Immigrants skipped work and school to gather throughout cities in Ventura County early on Monday to protest House Resolution 4437, a bill that proposes toughening immigration laws.

The local May Day boycott was part of a nationwide effort to highlight the role of immigrants in the American economy. Politicians are debating whether they should criminalize undocumented immigrants and toughen boarder security.

The daylong boycott had a mixed result on residents and businesses in Camarillo, Simi Valley and Moorpark.

"We didn't cross the border, you crossed us," said protesters, referring to the history books.

Patricia Torres, whose family has been in Moorpark for decades, took part in the rally early Monday. By noontime, a crowd of more than 100 had accumulated at the intersection of Spring Road and Los Angeles Avenue and more were coming.

"The turnout is amazing," Torres said. "We all know people who are going to be affected."

Immigrants have contributed much to this society, she said, and there are a great number of children of legal and illegal immigrants who are serving in Iraq.

The local demonstration attracted people of all vocations and ages, according to Torres. They were holding signs and American flags.

Truckers honked loudly as they passed through Moorpark. "All of our African American brothers and sisters are honking in support," Torres said.

Some people pointed the finger disapprovingly as well, she said, noting the opponents were all Caucasians.

While demonstrators gathered en masse, many immigrants were still at work on Monday because they were concerned about the repercussions of participating, according to Torres' sister, Christina Torres.

"Illegal immigrants are also afraid to show up," she said.

Some businesses closed to honor the boycott; others remained open.

Mitchell Crespi, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Camarillo, said the labor boycott didn't affect his hotel.

Only five of his 50 employees- 80 percent of whom are Hispanic- weren't at work on Monday.

"Each of the (absent) employees had prearranged to take the day off and weren't considered 'walk-off' workers," he said.

Craig Underwood, owner of Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, was forced to close down his 1,000-acre farm on Monday when only 10 field workers showed up, he said. Typically, the farm- which has been in operation since the 1860s-employs about 100 field workers per day.

"The objective (of the boycott) is to demonstrate the value of the immigrant workforce to our economy and to our business in general," Underwood said, supportive of the demonstrations because immigrants are critical to the farming industry.

"We wouldn't be able to harvest if we didn't have these people," Underwood said.

Undocumented immigrants aren't necessarily cheaper; rather, they have the skills to do the work, according to Underwood. Wages for his field workers range from $6.75 to about $14 per hour.

"If they weren't here, the work would not get done, period. The business would move to Mexico or someplace else," Underwood said.

Steve Frank, a community activist who lives in Simi Valley, doesn't agree. Illegal immigration is plainly criminal, he said. The rallies should remind all honest Hispanics that illegal aliens are taking their jobs. "They're crowding schools and taking away healthcare," Frank said.

Frank said many illegal immigrants sneak into this country, contrasting them with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who waited in line and went though the proper channels.

Illegal immigrants also make jobs and affordable housing hard to come by, he said.

Peter Foy, a Simi Valley resident who's running against Judy Mikels for a seat on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, agreed. Illegal immigration is costly to the county, he said.

The county pays for healthcare and incarcerates close to 100 illegal immigrants without much reimbursement from the federal government, Foy said.

There are many avenues for people to come here legally, he said. As far as supporting those who are here illegally, Foy asked, "If you steal a car and people catch you, should they say now you can have the car?"

"It's a complicated issue that won't be solved overnight, but we do need to secure our borders and stop the flow," Foy said.

Of the 7,500 Ventura County employees, only 50 were absent from work on Monday for "unauthorized leave," said Barry Zimmerman, director of human resources for the county.

Camarillo's city services weren't disrupted either, said City Manager Jerry Bankston.

The number of students reported absent in the Pleasant Valley School District doubled from a typical 3 percent to 7 percent Monday, Superin

tendent Tom Dase said the boycott

had a minor overall impact.

HR-4437 (The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005) was passed by the U. S. House of Representatives on Dec. 16, 2005 by a vote of 239 to 182. This bill is currently under consideration by the U. S. Senate, after amendment by the Senate Judiciary Committee. HR-4437 is the catalyst for the immigration protests that took place on Monday and in late March. It was the first piece of legislation passed by a house of Congress in the U. S. immigration debate.

In a Nutshell