‘Ship them back,’ says opponent of Senate immigration bill

Sharon Overholser knows what she would do with the 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.

“Ship them back,” she said Tuesday morning at a rally in front of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Sawtelle office. About 15 fellow demonstrators held signs reading “No Amnesty,” “Support American Workers” and “Uphold Our Laws.”

The corner of Sepulveda and Santa Monica boulevards has also seen demonstrations by pro-immigrant groups as the Senate debates a sweeping immigration overhaul. On Tuesday, anti-amnesty groups held events around the country as part of a “Remember 86” day of action.

“Remember 86” is a reference to 1986, the last time Congress passed a mass legalization measure. Since then, millions more immigrants have crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visas.

Overholser, 48, of Pomona, fears that her young nieces and nephews “are not going to get squat if these jokers stay where they are.

“They need to go,” she said.

Raymond Herrera, president and founder of We the People California’s Crusader, does not believe the polls showing a majority of Americans in favor of legal status for people who have entered the U.S. illegally.

“The American people are adamantly against amnesty of any shape or form,” he said.

Robin Hvidston, executive director of the Crusader group, began the event by holding up a copy of the 844-page Senate bill, which provides a 13-year path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants if border security goals are met. Hvidston called the bipartisan bill a “monstrosity.”

Lupe Moreno told the small crowd that “illegal aliens” are murderers, thieves and liars.

“They’ve completely taken over our areas and our neighborhoods, which have become Third World countries,” said Moreno, president of Latino Americans for Immigration Reform.

A group of men in white painters’ clothes walked by, conversing in Spanish.

“It’s crazy,” one of them said of the rally before crossing the street.

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Twitter: @cindychangLA

cindy.chang@latimes.com