VTMBH Article: Body
A large billboard posted this weekend by ProjectUSA marked the return of anti-immigrant sentiment to New York in full force. Immigration Will Double U.S. Population in Your Childs Lifetime, read the billboard, although ProjectUSA was careful not to put its name on the sign. The billboard quoted the U.S. Census Bureau as its source of information and referred passers-by to the website www.AmericaIsFull.com.
The group chose to launch its campaign to end immigration at the 116th Street/Kings Highway subway station in Brooklyn. The enormous sign caught the attention of many subway riders, like Mexican immigrant Susana Reyes.
Reyes, as she looked over the billboard from the subway platform, defied anyone to put an end to immigration. They will never be able to stop our people from coming here in search of jobs. We are necessary to this country. If they want us to prove our power, all we have to do is stop work for one day. Then they would see how paralyzed this city would be, said Reyes.
According to Craig Nelsen, director of ProjectUSA, the billboard is one of a hundred in a nationwide campaign that began three years ago. Nelsen promised that the campaign would continue until the level of immigration into the United States was reduced considerably. We want to help America, because if more people keep coming to this country, there will be serious consequences, he said.
Nelsen also criticized Hoy for calling the campaign racist, adding that the group only seeks to secure the future of American citizens. This [campaign] isnt a personal attack on immigrants. We are calling on the United States to monitor its borders with the same vigilance it applied to fighting terrorism after September 11th, said Nelsen, adding that the groups will lobby for laws that further limit even legal immigration.
However, immigrant communities in Brooklyn strongly disagree with Nelsen, and maintain that his efforts to end immigration will fail.
We come here for jobs because the United States has destroyed the Latin American economy. They have forced us to come here in search of a better future for our children, said Colombian immigrant Henry Achury.
The group chose to launch its campaign to end immigration at the 116th Street/Kings Highway subway station in Brooklyn. The enormous sign caught the attention of many subway riders, like Mexican immigrant Susana Reyes.
Reyes, as she looked over the billboard from the subway platform, defied anyone to put an end to immigration. They will never be able to stop our people from coming here in search of jobs. We are necessary to this country. If they want us to prove our power, all we have to do is stop work for one day. Then they would see how paralyzed this city would be, said Reyes.
According to Craig Nelsen, director of ProjectUSA, the billboard is one of a hundred in a nationwide campaign that began three years ago. Nelsen promised that the campaign would continue until the level of immigration into the United States was reduced considerably. We want to help America, because if more people keep coming to this country, there will be serious consequences, he said.
Nelsen also criticized Hoy for calling the campaign racist, adding that the group only seeks to secure the future of American citizens. This [campaign] isnt a personal attack on immigrants. We are calling on the United States to monitor its borders with the same vigilance it applied to fighting terrorism after September 11th, said Nelsen, adding that the groups will lobby for laws that further limit even legal immigration.
However, immigrant communities in Brooklyn strongly disagree with Nelsen, and maintain that his efforts to end immigration will fail.
We come here for jobs because the United States has destroyed the Latin American economy. They have forced us to come here in search of a better future for our children, said Colombian immigrant Henry Achury.