked Roberto Suro, the center’s director, wondering aloud what Americans saw when they looked at the protesters. “Was it that there are so many people here outside of government control, or was it the hardworking family types?”
That divide is reflected on Capitol Hill, controlled by Republicans. The House opposes citizenship for illegal workers and has passed legislation aimed only at controlling the borders, while a more comprehensive Senate bill is backed by Republicans in the Senate.
With the GOP divided, reaching consensus will be tough.
After a March rally, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said he was offended by the sight of marchers waving the Mexican flag.
“I want to be sensitive to human concerns, why they’re here and how they’re here. But when they act out like that, they lose me,” Lott said, going on to suggest that the protesters risked deportation. “We had ’em all in a bunch, you know what I mean?”