Large immigration rally is planned for Riverside
Toni Callas
Inquirer
Aug 18, 2006
Thousands of immigrants and their supporters are expected to show up in Riverside on Sunday to protest the township's passage of a law that prohibits the hiring and housing of illegal immigrants.
Busloads of people from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware are expected to attend the 2 p.m. event outside City Hall, on Scott Street.
Organizers with the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, a Washington-based advocacy group with branches throughout the country, said supporters would include members of the New Jersey Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"We are hoping to increase the pressure on the township officials and get them to realize that the ordinance is not positive for the town," said Maite Arce, the executive vice president of the national organization.
The ordinance bans hiring or renting to illegal immigrants; employers and landlords face a $1,000 fine for each violation. It also denies business permits and municipal contracts and grants to employers of illegal immigrants.
"It's hurt business. People are leaving," Arce said. "It's increased discrimination and hostility among the non-Latino residents and the local immigrants, who don't feel safe."
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