Hillary Clinton gets UFW endorsement during stop in Salinas

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_8052076?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

She wants to put workers on path to legal residency
By CLAUDIA MELÉNDEZ SALINAS
Herald Salinas Bureau
Article Last Updated: 01/23/2008 08:51:52 AM PST

Slideshow

* Hillary Clinton's campaign stop in Salinas: http://extras.montereyherald.com/slideshows/ClintonSalinas0122/index.html



Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton swept through Salinas on Tuesday to pick up the formal endorsement of the United Farm Workers union, which represents about 27,000 field workers nationwide.

"We've had a chance to listen to all of the candidates," said Arturo Rodriguez, president of the UFW. "But the unanimous decision from the farmworker movement is to support the strongest person, the most experienced to take on the task to be the next president of the United States of America."

In an event that drew an enthusiastic crowd of nearly 3,000 to Hartnell College, Clinton promised to push for legislation that would put farmworkers on the path to legal residency, enforce border security and promote economic help south of the border to prevent people from being forced to leave their homeland for employment.

Rather than deporting 12 million illegal immigrants — as some have suggested — Clinton said if she were elected she would bring them out of the shadows and give them legalization papers.

"They should pay a fine, back taxes and learn English ... but once (they're) registered, they should be able to have legal status in America, and be on (their) way to citizenship," she said.

People from all over the Central Coast began lining up at 10 a.m. outside the Hartnell gym, four hours before the event, for a chance to see Clinton, who has strong support in the area, said Monterey County Democrats.

FULL story at link.