Rift Could Diminish Boycott's Strength; Area Immigrant Groups Argue Over Movement's Path
Some local activists predicted that thousands of Washington area immigrants would participate in a national economic boycott today, but immigrant groups who have spoken out against the boycott said they fear that the immigration reform movement is being commandeered to promote political causes beyond immigration.</br></br>The public tug of war, which continued in the Washington area yesterday on Spanish-language radio, could result in more limited participation in the region than is expected in Dallas and Los Angeles, where the organizers of last month's massive protests have been more unified in support of today's boycott, which asks immigrants to refrain from buying goods and to stay home from work and school.</br></br>Police in Los Angeles said they expect a rally that could draw as many as a half-million people. Some major national firms that rely heavily on immigrant labor said they would close for the day. Perdue Farms said about half of its chicken processing plants would close, and Tyson Foods Inc. said nine of its 15 beef and pork plants will not operate.</br></br>Local business owners said they did not know what to expect. Some said they would close, and several construction firms said they would allow their employees to take the day off.</br></br>Ricardo Juarez, coordinator of Mexicans Without Borders in Northern Virginia, and a local leader of the boycott, predicted that "real economic impact" would be felt in the Washington area.