Taking a stand
Immigration: John Collins's non-Latino co-workers are at work today after he protested the company's decision to close in support of immigration-related protests, but Mr. Collins is not there
Lynn Vincent

John Collins worked his way up from day laborer to area manager at the Oklahoma City branch of TruGreen LandCare, a division of the national conglomerate Servicemaster. But on April 27, he quit -- the direct result of TruGreen's decision last week to close down operations in its Red River region on May 1 so that its Latino workers could participate in immigration-related protests.

But it wasn't just that: In Oklahoma City, non-Latino TruGreen workers wouldn't be allowed to work either. And all work missed on May 1 would be made up on Saturday, May 6 -- normally a day off.

The trouble began before that. Angered by demonstrations earlier this month in which Latinos and their supporters poured into the streets demanding amnesty for illegal workers, Mr. Collins, 32, had already written to his congressmen and senators. Watching the massive marches on television was "like driving a knife right through me," said the 10-year military veteran. "I couldn't believe people would stand for that. That is absolutely against every American principle that I fought for and believe in." the rest