WOODLAND HILLS : Proposals to Restrict Illegal Immigrant Rights Protested
More than two dozen Latino college students staged a noontime rally Friday in front of the Woodland Hills office of Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson to protest legislation he has proposed to restrict the rights of illegal immigrants and their children. Beilenson last month introduced a series of such bills, including one to amend the Constitution to deny citizenship to the illegal immigrants’ children born in the United States.
“These bills are part of a growing movement of racism,” said Juan Luis Vela, president of the Cal State Northridge chapter of MEChA, a Chicano student group. Vela and others said laws creating more restrictions on illegal immigrants would prompt authorities to question and harass anyone who appears to be Latino.
Beilenson press aide Kay Van Horn said the proposals, which also call for beefing up Border Patrol forces, are “absolutely not” intended to be racist.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
