This theme emerged at a "Symposium on Immigration Issues and the Law," held here at Our Lady of the Lake University October 1–2. Seventy people attended the conference.

The symposium was initiated by the Nacho Pérez Defense Committee. (Pérez is one of two San Antonio activists who have been indicted for "shielding illegal aliens." Pérez is free on bond and no date has been set for his trial. The other activist, Mario Cantú, was sentenced September 27 to five years' probation and a $3,000 fine.)

The symposium began the evening of October 1 with the showing of The Unwanted, a film about undocumented workers. Gilberto Cárdenas, director of the Mexican-American Studies Center at the University of Texas at Austin, spoke the following morning.

"Mexican aliens are blamed for all social problems," he said. "And the INS is the major proponent for this attitude."

Former Texas State Sen. Joe Bernal also spoke. He blasted the discriminatory enforcement of immigration laws.

"When the United States has a need for cheap labor, it pulls in immigrants," Bernal charged.

"But when the United States is in a recession--as it has been the past four or five years--it pushes them out."

Several proposals for organizing against the INS were discussed in workshops and approved by the general meeting.  
 
October 22, 1951
LOS ANGELES, Oct.14--As the strike of 10,000 Douglas Aircraft workers at the Long Beach plant neared the end of its sixth week, President Truman directed the War Stabilization Board to intervene and effect a "settlement." This is the largest and longest strike of aircraft workers in this area since the North American strike of 10 years ago was broken by the use of army troops.

The length and effectiveness of the present strike indicate a serious effort by the UAW to bring aircraft wages and conditions in this area up to the standards in other parts of the country.

With a unanimous vote of 8,000 workers to uphold their bargaining committee, the strike began at midnight Sept. 4th. The demands of the union are: (1) Elimination of the "merit" system and rate ranges which enable the company to use favoritism; (2) a union shop; (3) improved steward system and (4) a wage increase of ten percent plus ten cents a hour retroactive to the dates when these increases were given to workers in other Douglas plants at El Segundo and Santa Monica.

Federal government mediators have been giving the union a run-around from here to Washington and back again but with no effect so far. Truman's directive to the War Stabilization Board was accompanied by the usual strike-breaking formula of "hoping" the workers would go back to their jobs while the Wage Stabilization Board pressured the union committee to take something less than their demands. However, local strike leaders announced yesterday that "as of now" the workers were not going back.  
 
 
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