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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with David Ray, Maria Elena Durazo
Aired October 04, 2003 - 09:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARENA: More than 900 immigrant workers are racking up the miles this week. They've hit the road in 18 buses to draw national attention to immigrants' rights. The bus ride started in different states, and, along the way, they visited more than 100 cities and towns.
The ride wraps up today with a rally in New York. That's where we find Maria Elena Durazo, an organizer of the ride. She says U.S. immigrants should be granted open amnesty. David Ray of the Federation for American Immigration Reform says, not so fast. He is in Washington.
I thank you both for joining us.
DAVID RAY, FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM: Oh, it's great to be here!
ARENA: Maria Elena, let's start with you...
MARIA ELENA DURAZO, IMMIGRANT WORKERS FREEDOM RIDE: Good morning.
ARENA: What are were you hoping to accomplish?
DURAZO: What we're hoping to accomplish is to remind Americans of the contributions that immigrants have made from the birth of this nation, and they continue to make those contributions. They work hard, they pay taxes.
But right now, they're in the shadows of our society and the shadows of our economy. They want to come out. They are acting every single day as every American does, working hard, paying taxes, going to church, raising families. They need to have the rights that we have fought for generation after generation, just like everyone else.
ARENA: Well, we're talking about immigrants or illegal immigrants here?
RAY: Illegal immigrants.
DURAZO: We're talking all immigrants. We're talking about all immigrants.
RAY: No, we aren't.
DURAZO: We are talking about undocumented immigrants in addition to all immigrants (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
RAY: Right.
ARENA: All right, well, those are two separate...
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: ... very two, very separate groups. David?
RAY: Right. Listen, the primary purpose of this entire demonstration is to push for a general amnesty for 8 to 11 million illegal aliens who are currently in the country right now. And they're doing that by trying to hijack the sentiment and emotion from the American civil rights movement of the 1960s, and trying to take the emotion and the trauma this country went to and analgize -- and make an analogy with that to the -- to a tour, a bus tour, of illegal aliens riding around the country.
It's just a whole new category of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- disingenuity. It just doesn't wash.
DURAZO: Well, I think that you need to remember, you need to remember that the people who were in this national mobilization include citizens born here. They include citizens who are naturalized. They include immigrants of all generations. And what we're saying is, immigrants work hard right now, undocumented immigrants work hard right now. They pay taxes.
And we ought not to keep them in the shadows. The question is, are we going to keep them here, working hard in the fields, working hard in the hospitals, working hard in tourism industry, in construction, in health care? They are in every single industry. They are essential to our nation. They're essential to our economy. And it is only right that we change and we fix the immigration laws, because they don't fit anybody's needs.
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: Maria Elena, do you think that...
DURAZO: ... live in denial.
ARENA: Maria Elena, do you think the time, the climate, is right? I mean, whether you're talking illegal or citizens that have chosen to come here in a normal -- using a normal route, do you think that the climate is right to hear this message?
DURAZO: Look, the normal route, what would have people say to Martin Luther King about the normal route and the time?
RAY: Oh, come on! No.
DURAZO: What did people say to women who were fighting for the right to win the right to vote?
The time is now, because immigrants are suffering enormously because they don't have rights on the job. They're discriminated against, and employers take advantage of that. That is what hurts all workers on the job. We can't have two tiers, an underground economy. That wasn't -- that's not what America stands for. America stands for the highest standard for all people.
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: OK, David, let me let you get...
DURAZO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARENA: ... let me let you get a say in. Go ahead.
RAY: I mean, come on, here we have a group of people who, first of all, thumb their nose at U.S. immigration laws, and then ride around the country trying to blanket themselves in a status of victimhood. I mean, this is a joke.
America has a very generous immigration policy. We take in more than a million legal immigrants every year. Illegal immigration is out of control. We'll never regain control of borders by pushing for another illegal alien amnesty.
You know, these people are in the country illegally. The presence of millions and millions of illegal aliens in the country depresses wages and working conditions for American families. The best thing that could ever happen to American families would be for us to get control of our borders and to regain control of the immigration policy overall.
Trying to analgize -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- make an analogy with the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s just doesn't wash.
ARENA: Well, Maria...
RAY: Yesterday here...
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: ... I'm going to interrupt him. Maria Elena...
DURAZO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
ARENA: ... obviously there are some concerns, as we fight this -- the war on terror. Does that present an even bigger challenge for you when it comes to the issue of amnesty?
DURAZO: Well, let me just say this. Does make sense for 8 to 10 million people to live in the shadows, to not be recognized? Does that make sense for national security? I don't think so. What makes sense for our national security, what makes sense for what's right in this society, is for people not to live in secret, for people not to live in fear.
After all, every day they do work hard. They clean your buildings, they clean the toilets, they pick the fruit. Why is it, when it comes to recognizing them, we don't want to go that far?
ARENA: All right. David, you know what, I'm going to -- I'm sorry, you know what? I'm going to...
DURAZO: That is not right for this country. Let me just say one more thing. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
RAY: Let me, let me, let me get in a word.
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: I can't give David any more time...
DURAZO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARENA: ... you know what? I'm going to have to...
DURAZO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
ARENA: ... both off to be fair. But thank you very much, both of you, for joining us.
RAY: Thank you.
DURAZO: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 4, 2003 - 09:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARENA: More than 900 immigrant workers are racking up the miles this week. They've hit the road in 18 buses to draw national attention to immigrants' rights. The bus ride started in different states, and, along the way, they visited more than 100 cities and towns.
The ride wraps up today with a rally in New York. That's where we find Maria Elena Durazo, an organizer of the ride. She says U.S. immigrants should be granted open amnesty. David Ray of the Federation for American Immigration Reform says, not so fast. He is in Washington.
I thank you both for joining us.
DAVID RAY, FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM: Oh, it's great to be here!
ARENA: Maria Elena, let's start with you...
MARIA ELENA DURAZO, IMMIGRANT WORKERS FREEDOM RIDE: Good morning.
ARENA: What are were you hoping to accomplish?
DURAZO: What we're hoping to accomplish is to remind Americans of the contributions that immigrants have made from the birth of this nation, and they continue to make those contributions. They work hard, they pay taxes.
But right now, they're in the shadows of our society and the shadows of our economy. They want to come out. They are acting every single day as every American does, working hard, paying taxes, going to church, raising families. They need to have the rights that we have fought for generation after generation, just like everyone else.
ARENA: Well, we're talking about immigrants or illegal immigrants here?
RAY: Illegal immigrants.
DURAZO: We're talking all immigrants. We're talking about all immigrants.
RAY: No, we aren't.
DURAZO: We are talking about undocumented immigrants in addition to all immigrants (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
RAY: Right.
ARENA: All right, well, those are two separate...
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: ... very two, very separate groups. David?
RAY: Right. Listen, the primary purpose of this entire demonstration is to push for a general amnesty for 8 to 11 million illegal aliens who are currently in the country right now. And they're doing that by trying to hijack the sentiment and emotion from the American civil rights movement of the 1960s, and trying to take the emotion and the trauma this country went to and analgize -- and make an analogy with that to the -- to a tour, a bus tour, of illegal aliens riding around the country.
It's just a whole new category of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- disingenuity. It just doesn't wash.
DURAZO: Well, I think that you need to remember, you need to remember that the people who were in this national mobilization include citizens born here. They include citizens who are naturalized. They include immigrants of all generations. And what we're saying is, immigrants work hard right now, undocumented immigrants work hard right now. They pay taxes.
And we ought not to keep them in the shadows. The question is, are we going to keep them here, working hard in the fields, working hard in the hospitals, working hard in tourism industry, in construction, in health care? They are in every single industry. They are essential to our nation. They're essential to our economy. And it is only right that we change and we fix the immigration laws, because they don't fit anybody's needs.
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: Maria Elena, do you think that...
DURAZO: ... live in denial.
ARENA: Maria Elena, do you think the time, the climate, is right? I mean, whether you're talking illegal or citizens that have chosen to come here in a normal -- using a normal route, do you think that the climate is right to hear this message?
DURAZO: Look, the normal route, what would have people say to Martin Luther King about the normal route and the time?
RAY: Oh, come on! No.
DURAZO: What did people say to women who were fighting for the right to win the right to vote?
The time is now, because immigrants are suffering enormously because they don't have rights on the job. They're discriminated against, and employers take advantage of that. That is what hurts all workers on the job. We can't have two tiers, an underground economy. That wasn't -- that's not what America stands for. America stands for the highest standard for all people.
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: OK, David, let me let you get...
DURAZO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARENA: ... let me let you get a say in. Go ahead.
RAY: I mean, come on, here we have a group of people who, first of all, thumb their nose at U.S. immigration laws, and then ride around the country trying to blanket themselves in a status of victimhood. I mean, this is a joke.
America has a very generous immigration policy. We take in more than a million legal immigrants every year. Illegal immigration is out of control. We'll never regain control of borders by pushing for another illegal alien amnesty.
You know, these people are in the country illegally. The presence of millions and millions of illegal aliens in the country depresses wages and working conditions for American families. The best thing that could ever happen to American families would be for us to get control of our borders and to regain control of the immigration policy overall.
Trying to analgize -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- make an analogy with the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1960s just doesn't wash.
ARENA: Well, Maria...
RAY: Yesterday here...
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: ... I'm going to interrupt him. Maria Elena...
DURAZO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
ARENA: ... obviously there are some concerns, as we fight this -- the war on terror. Does that present an even bigger challenge for you when it comes to the issue of amnesty?
DURAZO: Well, let me just say this. Does make sense for 8 to 10 million people to live in the shadows, to not be recognized? Does that make sense for national security? I don't think so. What makes sense for our national security, what makes sense for what's right in this society, is for people not to live in secret, for people not to live in fear.
After all, every day they do work hard. They clean your buildings, they clean the toilets, they pick the fruit. Why is it, when it comes to recognizing them, we don't want to go that far?
ARENA: All right. David, you know what, I'm going to -- I'm sorry, you know what? I'm going to...
DURAZO: That is not right for this country. Let me just say one more thing. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
RAY: Let me, let me, let me get in a word.
(CROSSTALK)
ARENA: I can't give David any more time...
DURAZO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARENA: ... you know what? I'm going to have to...
DURAZO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
ARENA: ... both off to be fair. But thank you very much, both of you, for joining us.
RAY: Thank you.
DURAZO: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
