Crowds of Dartmouth students took part in a series of national protests Monday with their own rally on the Green in support of illegal immigrants, all while an airplane banner flew overhead demanding that illegal immigrants go home.
A group of 90 people, comprised mostly of students, marched through Hanover before ending at the Green where attendance swelled into the hundreds for the noontime rally.
"We will not stand for the exploitation of workers," said Tina Catania '03, the rally's unofficial master of ceremonies. "We will not stand for the racism anymore."
The 1.5 hour-long rally featured political speeches from professors and students and ended with a short guitar performance.
History professor Annelise Orleck argued that legislation needs to change to protect immigrants and their children.
"At this moment when we are spending billions and billions and billions of dollars on bombs, planes and devastation in Iraq," she said, "we can afford to feed a few schoolchildren who come across the border whose families may or may not have legal status,"
Spanish professor Silvia Spitta, who said her immigration papers are still being processed, encouraged an immigration debate that goes beyond stereotypes.
"Every time the U.S. government is in trouble, every time the polls go down, there is an immigration debate," Spita said. "It's really not a debate and as the professor I am, I would say, 'read a little bit.'"
Some of the students on the march through Hanover to the Green were personally affected by the immigration issue.
Norberto Morales '08, whose grandparents immigrated to San Diego illegally from northern Mexico, said he does not believe politicians' debates over immigration have pure motives.
"Most of the time they're trying to do it for votes anyway," he said, adding that he understands why people might worry about waves of people coming from Mexico but that these people simply want a better life. "This is really the ideal country."
Some students said that although an e-mail and poster advertising the rally called for students to cut class, they were going to class anyway. Many also said they were unsure about the answers to the immigration debate.
"Immigration is one of those things that people don't really think about but they should," Lisa Warren '07 said. "I think it's easy at Dartmouth to get caught up in our world."
As Catania spoke at the rally, an airplane appeared overhead carrying a banner that read, "Illegals are criminals -- Send them back." Dartmouth Review editor Dan Linsalata '07 later told The Dartmouth that the airplane was hired by several of the right-wing newspaper's staffers and others.
"Ignore them, they are wrong!" Catania said to those present at the rally as the airplane flew by.
Linsalata declined to elaborate on the plane's message, but said most of the staff at the Review did not know about the banner and that it was not paid for with the newspaper's money.
"Hmm. That puts a bit of a damper on 'solidarity.' A pity," someone posted under a picture of the banner on the Review's weblog.
"We're making them talk, that's all the matters," organizer Elizabeth Mendoza '08 said. "They might have the money but look at this; we have the people."
Staff reporter Katy O'Donnell contributed in reporting for this article.
