nwasianweekly.com
April 26, 2008

Proposed ‘illegal immigrant tag’ game draws protests

By Kati Little
Northwest Asian Weekly

The College Republicans at the University of Washington planned a game of “Find the illegal immigrant tag” for April 15 on the UW campus. In response, more than 10 cultural and human rights groups organized a pro-immigration coalition.

The event was subsequently called off.

In an e-mail announcing the event, Tom Walker, president of the UW chapter for College Republicans, wrote, “This event has been done at Texas State, Boise State and NYU, and makes a clear statement that we need to get serious and crack down on illegal immigration and secure our borders.”

At NYU, students pretending to be officers of the Immigration and Naturalization Service chased a club member wearing a nametag stating “Illegal Immigrant,” with the winner receiving a gift card.

Instead of a rowdy game of tag, however, students here were greeted with traditional Aztec dancing and speakers for pro-immigration reform. Three members from Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc introduced the forum with beating drums and wearing prominent pheasant headdresses.

The pro-immigration coalition included students, faculty and community members and was organized by Hala Dillsi, 22, a senate liaison for Associated Students of UW. Dillsi said the purpose of the demonstration was to show the accord of pro-immigration groups on campus.

“Immigrants are a part of this campus, and a part of what keeps this country going,” said Dillsi.

“We’re trying to send a positive message of unity in our community,” said Maria Guillen, 21, spokesperson for the coalition. “These are communities coming to show that these activities aren’t supported on this campus.”

Not only did the demonstration draw cultural groups like Movimiento Estudintil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) and First Nation, but also human rights groups like Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) and Israeli Occupation Must End.

“We’re giving recognition that immigration affects the human race,” said Alex Gamboa, 20, chapter leader of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition.

Chants of “immigration rights are human rights” opened and closed the forum. “They should not make rules about who can be here and who cannot be here,” said Dillsi. “All immigrants are illegal because this is indigenous land, this is stolen land.”

Phil Hunt, advisor to the College Republicans, said he discussed the game of tag with members of the club. He said the meeting was confidential, and that the game was officially cancelled on Friday, April 11.

The major qualm against the immigrant tag game was the racist, politically incorrect structure of the game, coalition members said.

“They didn’t approach it in the right way,” said Mayra Rangel, 21, spokesperson for MEChA. “I don’t appreciate the language that they use.”

“The whole idea of calling someone illegal is a scapegoat. The tag is racist and disgusting,” said Jessie Kindig, 25, a member of International Socialist Organization.

“When we think of ‘illegal immigrants,’ we think of brown people and people of color,” said Dillsi. “Ignorance and racism are not welcome.”

The proper identification is undocumented immigrants, according to the coalition. “The language they’re using is not progressive for immigration reform,” Guillen said.

“Communities of color are being targeted and we need to talk about that,” said Dillsi. “We have a chance to frame the issues on our own terms.”

Dillsi is in the process of organizing a dialogue with the College Republicans to discuss immigration laws and reform.

Sheila Edwards Lange, the vice president/vice provost for minority affairs & diversity, said in an e-mail sent out to community members April 11, “Although this event is controversial and deeply offensive to many students and others, the university is not in a position to restrict the College Republicans’ right to express their point of view. While we would not infringe upon any group’s right to free expression on campus, no matter how controversial or offensive, we do attempt to offer additional events and activities that provide balanced points of view.

“Part of our responsibility as a university is to address the topic of immigration in nuanced and scholarly ways that do not demean individuals, simplify complex issues and harden positions. UW is proud to count among its faculty many scholars who study immigration from both a national and global perspective. Students have the opportunity to engage these issues in serious, non-biased ways in classrooms, research projects and conferences. We pledge to do more in the coming weeks to make these kinds of forums more visible and accessible.”

Walker of the College Republicans wrote in a Facebook message, “(The game) was cancelled with the understanding and an agreement from the other side that they would work with us to put on a debate or forum on the topic.”

“The only thing that can drive hatred away is love, compassion and open-mindedness,” said Roberto Maestas, executive director of El Centro de la Raza. “You cancelled it; that’s a victory.”

Kati Little is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory. She can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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