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 on Monday with a boycott of
work, school and shops, have clearly grabbed the nation's attention when the
issue of illegal immigration is high on the agenda in
The heightened attention will make it difficult for Congress to duck the
question of what to do with the estimated 11 million to 12 million people
living illegally in the
Some companies closed on Monday, yet it is too early to assess the economic
effects of the boycott. The effects were diminished because many workers
notified their 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 United States Chamber of Congress, which supports
bills to legalize immigrants. "If immigrants decided to abandon their jobs
for two weeks, that would definitely have an
impact."
Some advocates who support "comprehensive immigration reform," the
idea that illegal workers should be put on a path to citizenship, say the
protests have given that concept an important lift in the debate on Capitol
Hill.
Even some immigrant rights backers say few if any minds were changed and
called the marches a Rorschach test in which people simply saw their own view
reflected in the sea of mostly Latino marchers.
"I have no effective data on this, but it has probably hardened
positions and maybe done a little bit of wedging," said Gov. Jon S. Corzine of
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, said: "The protest, I
don't think, changes votes on the floor of the Senate. I think what changes
votes is coming down, sitting down, talking about it, as opposed to students'
staying out of school. I happen to think that students' staying out of school
is counterproductive."
The protesters have discovered that there is a thin and potentially
dangerous line between promoting national pride and pushing opponents' buttons.
They used tactics — flying the Mexican flag, recording "The Star-Spangled
Banner" in Spanish — that have left even some supporters feeling a bit
queasy.
"I have a great respect for a lot of the people that did the
protesting, but I think their message is all confused," said Senator Pete
V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, whose sympathy dates from his childhood,
when his mother, an Italian immigrant, was nearly deported. "The flag, the
anthem, all that, it got everybody all mixed up. 'Take
off work' — it sounded wrong to some people, right to others."
The public is deeply divided on illegal immigration. A survey in March by
the
"What buttons were pressed?" Roberto Suro,
the director of the center, asked, wondering aloud about 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 hard-working family types? I
think that's really imponderable."
That divide is reflected among Republicans on Capitol Hill. The House
opposes giving citizenship to illegal immigrants, and it has passed a bill
aimed only at controlling the borders, while a more comprehensive Senate bill
is backed by Republicans like Mr. Domenici, as well as Senators Lindsay Graham
of
Some say the protests have given the Senate approach a boost. "While
you could never point to a specific vote, they moved the tone and the thrust
where now a balanced bill has the upper hand, and it's in part because of the
protests," Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said.
The Senate bill collapsed last month amid partisan bickering on procedure,
but the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist of
With Republicans so divided, reaching consensus will be difficult.
"Obviously, there's tremendous pressure on lawmakers to fix the
problem," said Frank Sharry, executive director
of the National Immigration Forum, an advocacy group. "The marches in the
street, the public opinion polls that show immigration is
one of the top two or three issues in the country.
"But the crosscurrents of politics and policy are such that it's going
to take a tremendous push from President Bush and from Democratic and
Republican leaders to get this done."
It is clear that the protests have raised some hackles. After the March
rally, Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, said he was deeply
offended by 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," Mr. Lott
said.
He suggested a risk of deportation and said, "We had them all in a
bunch, you know what I mean?"