BYLINE: By Alejandra Cancino, Independent Florida Alligator; SOURCE: U. Florida

LENGTH: 572 words

DATELINE: GAINESVILLE, Fla.

May 18, 2006 Thursday

Amidst the books, cassettes, videos, journals and newspapers in the Civic Media Center, 24 Gainesville, Fla., residents gathered Tuesday night to discuss President Bush’s speech on immigration and their personal experiences with immigrants and immigration policies.

“The [issue] is more complex than just building fences, because it is about human beings,” said Joe Courter, the director of the forum.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate backed construction of more border fences and voted to give illegal immigrants a road to American citizenship.

During a speech to the nation on Monday, Bush outlined several objectives for an immigration reform effort, including a plan to create a temporary worker program and to help newcomers assimilate to American society by learning English.

At the Civic Media Center forum, Gainesville resident Martha Rodriguez Phelps said that although the speech was a positive one, Bush did not give enough specifics about his policies.

For example, she said, the president said that he will ask Congress for money to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, but he did not say how much money he would ask for.

White House officials said in a briefing for reporters Monday afternoon that the president is calling for the use of $1.9 billion toward his proposals. The money is included in a supplemental budget bill now before Congress, various news organizations reported.

At Tuesday’s forum, University of Florida student Charlene Volpe said that Bush’s proposal to make illegal immigrants pay a debt to society before legalizing their status left a lot of room for discrepancies.

“What scares me the most is that I don’t know what ['paying a debt to society'] means,” she said.

In his speech from the Oval Office, the president said that illegal immigrants who “have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law.”

“People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship, but approval would not be automatic, and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law,” Bush added.

Gainesville Chamber of Hispanic Affairs President and Director Wilfredo Melendez criticized the construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexican border.

His comments were directed to a House bill that asks for the construction of at least two layers of reinforced fencing, as well as physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors in five specified zones along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The ‘wall of shame’ doesn’t send the right message to Latin-American countries,” Melendez said.

Another participant added that walls are already in place at the border, and that they have not curbed immigration.

Some of the participants agreed that a better solution for the illegal immigration problem would be to improve the economies of underdeveloped countries.

Luis A. Cuevas, coordinator of the Alachua County chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, said that anti-immigration bills were a result of fallacies and lack of education.

“The majority of illegal immigrants don’t come from Mexico,” he said. “They come with visas and just overdue [the time of] their visas.”

Participants also shared their experiences as immigrants and their fear of being persecuted even though some of them are citizens.

“I know the law, but I am scared to death because they can do whatever they want to me,” Cuevas said.

(C) 2006 Independent Florida Alligator via U-WIRE