Notoriety of President Morales Roils Area's Bolivian Community

On weekend nights, the dance floor at Cecilia's Club in Arlington County pulsates with strobe lights and salsa dancers. But one recent Saturday afternoon, this social hub of the region's large Bolivian population became a sober forum for debate on the political storm that has convulsed the immigrants' native country and sent shock waves through their quiet, prosperous community.

The storm has a name: Evo Morales. He is the charismatic indigenous leader whose election as Bolivia's president just over a year ago brought new pride to the impoverished South American nation. Now, his radical rhetoric and friendships with foreign leftist leaders such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez are causing consternation in both Bolivia and the United States.

"People are always asking me about Morales. No one ever asked me about any Bolivian president before," said Miriam Rodriguez of Fairfax, who helped organize the forum. "But now we see him making mistakes, following in the steps of Chavez, being pushed to hate America. We want to make sure he does the right thing, because everyone is watching us now."

Greater Washington is home to the largest population of Bolivian immigrants in the United States, with 37 percent of the total. Census figures show that more than 20,000 Bolivian-born immigrants live in the area, but activists and diplomats say the community is more than three times that size. Although smaller and less visible than the area's Central American populace, Bolivians and Peruvians constitute its largest South American immigrant groups.

Bolivians are also one of the oldest and most successful Hispanic communities in the area. Most came here for economic reasons rather than fleeing conflict, and on average they have higher income and education levels than U.S.-born Americans. Although some Bolivians toil at menial jobs, many are professionals or own small businesses.

Bolivians here have clung tightly to their roots, establishing dozens of folklore groups, three soccer leagues in Northern Virginia and a weekend school in Arlington where children study Bolivian traditions. Many fly to Bolivia often to visit relatives or have invested in binational ventures.

Yet surprisingly, they have never formed an ethnic enclave or become politically active as a group. Although many are eligible to vote, almost none has run for local office, and most have avoided becoming involved in the public debate about immigrant rights.

"Bolivians here have been unperceived for many reasons," said Ruddy Orellana, editor of Los Tiempos, a Bolivian-owned newspaper in Falls Church. "They have been peaceful and their kids have not gotten involved in gangs. They have been ambitious in business but have not reached for political influence. . . . They have been scattered and dispersed."

In the past year, however, Morales's election has plunged this quiet community into a political maelstrom. Morales, 47, rose to prominence as a leader of coca-leaf growers, whose crop produces cocaine but also has traditional uses such as tea. He led peasants in highway blockades and opposed U.S. drug eradication policies, saying they unfairly punished poor farmers.

Most Bolivians here say they initially welcomed Morales's presidency as a change from elitist and military governments, but many say they became indignant and alarmed as he has antagonized domestic opponents and befriended Chavez and Cuba's Fidel Castro.

"We were all tired of corrupt governments, and we were all excited when Morales won," said Monica Williams, president of the Washington-based Bolivian-American Chamber of Commerce. "But he is making mistakes and putting too much emphasis on native issues. We are beginning to see a clash of races and regions. It is polarizing the country."

In recent months, violent demonstrations have broken out in Bolivia, spurred by Morales's promises of an agrarian revolution, with large landowners pitted against landless peasants. Critics say his government has become increasingly confrontational, and opposition leaders have accused him of seeking to impose a totalitarian regime.