Patricia Ashworth protests outside Del Sol High School on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. President Barack Obama will sign executive orders initiating immigration reform at the school this afternoon.
Friday, Nov. 21, 2014 | 11:23 a.m.
Leonel Flores, 46, protests with his wife, Cristina Gutierrez, outside of Del Sol High School, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014.
D'Nese Davis, 52, protests outside of Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014.
Robert Lauten of Orange County, Calif., protests outside Del Sol High School on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. President Barack Obama will sign executive orders initiating immigration reform at the school this afternoon.
The national rancor over immigration spilled onto a quiet Las Vegas high school campus this morning, as protesters on both sides of the issue turned out for President Obama’s visit to the school.
Across from Del Sol High School, where Obama made a follow-up speech to further address the immigration reforms he outlined Thursday in his address to the nation, 45-year-old Rick Hillis stood with about 25 protesters critical of Obama’s initiative.
“We’re compassionate about illegals, but they broke the law,” said Hillis, who identified himself as a veteran who served five years in Desert Storm. “They’re taking jobs, housing and benefits from veterans. We have to take care of our own first.”
Hillis said he also agreed with Republican leaders and others who have criticized Obama for acting unilaterally on the issue through issuing an executive order as opposed to working with Congress on bipartisan reform measures. The Obama administration and its supporters have said the president acted well within the law and was justified in taking action given that GOP leaders have not taken the lead on the issue.
“(Obama) is governing by himself without Congress,” Hillis said.
Around Hillis were protesters carrying signs with such messages as “No amnesty, deport Obama,” and “Impeach Obama.”
D'Nese Davis, 52, held a sign reading "Stop Illegal Immigration" in one hand and an American flag in the other. Davis, the wife of a Navy veteran, said she was protesting to make it known that Obama bypassed Congress and that what's happening now isn't law and "isn't right."
"He can wait until January to get things done. He can go through Congress. He can help pass some of the 350 bills on Harry Reid's desk," Davis said.
Their protest drew shouts from a competing group, Promise Arizona, which gathered on the Del Sol campus across Patrick Street from those critical of Obama. Fifteen-year-old Alexander Media, one of 21 high school students who traveled from Phoenix to be on hand for the signing, said the reforms would have a direct effect on his family by allowing his pregnant mother, an undocumented immigrant, to remain in the country legally.
“My mother was happy that she won’t have to be afraid anymore,” he said.
Christian Bocardo, a 16-year-old member of the Promise Arizona group, said he and his fellow protesters were pressing for further reforms.
“Yesterday’s speech gave us hope, but there’s lots of people who weren’t included,” he said.
“Today, we’re hoping to see more.”
When more actions were not announced, specifically some kind of benefit for parents of “DACAmented” youth (those who have received temporary relief through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program), Bocardo was disappointed.
“The speech was the same as last night. These things are good, but it doesn’t protect my parents,” Bocardo said, who is DACAmented himself.
Bocardo’s sentiments were reflected by a young man in the audience during Obama’s speech.
When the president acknowledged that parents of DACAmented would not benefit from the new policies, the man cried out from the audience, apparently yelling in protest. According to members of the audience, the man was brought to tears and did not stop his protests until a security guard came over and quieted him after Obama addressed the interruption.
“I've heard you. Young man, I'm talking to a lot of people here,” Obama said. “I've been respectful to you. I want you to be respectful of me."
The speech itself outlined no more on the policy end than did Thursday’s address. The audience, estimated at 1,600 people, stood through the entire 33-minute speech. They cheered most enthusiastically when Obama spoke on his determination to get a comprehensive immigration bill to pass through Congress.
“I will not give up,” Obama said, to which the crowd erupted in chants of “Si, se puede!” or “Yes, we can!”
While the president spoke, protest groups continued to stand across from the high school and grew in number.
Esperanza Savela, 39, positioned herself just down the sidewalk from the anti-Obama protesters. She held a sign saying "We Love Obama" made of yellow crepe paper, the words written in fat black marker. She said she spent time in Arizona recently, volunteering with organizations that helped care for the recent surge of illegal immigration by Latin American children.
"There's a lot of Hispanics underground who can't vote, they can't express anything. These changes will definitely make a difference in their lives," Savela said. Savela is a first-generation American and a Vegas local.
Roger Ogden, who helped organize the anti-Obama protest, held a sign with a digitally altered photograph of Obama in which he is depicted placing a crown on his head.
“I don’t think this action is legal or constitutional. It’s too sweeping,” Ogden said. “Sure, presidents have used executive action before, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.”
As the audience trickled out of the high school, they were heckled by the anti-Obama protesters with chants of “Shame on you!”
Pro-Obama protesters, in particular a small group of young Latinos, countered, “This is what America looks like! This is who America loves!”
They held a sign that read, in blue and red paint, “Obama don’t leave, We all matter.”
Danielle McCrae is a freelance journalist who also is a writer and editor for FileRight, a San Francisco-based business that provides digital technology to help file immigration paperwork.
