There’s debate swirling around whether or not the May 1st boycott will be beneficial to the emerging immigrant rights movement or if it will be damaging, further inciting scorn from the mainstream its meant to convince. The most outspoken voice of opposition to the boycott is a guy who’s got a lot of pull among Latinos in L.A. (Catholic and not, given his support of more open immigration laws and the recent demonstrations)– Cardinal Mahony:

Cardinal Roger Mahony, a vocal leader of the marches against congressional attempts to crackdown on illegal immigration, does not support a planned student and worker boycott on May 1.

“Go to work. Go to school. And then join thousands of us at a major rally afterwards,” Mahony said in a prepared statement.

Mahony also said “that he will instruct his priests in all 288 parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese to defy the relevant provisions of the Sensenbrenner-King Bill in protest, if they becomes law.” Should and will Latinos listen to him?

What do you think? Will a boycott help significantly further the cause or set it back? Counter-productive or necessary?

Via / KABC.com