Fight Back! interview with the president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 937 Alex Terrazas.

Fight Back!: How have negotiations with Asarco gone so far?

Terrazas: After ten years without a raise, and four years without a new contract, our members voted overwhelmingly to strike. Day 1 began at midnight on October 13 and only after a full month of shutting down the majority of production did Asarco decide to come to the table on November 14. They did not bring a new proposal, nor change their stance. They are unwilling to actually negotiate. They are not taking us seriously. After the one day of so-called negotiations, there haven’t been any further negotiations and no date set. It was super clear that they only did this to try to make themselves look good. All we want is a fair, equitable contract, but this is a very greedy company.

Fight Back!: What has given the strike its longevity?

Terrazas: Our members understand exactly the importance of this fight. They are willing to do what it takes to win. Some people think that striking workers are lazy. Well, this is exactly the opposite. Some members and officers are sacrificing 12, 13 hours a day to help out. They are working jobs and still coming to the picket line to help out. There’s nothing lazy about them they are working three times as much as before the strike. They are so dedicated.

Fight Back!: What kind of support have you all received?

Terrazas: Our union’s strike defense funds have helped our members a lot. There has also been support from the AFL-CIO and Pima Area Labor Federation in terms of connecting our members to food donations collected at the city ward offices, donations from the Community Food Bank, donated dental services, resource fairs, and wood for fires. State Representative Andres Cano helped members get connected with state healthcare benefits. Another huge piece for us has been the connection with One Stop that has found jobs for our members so that they can have some income and more importantly not cross the picket line. We have had great community support, RedForEd has been down here a couple of times. We are starting a campaign to get local businesses to support us by putting signs in their windows. We have had good coverage in the media so far to expose Asarco’s greed.

Fight Back!: What kind of leverage do you have in a unfair labor practices strike?

Terrazas: So of the four mines in Arizona, the Hayden site is a smelting operation and we had that shut down by week two of the strike and the Amarillo, Texas smelting site is shut down as well. This has forced Asarco to load up railcars and sent them to Mexico, which we know if costing them lots of money in transportation costs. We have shut down operations and crippled production by more than half! We also know that we have the majority of skilled labor out on strike and that costs Asarco a lot of money because the scabs don’t know how to fix the machines and how to operate all the equipment. At the north mill at the Mission mine, there aren’t even one-quarter of the shovel drivers, so this too is causing the company to lose a lot in profits. As I said before, this is a very greedy company and we’re gonna screw them by hitting them in the pocketbooks.

#Arizona #AZ #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Strikes #Asarco #USWLocal937 #AlexTerrazas

Tucson, AZ – Around 40 people chanting “No wall, never,” joined a protest here January 10 in response to President Trump’s bid to finance his racist border wall. Protesters’ signs reading “Refugees welcome here!” drew many honks of solidarity from traffic in front the federal building.

Plans continue to build mobilization against the deployment of thousands of troops to the Mexico border and the threat of a border wall. The Tucson protest was organized in response to a call from by the Legalization for All Network for national actions.

#TucsonAZ #PeoplesStruggles #Immigrants #Arizona #Antiracism #Antifascism #DonaldTrump #wall

Organized by the Tucson Anti-War Committee and the People’s Defense Initiative, the protest had politically powerful speakers. Sara Mae Williams, a member of the Tohono O’otham Nation, shared how Border Patrol routinely violates the sovereignty of their nation and harasses tribal members in the pursuit of crossing immigrants. Gabriel Sleighter, a military veteran, shared his experiences “as a soldier of an empire that terrorizes the planet.”

As the troops on the border continue their preparation for the arrival of the caravan, Tucson organizations continue to prepare demonstrations to protest the wasteful, racist and illegal deployment of the military for civil law enforcement. On December 1, from 9 to 11 a.m., demonstrators will be outside the gates of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to demand: “Troops Off the Border! Asylum for the Caravan!” The groups organizing the protest include Derechos Humanos, Alliance for Global Justice, Tucson Anti-War Committee, LUPE, Nuclear Resister, People’s Defense Initiative, and School of the Americas Watch.

#TucsonAZ #AntiwarMovement #US #PeoplesStruggles #AntiRacism #immigrantRights #Arizona #Antifascism #Trump #DonaldTrump

Tucson, AZ – Outraged educators took to the streets in both Phoenix and Tucson Sept. 5 to protest the removal of Proposition 207 from the November ballot. The actions took place at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce in Phoenix and at Chamber members Tucson Electrical Power (TEP) and Wells Fargo in Tucson. These places were targets because it was the Chamber of Commerce that funded and filed the lawsuit against the InvestInEd ballot initiative that would have raised income taxes on the top 0.07% of Arizonans, some 15,000 people, and generated an estimated $690 million. This amount would provide a significant boost to missing $1.1 billion from public schools over the ten years.

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce is led by the utility monopoly APS, which funded TV ads promoting Governor Doug Ducey as the “Education Governor.” The lawsuit filed by the Chamber was driven by a distorted analysis made by the Koch brothers-funded group Americans for Prosperity. What’s more, the lower court of Arizona did not want to touch this lawsuit believing that for one, there was nothing to the analysis and two, that it is up to the voters to decide this. Some 270,000 Arizonans signed the initiative hoping to restore funding levels closer to 2008 levels. Instead of dying at the lower court, the Chamber pushed Governor Ducey to make sure his stacked Supreme Court tried the case.

In 2016 Ducey convinced the Republican-dominated state legislature to increase the Supreme Court from five to seven justices. Ducey then appointee two more justices, one of whom is a member of the conservative law association, the Federalist Society. Another Justice, Clint Bolick, appointed by Ducey in 2016, is a conservative ideologue. Before joining the Supreme Court, he served as director of litigation for the archconservative Goldwater Institute. And before that, he was the director for the pro-charter school Alliance for School Choice. His political connections with the right-wing offensive led by the billionaire Koch brothers began in 1991 when Charles Koch helped Bolick with startup money for the Institute of Justice. Bolick, like Ducey, is up for election in November.

In Phoenix, the Osborn Education Association organized the protest at the Chamber of Commerce. Organizer and educator Alexis Aguirre stated “It is an outrage that the Arizona Chamber of Commerce has taken it upon themselves to defund our children's education and bankrupt our public schools. Governor Ducey has stacked the Arizona Supreme Court to maintain his agenda of putting profit before the well-being of our students. As an educator and parent who worked tirelessly all summer alongside my kids to gather the signatures needed to put InvestInEd on the ballot, I am even more committed now to assure that Arizona schools get the funding they deserve through the ballot box and beyond.”

In Tucson, nearly 50 educators and allies received supportive honks from downtown traffic as they chanted “Red for Ed!” and “Wells Fargo you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!” Corporate targets will continue to be the focus until the legislature fully funds public schools.

#Tucson #Arizona #TeachersUnions #ChamberOfCommerce #Proposition207

Tucson , AZ – More than 2000 people joined a protest here, June 30 to oppose the Trump administrations attacks on immigrants.

#TucsonArizona #ImmigrantsRights #PeoplesStruggles #Arizona

Tucson , AZ – More than 2000 people joined a protest here, June 30 to oppose the Trump administrations attacks on immigrants.

#TucsonArizona #ImmigrantsRights #PeoplesStruggles #Arizona

Phoenix, AZ – The historic statewide educator walkout entered its third day Monday, April 30. Tens of thousands filled the capitol once again in order to talk with legislators and pressure Governor Ducey to fully fund public schools.

Last Friday, Ducey said he had a deal after a special session with a few Republican legislators. But the #RedForEd movement was suspicious and rejected his proposal based on rosy projections and “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

After Thursday’s monumental public demonstration of support with nearly 75,000 people at the capitol, Republicans shut down the Senate and left for the weekend. Where did they go? Many in the movement suspect they flew to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the ALEC Spring Summit. It is believed that many Arizona legislators who are ALEC members attended in order strategize how to defeat the walkout and #RedForEd.

Monday also saw the arrival of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten and other national union presidents.

The capitol area is surrounded by educators under tents prepared for a long day and night in order to keep vigilant watch over how the legislature discusses and votes on funding. There is no apparent mood to end the walkout at this time.

#PhoenixAZ #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters #teachers #strike #Arizona #TeachersUnions

Phoenix, AZ – A red tidal wave is washing over downtown Phoenix, April 26, as the #RedForEd movement takes its demands to Governor Ducey and the Republican-dominated legislature. A week ago, 78% of the 57,000 educators who voted chose to walk out as a response to the lack of a realistic proposal from Ducey. His proposal, what he called last night his “final offer” uses a lot of unverified projections and moving monies from important programs such as health care and funds for the disabled and veterans.

Dubbed “DoubleTalk Ducey,” educators do not trust him, as he says there’s an economic boom in the state and that there’s money to meet the teachers’ demand of a 20% raise. These are contradictory statements because Arizona lawmakers have approved huge corporate tax cuts for years. For example, from 2016 to 2017, state revenue increased yet corporate income tax dropped $200 million. Moreover, the tax exemption loopholes in the state allow for an annual $14 billion in corporate profit. That amount is roughly the size of state revenue.

It is clear that education workers in Arizona are fed up with the extremely low pay and the criminal denial of funds to public schools. Behind all of this are the enemies of the labor movement, unions and public institutions: the Koch brothers, ALEC, and the DeVos agenda to crush public sector unions, slash corporate taxes and privatize education.

A decision will be made very soon as to whether or not the walk out will continue in the face of Republican betrayal of Arizona students and educators.

#PhoenixAZ #PeoplesStruggles #teachers #strike #Arizona #TeachersUnions

Tucson is one of around 50 cities holding protests against Trump’s attack on Syria.

Trump’s missile strikes came into response to the claim that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against civilians. There is no evidence to support this.

The Tucson Anti War Committee, joined by the AZ Peace Council, vowed to continue organizing to stop Trump and U.S. military aggression around the world.

#TucsonAZ #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Syria #Arizona

Tucson, AZ – On Sept. 30, Tucson’s immigrant rights action committee L.U.P.E (Spanish acronym for United Struggle of Parents and Students) held its monthly Cultura Nights event.

The event presented the movie State of Arizona, a PBS documentary which chronicles the devastating effects of the racist SB1070 state law passed in 2010. The film exposes how the politicians who supported this oppressive law were guided by white chauvinism and anti-immigrant hate. At the same time, it is a very emotional movie, as it shows how immigrant families have since been subjected to racial profiling, indefinite detentions, family separation and a collective state of constant fear and persecution.

Local activist, Josue Saldivar commented on the importance of these types of events, “It is important to educate ourselves on these historical and political matters, and for spaces like these to be available to discuss laws and legislation that affects directly our immigrant communities in Arizona.”

PUENTE organizer and activist Carlos Garcia introduced the film as well as the Phoenix based Bazta Arpaio campaign. The campaign is currently boycotting Discount Auto Tire – owned by one of the richest capitalists in Arizona – due to its open support and contribution to the re-election campaign of Joe Arpaio, the most hated sheriff in the country.

After the screening, the discussion focused on L.U.P.E.’s eagerness to join the Bazta Arpaio campaign in order to bring awareness about this endorsement and take action as a means to fight back.

Gloria Valadez, member of L.U.P.E and organizer of the event added “Tonight’s Cultura Nights reminds us of what we are living through day after day and seeing it on the big screen relives those moments and continues to light the fire to continue la lucha. We have to organize ourselves so that whoever wins does right by the people.”

L.U.P.E action committee will continue to stand in solidarity with working class immigrant families in their struggle for justice and equality.

Legalization for All Now!

#TucsonAZ #PeoplesStruggles #immigrantRights #Arizona

Tucson, AZ – On Aug. 2, Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, held a town hall meeting at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Tucson. With little public notice and time, the immigrant rights action group L.U.P.E quickly rose to the challenge, organizing an emergency protest through social media, in order to counter the Republican Party’s agenda of hate.

On a rainy afternoon, about 15 people of the progressive community of Tucson bravely stood up against Mike Pence and Donald Trump’s message of racism, sexism, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim hate.

Eduardo Tolentino, a member of L.U.P.E., said, “Tucson is a border town; there is a strong culture of struggle here for immigrant, Chicano and indigenous rights. We opposed trump and his xenophobe rhetoric when he came to town and we are doing the same with his chosen vice president.”

The crowd held signs that read “Hell no Pence must go,” and “Dump Trump.” Local and national media were also present covering the event and were able to interview a couple of the protesters.

#TucsonAZ #US #PeoplesStruggles #Protest #Arizona #Antiracism #Antifascism #Elections #DumpTrump #MikePence

Tucson, AZ – More than 1000 protesters converged on a Tucson Trump campaign rally, March 19. “We were not going to allow for Trump, a promoter of racism, hate and xenophobia to come to Tucson and be unchallenged by the social movements of justice,” says immigrant rights activist Edwards Cott.

Marching from a nearby park to the Tucson Convention Center, some protesters confronted pro-Trump bigots waiting for the rally to begin.

Members of many organization participated, including L.U.P.E, Tucson SDS, Centro CSO of East LA, Milwaukee Y.E.S, MIRAC of Minnesota, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and many from MEChA chapters around the country.

“To strengthen our message of support for Mexicans and other immigrants who Trump is set on attacking, I was among the dozen protesters who made it in to disrupt and it worked. People couldn't hear him. But the rabid mob of bigots worked with security to physically force us out,” says Bryan Orozco of Pima MECha.

Orozco continued, “Trump supporters yelled really racist things at us, but we successfully continued interrupting Trump whenever he opened his mouth. Trump and his supporters looked like the fools that they are, and we managed to outnumber their smaller numbers.”

Trump backers gouged the arm of a teenage girl because she was speaking Spanish and wearing a Mexico jersey.

After kicking protesters out of the convention center, riot police were called to protect the reactionaries as they came out. One racist even tried spitting on the protesters, but the crowd started chanting, “Viva Mexico!” and she bowed her head – outnumbered by the protesters.

“Trump stands for backwardness and ignorance. He has used every opportunity to spew racism and hate and we are here to tell him and his supporters that he is not welcomed in our city and in our state,” said Stteffanny Cott of L.U.P.E.

“To the haters wearing shirts with the slogan 'Leave socialism in Europe', we socialists are already here and stand united with all those who were loud and proud today, and confronted Trump,” says Sol Marquez of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We are building a movement that is capable of defeating Trump and all that he stands for. In the long run we need a revolution and socialism, and when that happens, and it will happen -we Chicanos, we workers, we women and all of the oppressed will win full equality and liberation.”

#TucsonAZ #PeoplesStruggles #Racism #Arizona #Antiracism #Elections #Trump

At the onset of the campaign event, more than 1000 people assembled to oppose Trump’s message of racism and reaction.

Earlier today in Phoenix, protesters blockaded the road leading to a Trump rally.

Trump, has been met by a growing tide of protests while on the campaign trail. In Chicago, Trump chickened out and canceled his rally rather than face a militant demonstration. On March 18, thousands came out to oppose him in Salt Lake City.

#TucsonAZ #AntiRacism #Arizona #Trump

Tucson, AZ – Protesters are gathering here, March 19, at a campaign rally of the right wing billionaire Donald Trump. More than 500 people have assembled to oppose Trump’s message of racism and reaction. Earlier today in Phoenix, protesters blockaded the road leading to a Trump rally.

Trump, has been met by a growing tide of protests while on the campaign trail. In Chicago, Trump chickened out and canceled his rally rather than face a militant demonstration. On March 18, thousands came out to oppose him in Salt Lake City.

#TucsonAZ #US #PeoplesStruggles #Arizona #Elections #DonaldTrump #DumpTrump

Tucson, AZ – On Aug. 10, Tucson Police (TPD) pulled over Norlan Flores Prado, a day laborer from Nicaragua, for allegedly making an improper right turn. Tucson Police then did exactly what they claim not to: they contacted the Border Patrol. Immediately, nearly 50 activists mobilized into action and flooded the scene. Two women threw themselves under the unmarked government SUV in which Flores was detained. Amid chants of “La Migra, policia, la misma porqueria!” the police and Border Patrol were forced to extract the two activists from underneath the vehicle in order to proceed with the bogus arrest.

In Arizona the law is so ill defined, that Chicanos, American Indians, Mexicans and Latinos, are regularly stopped with no legitimate reason. The law states, “...where reasonable suspicion exists that a person is an alien...” That is the legal justification for racial profiling in Arizona and because of this discriminatory law, a working father of a three-day-old baby is now separated from his family.

Less than 24 hours after the attempt to stop the unmarked Border Patrol SUV, the community mobilized over 80 people in support of the detained immigrant worker Flores Prado. The crowd swarmed the front walk of the Tucson Police Department demanding the immediate release of Flores and an end to TPD-Border Patrol collaboration. Friends and family held signs saying, “Alto a la Poli-Migra” and “Ni un mas.” The fiercely determined crowd chanted, “No somos ilegales, tampoco criminales! Somos trabajadores de pueblos originales!”

A member of the Southside Worker Center spoke at the rally saying, “These laws are unconstitutional. They are based on racial discrimination. We will keep fighting these!” This was the second demonstration at Tucson Police Department in less than a week to protest the detention of a Southside worker due to the collaboration of Tucson Police with the Border Patrol. The momentary celebration of the release on bond of Gerardo Ruiz-Lopez, a father of three daughters, was overshadowed by the detainment of Flores.

In Arizona, the oppression of undocumented people and other nationalities is being met with resistance and a back-and-forth struggle over tactics and countermoves. For example, organizers developed a network of community responders that arrive to a scene where TPD has contacted Border Patrol. Border Patrol is attempting to outmaneuver the activists by using unmarked vehicles and an unidentified agent.

Organizers and activists have talked with Police Chief Roberto Villasenor and the Tucson City Council about TPD’s collaboration with Border Patrol. Immigrant rights activist Dean Jefferson explains, “This is a deportation apparatus desperate to meet quotas based on a racialized agenda.”

Organizer Geoff Boyce provided details, “Villasenor denies that his officers collaborate with Border Patrol by saying that there are no records on cell phones of calls made by TPD to Border Patrol. But how is it that time and time again Border Patrol is at the scene of a supposed traffic violation by a Brown person? Clearly, TPD is now using private cell phones to call Border Patrol. They’re trying to dodge our pressure. But we will keep it up.”

Adding to the sentiment of sustained resistance, activist and mother Angie Loreto said, “We need to put the heat on Villasenor. He never wants to come out and meet us. We need to make him feel the pressure that our undocumented families feel every day.”

Despite an ACLU effort that forces the sheriff to report on calls to Border Patrol, activists are holding the city accountable to its own slogan. Summing up much of the institutional inaction, activist-educator Alisha Maria commented: “The fact that Tucson City Council has declared the city an ‘Immigrant Welcoming Community’ is offensive. It’s a slap in the face to all of those hardworking people who endure harsh conditions just to get here and face heavy oppression and exploitation. People don’t like to get slapped. Slap them enough and they’ll slap back.”

Protesters vow to improve their rapid action network. They aim to stop the racial profiling, end the intimidation tactics used by the police to harass drivers and workers and to stop the deportations.

#TucsonAZ #PeoplesStruggles #Deportation #Arizona #ACLU #Immigration

Tucson, AZ – On the evening of July 31, a dozen activists rallied outside the Tucson District Court of Arizona in an emergency action supporting Rasmea Odeh and Palestine. Protesters demanded that charges against Palestinian-American activist Rasmea Odeh be dropped and that the U.S.-backed Israeli occupation and pillaging of Gaza cease now. Protesters held signs reading “Free Rasmea! Hands off Palestine!” and “Justice for Rasmea, justice for Palestine.”

July 31 marked Rasmea Odeh's status hearing in Detroit, where there was a large protest and packed courtroom. Odeh’s defense attorney Michael Deutsch had made a motion for Judge Borman to step down due to his political and financial support for Israel. In the Detroit courtroom, Judge Borman responded by refusing to recuse himself from the trial, claiming he could be fair and impartial and that his donations were purely charitable.

Meanwhile, in Palestine, Israel's brutal offensive against Gaza continues, with resistance fighters slowing the Israeli assault and saving lives. At least 61 Israeli soldiers are dead at the hands of Palestinian fighters, mostly in close quarters fighting. Palestinian resistance is widely supported by the people, while outrage grows around the world against Israeli’s invasion of Gaza.

Jafe Arnoldski, organizer of the protest, commented: “We are here protesting in front of the district court in solidarity with both Rasmea Odeh and the struggle for the liberation of Palestinian lands from Israeli occupation because the two are inseparable. For activists in the U.S., one of our most important tasks is to organize against U.S.-Israeli aggression right here at home, and that means struggling alongside our Palestinian brothers and sisters here who are subject to political repression. The fight to defend Rasmea Odeh from repression is part and parcel of defending Arab-Americans in general and Palestinian activists in particular. That is why when we demand 'Drop the charges against Rasmea' and 'Free Palestine', we're addressing both sides of the coin of the same struggle. With such a revered and important activist as Rasmea freed and back in the movement, the stronger our fight for the liberation of Palestine will be in the U.S.”

Activists gathered signatures for the petition to drop the charges against Odeh, distributed pamphlets on Odeh’s case and vowed to continue protests against Israel's new campaign of destruction against Gaza. Organizers from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Alliance for Global Justice promised to return and rally in greater numbers for Odeh's trial on Sept. 8.

#TucsonAZ #Gaza #Palestine #Israel #Arizona #politicalRepression #RasmeaOdeh

PHOENIX, AZ – At midnight on May 31, Emilio Hernandez heard a knock on the front door. With the rest of his family sound asleep, he walked to the door and opened it. He couldn’t believe what he saw. There standing in the doorway was his wife, Bertha Hernandez.

Bertha Hernandez was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and held in Eloy Detention Center since November 2012. A large protest took place in Phoenix on May 29 demanding that ICE release her.

“When my dad answered the door, he started freaking out,” said Jennifer Hernandez, Bertha’s 16-year-old daughter. “I woke up because I thought something bad had happened, but when I ran over to the door, it was my Mom! I ran and hugged her, and I kept saying, ‘Is this real? Is this real?’”

ICE took Hernandez, a mother of five children, into custody in November 2012 at the Arizona-California state border for being undocumented, despite her having no criminal record during her 16-year residency in the U.S.. “The day I saw her get arrested, I didn’t cry,” said Jennifer Hernandez. “I was just in shock.”

Hernandez emigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 1997, seeking political asylum. The state of Arizona has no political asylum case manager, leaving Hernandez unable to obtain necessary documentation. All five of her children, including Jennifer, are U.S. citizens.

In an exclusive interview with Fight Back! News, Jennifer Hernandez described her family’s struggle in the nearly seven months in which her mother was detained. “It was hard not seeing her in the morning or at night. It’s been almost seven months, and it just so hard. You want to just say ‘I love you,’ and you can’t.” She talked of times when her five-year-old sister, who understood what happened to Bertha, wanted to be with her mom. “I would just say ‘I know’ and we would cry.”

The Hernandez family tried consulting lawyers about Bertha’s case, but they received very little help. “No lawyers wanted to take her case,” said Jennifer. “They said it was almost impossible to get her out. And that is devastating to hear.”

Organizers from Puente, a grassroots immigrant rights organization, met Jennifer Hernandez at Carl Hayden High School. Bertha Hernandez’s case struck a chord with Chicanos, Central Americans and Mexicans in the Phoenix area. Phoenix is located in Maricopa County, where the infamously racist sheriff Joe Arpaio abuses immigrants.

On May 29, organizers with Puente joined up with the Hernandez family to hold a massive march on the ICE office in Phoenix. More than 120 people marched in the protest, demanding Bertha’s release and an end to the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.

The rally drew widespread community support from students, teachers, parents, and activists in the Phoenix area. Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Kent P. Scribner and Carl Hayden High School approved of the protest organized by their students and the children of Bertha Hernandez.

“So many people wanted to help my mom,” said Jennifer about the rally. “It was crazy because I didn’t think that this many people would care about my mother and her case. People gave her so much importance, even people who didn’t even know her. We did the march, and when I saw how many people united, it was a lot.”

Bertha Hernandez saw the protest on a TV inside Eloy when a local television statement ran a segment on it in the news. In an interview with Fight Back!, Hernandez described her reaction to the protest, saying, “I was crying because I was worried for my children, for Jennifer. But everyone detained in Eloy said to me, ‘don’t cry.’ Everybody believed in me reuniting with my family and winning this victory.”

Immediately after the protest, ICE agents called Bertha Hernandez into their office to review her file. Facing enormous community pressure, they released her from Eloy less than a day after the rally.

“The ICE agents didn’t say much,” said Bertha. “They only said, ‘You’re going home now.’ I was crying and crying, saying ‘I don’t believe it.’” She continued, “But when they said, ‘You are going home now to the bus station in Phoenix,’ I said, ‘Okay, I believe it now.’”

ICE released Bertha Hernandez late at night on May 30, dropping her off at the bus station in downtown Phoenix. ICE did not contact the Hernandez’s family. Hernandez figured out how to return home, knocked on the door and surprised her anxious family, who had marched just two days earlier demanding her release.

Speaking to the release of Hernandez, Beto Soto, organizer with Puente and a leader of the march, said, “The almost-instant response by ICE towards the case of Bertha lays out the power of students organizing for family reunification in America. It shows ICE has no plan to fix the immigration system. What we need is legalization for all.”

When asked how she feels about the victory, Bertha Hernandez said, “I am excited, very happy. I don’t believe it because everything feels very, very different.”

This people’s victory in Phoenix comes at the end of a national week of action by immigrant rights groups around the U.S., which demands “Legalization for all.” The countrywide events targeted ICE offices, detention centers, legislators involved in drafting Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR), and other politicians.

Drawing lessons from this victory, Soto said, “The biggest lessons in American history have been taught by working and oppressed people, and now the students in Maricopa County will be leading a struggle for family reunification and the inalienable, self-evident right to go to school without fear. And in this case, ICE learned a powerful lesson from the students.”

#PhoenixArizona #PhoenixAZ #ICE #Arizona #BerthaHernandez

Phoenix, AZ – Thunderous voices of more than 120 people echoed through Phoenix on May 29 as protesters marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, demanding the release of Bertha Hernandez and an end to deportations of undocumented immigrants. Students, counselors and teachers from Carl Hayden High School joined immigrant rights activists in the streets to protest the detention of Hernandez and other immigrants.

ICE agents stopped Hernandez, a mother of five, at the Arizona-California border in November 2012. Though Hernandez lived in the U.S. for more than 16 years – raising five children, all whom are U.S. citizens – ICE took her into custody and placed her in Eloy Detention Center. The for-profit Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) runs Eloy. Hernandez has no criminal record. She immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador seeking political asylum. She currently faces deportation, which will effectively break up her long-established family.

Organizer Beto Soto of Puente, a grassroots organization of immigrant rights activists, said in an interview about the case, “Jennifer’s mother has been held in Eloy Detention Center since November. Given that she applied for asylum in the U.S., and given Arizona does not have an asylum case manager, her case has yet to be heard from an expert.” Soto called this “an injustice, in no uncertain terms.”

Puente linked up with the Hernandez family to organize the rally, demanding Hernandez’s release from Eloy Detention Center and an end to the deportations. Hernandez’s case drew widespread community support from Chicanos, Central Americans and Mexicans in Maricopa County. Importantly for students and parents, Phoenix Union High School District Superintendent Kent P. Scribner and Carl Hayden High School approved of the protest organized by their students and the children of Bertha Hernandez.

The rally began mid-morning in Steele Indian School Park, where protesters gathered to hear about Hernandez’s case. Speakers outlined the day’s plan and then protesters marched off to the ICE office in Phoenix to voice their demands directly to the officials responsible for Hernandez’s detention. Chanting “No more deportations!”, protesters congregated outside the building to hear testimony and speeches from Hernandez’s family and others who face racist repression.

In front of the crowd, Jennifer Hernandez, Bertha’s daughter and a student at Carl Hayden High School, demanded, “Release my mom! She did not commit any crime.” She gave a powerful speech about the impact of her mother’s detention and the stress caused to the family by not knowing if she will be deported. Hernandez also spoke about the breakup of hundreds of thousands of families, “We need to stop deportation in general.”

ICE officials refused to meet with the protesters regarding Hernandez’s case.

Since the 2010 passage of Arizona’s SB 1070, which allows law enforcement to practice blatant racial profiling, Arizona remains a major battleground in the struggle for immigrant rights. The notorious Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, facing a recall campaign, was found guilty of racial profiling by a U.S. Federal District Judge on May 24. Arpaio’s abusive and racist reputation as the most anti-immigrant sheriff in the U.S. leads to the detention and deportation of people like Hernandez. However, there is a strong and growing fightback movement in Arizona and nationally, aiming to defeat Arpaio, ICE and deportations.

“The systematic attacks on families in Maricopa County are being met with the organizing efforts of students, teachers and parents,” said Soto. “Deportations affect the academic lives of students, our Chicano and Latino communities and the future of Arizona.”

All over the U.S. this week, immigrant rights activists raised the demand, “Stop the deportations! Legalization for all!” by taking direct action. “Cases like Hernandez’s highlight the need for a truly comprehensive immigration reform that provides legalization for all undocumented people,” said Soto.

Puente and other immigrant rights groups plan for further action to stop the deportation of Bertha Hernandez. On June 14, Puente and Hernandez’s family will attend Sheriff Arpaio’s hearing on the federal court ruling and demand his immediate resignation.

#PhoenixAZ #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #Arizona #immigrationRights #legalizationForAll #BerthaHernandez #Puente

The court struck down the part of SB1070 that made it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in Arizona, saying that, according to federal law, not having legal authorization to live in the United States is a civil offense (like a traffic ticket), not a crime. The court also overturned the part of the law that made it a crime to work without legal authorization, again noting, while it is a crime for employers to knowingly hire the undocumented, it is not a crime for the undocumented to work. Finally, the Supreme Court ruled against the part of SB1070 that said that state and local police could stop and detain people on suspicion of being undocumented, saying that this was up to the federal government, not state and local officials.

However, the Supreme Court let stand the part of SB1070 that has police check the immigration status of anyone that they stop for other reasons. Right now almost all local police have to check the immigration status of anyone that they arrest under the federal ‘Secure Communities’ program, popularly known as the poli/migra. This has led to the deportations of thousands of undocumented people who were never convicted of any crime. The Supreme Court ruling opens the door for more local communities to pass similar laws to Arizona, which could lead to more deportations and the harassment by local police of people who they think might be undocumented.

Without the massive protests against SB1070 in 2010 when the law passed, the court ruling could have been worse. However, it is still a step back from before the passage of the law, in that it allows for a greater role for local police to stop people and check their immigration status. As we know, local police now target poor and working-class Mexicano/Chicano communities with checkpoints, racist patrols and brutality. The Supreme Court decision opens the door wider to more racial profiling by police. This shows that the struggle for equality and legalization for the undocumented cannot be left in the hands of the federal government or their courts, but needs a militant and broad mass movement for victory.

#SanJoséCA #ChicanoLatino #immigrantRights #Arizona #SB1070 #MexicanChican

The right-wing ‘Rio Nuevo Board’ filed a lawsuit against the City of Tucson for $47 million and ownership of the site where Chuk Shon is located. They want to take this land out of the public's hands to develop it for private profit, without being hampered by the needs and concerns of the surrounding communities. The Rio Nuevo Board was not elected and is seriously out of step with local values and the site's indigenous, Chicano and working class history.

The Rio Nuevo Board was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer, State Senator Russell Pearce (who just lost a recall election because of his authorship of SB1070) and the state legislature. Its chair is Jodi Bain, who is a lawyer for Munger Chadwick and Associates. Munger Chadwick represents transnational corporate interests in Mexico and Arizona. They are NAFTA lawyers who defend a system that has led to mass displacement, resulting in a 60% rise in immigration to the United States – a forced migration rooted in poverty and the destruction of rural Mexican communities.

Yet Munger Chadwick has defended SB1070, adding insult and injury to the victims of displacement that their practice helped create. Furthermore, these laws led to the racial profiling of all Latinos and the indigenous such as those who make up the majority in the communities around Chuk Shon. By helping lead the attack on ethnic studies, John Munger has proven that he has no respect for the history and heritage of Tucson. He wildly accuses ethnic studies programs of promoting “racism, hatred, apartheid and Marxism.”

Other members of the board include the former legislator, SB1070 supporter and payday loan lobbyist Jonathan Paton and Rich Grinnell, a Rosemont Copper lobbyist and Republican candidate for mayor.

The Rio Nuevo Board does not have the people of Tucson's interests at heart and they do not represent us. The development they want would be their own private, for-profit playground. It would dishonor the area's history and heritage and represent an all-out assault on the local communities through a process of gentrification. Chuk Shon has been farmed and inhabited continuously for over 4000 years.

Originally, the Rio Nuevo project was funded by a voter approved Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. In 1999 Tucsonans voted for the creation of the district with sales taxes helping fund Rio Nuevo for a 10 year period. The tax was to raise $120 million in development funds. Studies were done and plans finalized so that work on the project was shovel ready to move forward. However, through mismanagement by a former city council, a former city manager and the Rio Nuevo executive director, competing political interests and the interference of outside developers and state government, the project was changed to a $600 million price tag and the TIF district tax was extended to 2025.

The Rio Nuevo Board wants to continue that tax and put the development in the hands of unelected appointees. They want to give control of Chuk Shon to individuals who have shown themselves to be inherently at odds with the history, culture and values of the people who live there. They want to sell Chuk Shon for private profit. They have used our own tax dollars to pursue this suit and attack public claim to this land. They have raised money for legislative candidates who support their efforts. They use public funds to bankroll their own defense against competing lawsuits.

The efforts of these developers, corporate lawyers and new colonialists must be stopped. They do not represent us. They don't even release information about the time and place of their meetings till the day before they meet – making their ‘Call to the Audience’ a mockery of the idea of citizen input. We need to end the TIF district, a proposal that has extended beyond the voters' mandate. Taxes to fund an unelected Rio Nuevo Board can mean only one thing: Taxation without representation!

We need to make sure that any development of Chuk Shon should happen based first and foremost in accordance with the input and wishes of the surrounding communities and the indigenous peoples whose heritage there goes back for millennia. It needs to proceed in a democratic fashion reflecting the will of the people of Tucson. If it doesn't happen that way, then it is better that there be no development at all.

It's time to end Rio Nuevo and return Chuk Shon to the communities. Chuk Shon is Tucson's birthplace! Chuk Shon is our city's mother! Rio Nuestro, not Rio Nuevo!

#TucsonAZ #Arizona #EnvironmentalJustice #ChukShon #RioNuevo