After Protests, Backlash Grows

WaPo While a series of marches focused much of the nation's attention on the plight of illegal immigrants, scores of other Americans quietly seethed. Now, with the same full-throated cry expressed by those in the country illegally, they are shouting back.

One day of marches, and now the backlash starts.

Congressional leaders in Washington have gotten bricks in the mail from a group that advocates building a border fence, states in the West and South have drawn up tough anti-immigrant laws, and ordinary citizens, such as Janis McDonald of Pennsylvania, who considers herself a liberal, are not mincing words in expressing their displeasure. "Send them back," McDonald said. "Build a damn wall and be done with it."

I second the motion. Particularly building the wall. I dont think it is feasible to round everyone that is here up and deport them, but I favor creation of an unforgable card with biometric data, making them available at low cost to a certain number of people wanting to come in from outside the US, and at a much higher cost to those already here (as a fine for their illegal entry), and requiring employeers to report the numbers from the cards for all employees.

The anger evoked a word that immigrant organizers who opposed Monday's boycott feared: backlash. McDonald and other Americans were particularly disturbed by Monday's boycott and civil action, attended in large part by people who entered the country illegally and are now demanding rights enjoyed by U.S.-born citizens and immigrants who entered the country legally.