Latino Protest of INS Attracts Small Turnout

Angry about the presence of a new immigration office in Oxnard, Latino advocates rallied Saturday in an attempt to draw residents to their cause.

The six protesters who marched from Colonia Park to Del Sol Park carrying Mexican flags said the 3-month-old Immigration and Naturalization Office in Oxnard is one more way the government tries to intimidate Latinos.

“It sends warning signs to us,” said Christian Ramirez, who lives on the Mexico border near San Diego and is a volunteer for the National Chicano Moratorium Committee.

Congress passed a measure in 1997 to open INS offices, similar to the one in Oxnard, around the country to function as fingerprinting centers.

Speakers asked the small group of observers to fight for their rights.

“We say that the Mexican people have to unite into one powerful organization,” said Ernesto Bustillos, who is also from the Latino advocacy group.

Organizers also said the government uses Propositions 187 and 227 to mute people of color.

The loss of bilingual education programs in public schools was one reason 14-year-old Monique Osuna of Oxnard marched through La Colonia on Saturday.

“There’s going to be a lot of students not knowing what they’re doing,” Monique said, voicing her fears about going back to Hueneme High School in the fall. “They’re going to be losing out on their education.”

The Committee on Raza Rights, a local chapter of the National Chicano Moratorium Committee, was not deterred by the small turnout.

“Obviously there’s a lack of political consciousness in our community. We understand that,” Bustillos said. “And that’s why there are not a lot of people here today.”

Similar events will be planned in the future, said committee coordinator Francisco Romero.

“This is one of many things that we’ll continue to do until we get a wide spectrum of support,” he said.