My Day Without an Immigrant

There are amazing photos from the 400,000 May 1, 2006 mega-march in Chicago and from the others around the country.
Where do I stand?
I am still conflicted on “we must follow the rules vs. fix those miserable countries the discontented come from vs. let those tenacious undocumented work legally, etc.” stance.
To help me decide, do I dig out “my great-grandparents were immigrants/my husband is a legal immigrant?”
Are the undocumented really taking jobs from those who deserve them?
Don’t ask me. I just know the immigration system is faulty. An example would be my own husband, an upstanding Mexican-Jewish academic who waited in limbo for two years for his permanent residency/green card and because of a snag couldn’t attend his own brother’s wedding in Mexico because of the criminalization of immigrants.
I stayed up late to watch the news Channel 2 CBS, Ch. 5, Ch. 7, Univision, Telemundo.
There was amazing coverage from New York, Chicago, Trenton, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Portland as well as from rural states and areas! There was
euphoria on the faces of the marchers. Indignation from those opposing.
I was, however, disappointed that my newest, latest obsession, the Scottish Craig Ferguson, the host of the Late, Late Show said nothing about it on his monologue.
I was this close to bringing my two little boys to the march – but the rain….
Instead, I took a Black friend, Latoya, the mother of my son's classmate, shopping at Unique Thrift shop (in a mostly Mexican neighborhood). Monday is half-price day. On the way to Unique we were discussing the march, the proposed legislation all this hullaballoo inspired and noting which stores were closed. Amazingly the thrift store was packed.
After, I promised my 4-year-old son Benjamin & 2-year-old son Judah a corn on a stick from the Mexican supermarket Pete’s Fresh Market. I think Greeks own it and all the workers are Mexican. The products are Mexican, fresh and cheap.
I had a few groceries I wanted to buy.
The sad shocker: Pete’s was CLOSED. Guys were playing football/soccer in the empty parking lot.
We had to go to Hyde Park Produce in our neighborhood. One neighborhood activist and landscaper Jack Spicer was there excitedly talking with the owner. All the employees there are Mexican. Jack had been to the march from 10 am to 4 pm.
“You should have been there Dina,” he said.
Hmmm…
“There’ll be more," said Jack.
Oh, by the way, my immigrant husband went to work.