Minneapolis, MN – Immigrant rights protesters gathered at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in Minneapolis June 27. This action was part of a National Day of Action called by the Legalization for All Network and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

The protest also demanded charges be dropped against Isavela Lopez here in Minneapolis. Lopez was arrested in the aftermath of the federal militarized operation at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in on June 3, in which ICE participated along with several other federal agencies and local police. While protesting that operation in the heart of the immigrant community, Lopez was brutalized by law enforcement, then later she was arrested by federal officers and hit with legal charges.

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) organized the Minneapolis protest together with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR). They will continue to organize and demand that charges be dropped against people exercising their right to protest the brutal and unjust actions of Trump and ICE.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #FBIRepression #AlejandroOrellana #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #LegalizationForAll #L4A #CSFR

Los Ángeles, CA – El 12 y 13 de abril, activistas y organizaciones de derechos de los inmigrantes se reunirán en la Cumbre de Emergencia del Suroeste Contra las Deportaciones en la histórica comunidad chicana de Boyle Heights, en Los Ángeles, California.

Esta Cumbre de Emergencia del Suroeste es una oportunidad para que los activistas por los derechos de los inmigrantes se reúnan en el Suroeste, una región de gran importancia histórica para chicanos y mexicanos, para compartir estrategias sobre cómo organizarse y resistir con éxito los ataques de Trump y de ICE.

Desde la inauguración de Trump, ha habido un aumento de protestas y luchas militantes en todo el país, y miles de chicanos, mexicanos y centroamericanos han salido a las calles para luchar contra la campaña de deportaciones del gobierno de Trump.

Activistas de base y comunitarios han luchado contra los ataques de ICE, liderando a miles de personas en marchas en ciudades como Los Ángeles, Dallas, Chicago, Minneapolis y San José. Estudiantes de preparatoria han realizado paros escolares masivos. Redes de respuesta rápida y grupos de defensa vecinal han entrado en acción para mantener a los miembros de la comunidad a salvo de ICE.

La Cumbre de Emergencia del Suroeste Contra las Deportaciones se llevará a cabo durante dos días, el 12 y 13 de abril. Esta cumbre es organizada por Centro CSO, La Mesa Brown Berets, MEchA Santee HS y la Red Legalización Para Todos. Hacemos un llamado a todos los activistas por los derechos de los inmigrantes del Suroeste y del país a unirse a nosotros. Debemos oponernos al uso de ICE y a la amenaza de las deportaciones en los EE.UU. Los ataques de Trump contra los inmigrantes indocumentados son una amenaza para todos, seamos inmigrantes, chicanos, mexicanos o centroamericanos. ¡Construyamos el movimiento contra Trump! ¡No a las deportaciones!

Los oradores de la cumbre incluyen Carlos Montes, activista de toda la vida del movimiento chicano; Luna Baez, hija de Jeanette Viguerra, activista comunitaria detenida en Colorado; Elvira Arellano, activista de santuario en Chicago; y Amerika García Grewal, de la Coalición Fronteriza de Eagle Pass.

Regístrate en línea en: https://tinyurl.com/summitagainstdeportations

#LosAngelesCA #CA #ImmigrantRights #CentroCSO #LegalizationForAll

Los Angeles, CA – On February 17, over 1000 Chicanos gathered at Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles to protest against ICE deportations and to fight back against Trump's racist, right-wing agenda.

The rally and march were called for by Chicana activists who used social media to get the word out. Recent protests in Los Angeles have brought out large crowds of Chicanos ready to stand up and fight, with the last one, on February 2, drawing tens of thousands who took to the streets. That afternoon protesters even took over the 101 Freeway, shutting it down for hours and completely overwhelming LAPD, LASD and CHP, which were completely unprepared and caught off guard by Raza fighting back.

The rally and march on Presidents’ Day was officially endorsed and supported by the Community Self-Defense Coalition, which is a new coalition recently announced in Los Angeles, consisting of over 60 organizations and unions. Growing every day, the Community Self-Defense Coalition is determined to defend Raza out in the streets in the face of attacks by migra. The program featured speakers from different members of the coalition like Centro CSO, Union Del Barrio, Black Alliance for Peace SoCal and many more. The spirited march made stops at the Metropolitan Detention Center and City Hall before circling back to Placita Olvera.

During the march, the large protest had a soundtrack and that played music, and ledchants like “Raza si, migra no! ” “La que no salta es migra” (Whoever doesn’t jump is migra) and “El Pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (The people united will never be defeated). The march had multiple banners of the different organizations as well dozens of flags representing countries in South America, Central America, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The leading truck flew a large Aztlán flag through the sunny spring morning in Los Angeles. When the march passed through historic Little Tokyo, the organizers shouted out and gave their respects to the Japanese people who themselves were forcefully displaced and put into concentration camps by the United States during World War II.

Veria Topete, a member of Centro CSO, said at the rally, “It felt very beautiful and empowering being with our community, standing in unity to let our brothers and sisters know that it’s not just their fight it’s our fight and they are not alone. That we are here to stand up and defend them.”

Karina Lopez, who represented Centro CSO on the program, said, “Don’t let this be the last action you take. This is only the beginning of the struggle that we have ahead of us when we organize and connect our struggles, we build power. Trump is also saying he will take over Gaza, we say hands off Palestine! Our fight against repression is connected with the fight to liberate Palestine!”

Centro CSO is a grassroots organization focused on fighting for oppressed Chicanos in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. They uplift the demands of Legalization for All, Community Control of the Police and Protect Public Education. They are proud members of the Legalization 4 All Network and affiliates of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook under the username @CentroCSO

#LosAngelesCA #NAARPR #Legalization4All #LegalizationforAll #ELA #BoyleHeights #Chicano #VivaLaRaza #NoDeportations #ICE #ImmigrantRights #Immigration #FreePalestine #Aztlan #Trump #PresidentsDay #LAPD #LASD #CHP

Los Angeles, CA – Chicano high school students took to the streets, February 20, to protest Trump's ICE raids, arrests, and deportations. All over the city, LAUSD students walked out of school chanting “Stop Donald Trump” and “Raza si, migra no.”

Centro CSO organizers supported East LA students at Garfield High School (GHS) by providing sound, large banners and snacks on the warm day. Gabriel Quiroz Jr led chants with the energetic students like, “Viva La Raza, viva Mexico!”

The GHS students marched to Torres High School to unite the march with more students. The march continued in the heart of East LA with many neighbors waving and honking their horns in support.

The marchers arrived at Mariachi Plaza where students from over six high schools had already arrived for an energetic rally. SEIU 721 provided a large truck and sound system. Many students spoke, denouncing Trump and ICE, expressing support for their families and community.

Longtime Chicano revolutionary Carlos Montes also participated in the march, being a graduate of GHS and a leader in the original ELA high school walkout of March 1968. “I have to be here with you to say no deportations,” stated Montes.

During the rally several LAPD police officers attempted to quickly enter the plaza, but they were met by several safety monitors wearing bright yellow vests asking police not to enter the plaza as this was a well-organized event. One of the LAPD officers, Johnny Altamirano aggressively pushed and knocked down Felipe Cazares, director of external organizing for SEIU 721, who has provided support for the students for the last two weeks. Felipe was laid flat on the sidewalk.

More safety monitors formed a line in front of the police in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. But officer Altamirano called for backup until over 20 police arrived, many wearing helmets and batons. The safety monitors held their line and asked the students to continue the rally and ignore the police. Eventually the police left, and the rally continued without any further incident. Felipe Cazares was taken to the LA General Hospital and released shaken, bruised but not deterred to support our students and community.

#LosAngelesCA #SEIU721 #ELA #GHS #LA #chicano #vivalaraza #Immigration #ImmigrantRights #legalization4all #legalizationforall #nodeportations #ICE #policecrimes

Minneapolis, MN – With only a month left before Donald Trump becomes president, immigrant rights activists in the Legalization for All Network are demanding that President Biden do all he can to protect immigrants before leaving office.

Toward that end, the Legalization for All Network is asking people to call the White House between December 16 and 20 to demand that Biden extend Temporary Protected Status.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is under massive threat. TPS is a protective measure for immigrants that is designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security. It is typically given to immigrants from countries with crises that prevent their people from returning safely. It allows those who qualify to live and work in the U.S. for a limited period of time, rather than having to return to a country experiencing a situation which would put returning immigrants in harm’s way or force them into the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

Trump and his nominee for “Border Czar” Thomas Homan are planning an all-out assault on undocumented immigrants. Gutting TPS is one of the ways they plan on attacking immigrants.

There are currently around 800,000 people from 17 countries in the U.S. with TPS status. Some of them include immigrants who: suffered a series of 2001 earthquakes in El Salvador; left Honduras during Hurricane Mitch, or sought political asylum from Haiti.

Before his term ends, President Biden has the ability to extend TPS coverage for a maximum of 18 more months. This is why The Legalization for All (L4A) Network is urging all who support immigrant rights to call the White House at 202-456-1111 and read the following script:

“I am ___, calling from ___(your city/state), urging Biden to do everything in his power to protect those who have TPS. Trump is promising to slash protections like TPS and start deporting people. Because of this we urge President Biden to protect TPS for 18 more months!”

As Trump prepares to take power and says he will carry out severe attacks on immigrants, the Legalization for All Network also encourages anyone interested in fighting against Trump’s reactionary anti-immigrant attacks to join the network. The next national online meeting is scheduled for December 20 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. Contact LegalizationForAll@gmail.com for details.

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #L4A #LegalizationforAll #Feature

Fight Back! is circulating the following statement by the Legalization for All Network (L4A).

Legalization for All Network Statement on Biden Executive Order

The June 17 Biden Administration Executive Order to facilitate the legalization of spouses of U.S. citizens affects up to 500,000 undocumented people. The Legalization for All (L4A) network considers the order a positive step towards the goal of legalization for all of the undocumented.

At the same time, this positive action does not absolve the Biden administration of adopting a Trump-like policy on the U.S.-Mexico border. On June 4, 2024, Biden issued an effective ban on those seeking asylum. The ban goes into effect when the daily average of border arrests tops 2,500.

This spring, the average daily number of border arrests was 4,300. In other words, as many as 1,800 people a day attempting to cross the U.S./Mexico border now face quick deportation or being turned back to Mexico without starting an asylum claim.

Shortly following the ban, immigrant rights groups took to the streets around the country and in Washington D.C. demanding that Biden remove the ban and expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Undocumented immigrants need much more concrete and secure immigration policies that are not at the mercy of an upcoming election. The newly announced executive order does the following:

• Allows undocumented people married to US citizen for ten years to legalize their status while remaining in the United States. This would benefit about 500,000 undocumented.
• Gives temporary status to undocumented children of US citizen parents, aiding about 50,000.

While L4A views this as a victory for our movement, Biden’s executive order applies to less than 5% of the undocumented.

President Biden and the Democrats have lost a considerable amount of voter and public support due to their role in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. At the same time, the Republican Party has made it clear that anti-immigrant measures are a centerpiece of their political agenda. Trump continues calling for mass deportations, more detention centers, and for other bigots, like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, to buildemergency facilities to further militarize the Rio Grande.

Rather than fall for the Biden administration's cynical political moves, L4A has endorsed both the march against the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. We ask all people and organizations who are part of our network or follow our work, to do the same and march with us in our immigrant rights contingents.

Send us a message now to notify us about your attendance at either the march on the RNC or DNC: Legalization for All on X, Instagram, Facebook or https://legalizationforall.wordpress.com/

#LegalizationForAll #Legalization4All #MarchOnTheRNC #MarchOnTheDNC #Biden #ExecutiveOrder #ImmigrantRights #Immigration #UndocumentedRights

Los Angeles, CA – On May 1, over 100 people gathered at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights to commemorate May Day, the International Workers Day. Across the world workers celebrate this day to highlight the contributions of the working class, regardless of their immigration status. It originated in Chicago, where in 1886, striking workers were attacked by police while fighting for the eight-hour workday, the right to unionize and safer working conditions. Eight of the organizers were convicted and four of them publicly executed by hanging.

In 2006, May Day was revitalized when an extremely repressive law proposition was introduced by Senator Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Massive demonstrations took place on May Day in 2006, including in Los Angeles, where more than a million took to the streets.

The year’s event started at 4:30 p.m. and was kicked off with a fiery speech from Alex Orellana, a UPS worker and Teamster shop steward from Local 396, who stated, “Today we celebrate 136 years of working class resistance against capitalist greed.” Later in his speech he spoke about the significance of immigrant workers, saying, “The U.S. economy is absolutely dependent on immigrant labor.”

Later during the event, Jordan Peña from Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) spoke about the importance of immigrant rights and legalization for all saying, “It is our responsibility to stand up and fight back. No human is illegal on stolen land!”

Dr. Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter recognized the shared struggles of African Americans and Chicanos. She spoke about the need to take control over the many forms of abuse we experience from law enforcement and the tactics they employ to stifle our voices and progress. “Cops are not workers; they are tools of white supremist capitalists. We have our own solutions for community safety,” said Dr. Abdullah.

Another major focus of this year’s event was the importance of standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The need to end the genocide taking place is ever more important as Israel continues to murder innocent civilians every day. Attendees at the event chanted, “Viva, viva, Palestina!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”.

Karina López from Centro CSO spoke about the student protests happening nationwide saying, “We encourage those of you who are able to attend, join the student protesters on their campus encampments. Our struggles are directly tied to the people of Palestine.”

Avery Raimondo, who spoke for Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), said, “LA sheriffs exercise one of the most oppressive forms of oppression by killing Chicanos, Latinos and African Americans. And when the families speak up, they’re harassed. Then if they go to trial, the system clears the killers. All of these examples led me to understand that the system is so corrupt, there is no reforming it. The only way to move forward is to clear it out completely. All of our enemies, including those in Palestine, are the same. Capitalism. This is why I became a member of FRSO.”

This is the ninth consecutive year a May Day celebration has taken place in Boyle Heights, with record attendance this year. It was organized and led by Centro CSO and included speakers from various community activist groups throughout Los Angeles. Other endorsers and speakers included the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), Soledad Enrichment Action (SEA), LA Catholic Worker, Partido MORENA, the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council, and Re/Arte Centro Literario + Independent Print Shop.

If you would like to participate in the planning for next year’s CSO May Day in Boyle Heights, send them a message at 323-484-8630, CentroCSO@gmail.com or on their various social media platforms under Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #BlackLivesMatter #MayDay #LegalizationforAll #FreePalestine

Los Angeles, CA – On April 5, the final day of the Legalization for All Network’s border delegation, activists spent the morning listening to testimonies from seven immigrant students from the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex. The students – all Guatemalan youth who’ve lived in the United States for less than a year – explained the conditions in Central America that pushed them to leave home, their experiences while detained by ICE, and the struggles of having to work to support their families.

The encuentro was hosted by SALEF, the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund, an organization that provides resources to Central American and other Latinos in Los Angeles. Jasmin Tobar, SALEF’s educational and mentorship program director, explained how her organization was founded by Carlos Vaquerano, a Salvadoran refugee whose family members were killed by death squads during his country’s civil war. Both SALEF and the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex are located within the Macarthur Park – Westlake neighborhood, historically the landing place for Central American immigrants in Los Angeles since the revolutions of the 1970s and 1980s.

The event started with the students modeling a bilingual teaching exercise so all participants could get to know each other. After this activity, the students displayed different examples of assignments in order to show the purpose of their Los Angeles history class. First, students presented a poster they created called “The Layers of Chavez Ravine,” which depicts how the city of Los Angeles pushed out a Chicano community to construct Dodgers Stadium.

Next, the students used “De Centroamérica a Westlake Con Amor,” a poster by the artist Dichos de un Bicho, to teach the delegates how Central Americans have brought their cultures to this area of Los Angeles. One student highlighted how the poster features a tribute to Manuel Jamines, an indigenous Guatemalan day laborer who was killed by LAPD in the community because, as a K’iche’ speaker, he did not understand the instructions he received from the police officer Frank Hernandez. Most of the students were also K’iche’ speakers and some described how they preserve their culture by organizing on campus with the school’s Mayan language club.

After this explanation of their coursework, the students spoke on why they left Guatemala, what they experienced on the journey to the United States, and their lives in Los Angeles. The students listed reasons for migrating from Guatemala were economic instability, a lack of opportunity, or hunger. One student migrated to the United States because it allowed her to reunite with her family.

The students then helped delegates better understand the realities they and many like them face when migrating to the United States. One student explained how he was detained by the migra when crossing the border. He told the delegates that while he was permitted to stay because he was underage, the other Guatemalans he traveled with were deported. While detained, the student was freezing. When he was sent to the refuge, he contracted COVID and was isolated once again.

The delegation members were also interested in hearing about the experiences of students as underage workers. One student is a dishwasher while another works at Universal Studios. They explained how students normally find out about jobs through family connections or word-of-mouth. The students described the struggle of working until the early morning before returning home to sleep for a few hours and then heading off to school. Underage immigrant workers must confront discrimination and exploitation from their bosses who can take advantage of their legal status.

Memo Perez, a member of MIRAC (the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee) said about the event, “Listening to these students who have journeyed so long, who continue to work and fight for dignity and preservation of their culture and language is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking. As brave and resilient as they are, I wish that they could just be kids and not need to worry about the challenges imperialism and borders impose on their souls and bodies. I hope that myself and my comrades, many of us immigrants ourselves, can honor them in the work we do in Minnesota in defending the migrant children like them that live in our communities.”

Once the event ended, the delegates traveled to Grand Central Market in downtown before heading to LAX for their flights home.

The final day completed a delegation filled with insightful experiences on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. In less than a week, activists toured the historic Chicano Park in Logan Heights San Diego, hiked to the border wall, visited Friendship Park, a shelter for LGBTQ+ immigrants, and a resource center for deported veterans, explored Boyle Heights and downtown Los Angeles, and hosted a panel connecting various organizations whose work involves immigrant justice in Los Angeles.

Jordan Peña, a Centro CSO immigration committee member, described the delegation overall as “a very moving experience.” He said, “The numerous days consisted of a very educational and insightful outlook on what migrants currently face. I really enjoyed hearing about the current immigration activism taking place throughout LA and the U.S. and how the system has created this struggle for migrants south of the border.”

The delegates committed to coordinating action moving forward, bringing their experiences to their work in their respective cities, and growing the Legalization 4 All Network.

#LosAngelesCA #legalizationForAll

Minneapolis, MN – In the early evening of October 13, a group of about 15 people gathered on the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in South Minneapolis and held banners that read: “Legalization for all” and “No militarized border.” The action was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Over the summer, U.S. Senate Democrats released a budget resolution that would include legalization for millions of undocumented people, including those with DACA or TPS status, as well as many essential workers and farm workers. The bill passed through the first four steps until it reached the Senate parliamentarian, who advised the Senate not to include legalization for immigrants in the bill. The fight is not over, as Democrats are still working on alternate proposals that would still keep some form of legalization for many in the bill.

The bannering event was planned to raise awareness about the bill and to encourage community members passing by to put pressure on representatives to make sure legalization for undocumented immigrants is still included in the bill.

Many passing cars honked in support of the messages on the banners and both drivers and pedestrians who expressed interest were given flyers with information about the bill and a call to action to call, email, or tweet their representatives to demand that they do all that they can to make sure the pathway to citizenship is kept in the bill.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #legalizationForAll #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCommitteeMIRAC

Chicago, IL – The movements for immigrant rights, against police crimes, and the labor movement of essential workers united today to mark May 1, International Workers Day in Chicago. Banners read “Legalization for all,” “Stop police crimes” and “Justice for essential workers.”

The mobilization represented the unity reached between the major immigrant rights group the state, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). ICIRR’s two legislative priorities are legalization for all and a pathway to citizenship at the federal level, and community empowerment to hold the Chicago police accountable.

Speaking for CAARPR, co-chair Jazmine Salas said, “The Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance will put us on a path to community control of the police – no more murders like those of Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez.” Both were killed by CPD in late March. Adam Toledo was 13 years old and had his hands in the air when he was shot; Anthony Alvarez was shot in the back while running away from the police.

Essential workers and their unions, particularly SEIU Locals 73 and Health Care Illinois/Indiana also joined the rally. HCII Vice President Jaquie Algee explained about the 1886 nationwide strike for the eight-hour day, organized mainly from Chicago, in honor of which May 1, is celebrated around the world as International Workers Day. She said, “It’s a disgrace that over 100 years later we’re still fighting for the same things: respect on the job and decent wages.”

The rally at Union Park was capped by remarks by Congressman Chuy Garcia, who pledged to support the PRO Act legislation in support of labor organizing; legalization for all, including removal of exclusionary bars; and a pathway to citizenship to be included in the budget reconciliation. “It’s high time to stop criminalizing immigration and desperation, and to end an immigration system entangled with the flawed criminal justice system. It’s no accident that the same communities that are over-policed due to racist policing and racial bias are suffering at the hands of immigration enforcement.”

Garcia then spoke about his legislation, the New Way Forward, which would end the mass criminalization and deportation pipeline.

After rallying in Union Park on Chicago’s West Side, they marched two-and-half miles to Federal Plaza in the Loop. A cultural program featuring youth performers was interspersed with speeches by Rev. Emma Lozano, her daughter Tanya Lozano, Frank Chapman of CAARPR, Oswaldo Gomez of ONE Northside and the Grassroots Alliance for Public Safety, and alderpersons Byron Sigcho Lopez and Carlos Ramirez Rosa, all of whom came together to help create the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance.

#ChicagoIL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #legalizationForAll #ChicagoAllianceAgainstRacistAndPoliticalRepression #MayDay2021

Los Angeles, CA – El 8 de abril, se llevó a cabo una conferencia de prensa con familias inmigrantes y Centro CSO pidiendo al presidente Joe Biden que avance con un plan para otorgar estatus legal a a los más de 12 millones de indocumentados que viven y trabajan en los Estados Unidos. Residentes indocumentados con miembros del Centro CSO se les unió Tanya Lozano, con la delegación del Derecho a la Familia de Chicago. Es hija de Emma Lozano, quien lanzó las mega marchas de 2006. También habló en la conferencia de prensa la activista por los derechos de los inmigrantes de Chicago, Elvira Arellano. Hace años, Arellano se refugió en una iglesia de Chicago para oponerse a su deportación y ayudó a iniciar el movimiento santuario en los Estados Unidos. Carlos Montes, un activista de derechos humanos Chicano local de Boyle Heights, habló y pidió marchas masivas y unidad para exigir la legalización para todos. Montes también denunció los homicidios policiales de Afro-Americanos  y Chicanos, especialmente por parte del departamento del alguacil de Los Ángeles con sus letales pandillas de agentes.

Sol Márquez, otra residente de Boyle Heights y activista del Centro CSO, así como una madre reciente, habló sobre las condiciones racistas que enfrentan los inmigrantes en los centros de detención de ICE. También habló sobre los inmigrantes en otros países que recibieron la ciudadanía por ser trabajadores esenciales durante la pandemia. “Todos los trabajadores inmigrantes en los Estados Unidos son esenciales y deberían legalizarse ahora”, dijo Márquez.

Luis Sifuentes del Centro CSO habló sobre el abuso que enfrentan las mujeres y los niños en el largo viaje para cruzar la frontera solo para enfrentar el abuso a manos de ICE. “¡Estos son campos de concentración donde mujeres y niños se enferman y mueren y son sometidos a abusos sexuales!” Sifuentes dijo, señalando que el año pasado un denunciante reveló que los médicos de ICE están realizando histerectomías a la fuerza en mujeres. “¡Esto es un genocidio! ¡Exigimos que estos niños se reúnan con sus familias y cierren los campamentos! “

Las familias indocumentadas sufrieron durante años bajo la presidencia abiertamente racista de Trump, pero han seguido luchando y exigiendo la legalización para todos y el fin de las deportaciones. La conferencia de prensa convocó a marchas masivas en todo el país en todas las ciudades importantes de los Estados Unidos. Los organizadores sienten que es el momento adecuado para marchas masivas y para la aprobación de leyes para aliviar el sufrimiento de millones de familias.

En el barrio de Boyle Heights de Los Ángeles, los planes del Primero de Mayo son reunirse el 1 de mayo a las 11:00 am en la esquina de la Avenida Chávez con la Calle Mathews. Desde allí, los participantes marcharán hasta el corazón de la comunidad: Mariachi Plaza. En la plaza, un mitin contará con varios oradores, presentaciones en vivo y bocadillos. Para obtener más información, comuníquese con: @Centro CSO en Facebook, Twitter, Instagram y TikTok, CentroCSO@gmail.com, 323-943-2030.

#LosAngelesCA #MayDay #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSO #legalizationForAll

Los Angeles, CA – On April 8, a press conference was held with immigrant families and Centro CSO calling on President Joe Biden to move forward with a plan to grant legal status to the over 12 million undocumented living and working in the U.S.

Undocumented residents and other members of Centro CSO were joined by Tanya Lozano from the Right to Family delegation from Chicago. She is the daughter of Emma Lozano who launched the 2006 mega marches. Also speaking at the press conference was immigrant rights activist from Chicago, Elvira Arellano. Years ago, Arellano took refuge at a Chicago church to oppose her deportation and helped start the sanctuary movement in the U.S.

Carlos Montes, a local Chicano human rights activist from Boyle Heights, spoke, calling for mass marches and unity to demand legalization for all. Montes also denounced police killings of Blacks and Chicanos, especially by the LA Sheriff's department with its deadly deputy gangs.

Sol Marquez, another Boyle Heights resident, Centro CSO activist, and recent mother, spoke about the racist condition immigrants face in ICE detention centers. She also told of immigrants in other countries being granted citizenship for being essential workers during the pandemic. “All immigrant workers in the U.S. are essential and should be given legalization now,” Marquez said.

Luis Sifuentes of Centro CSO spoke about the abuse women and children face in the long journey to cross the border only to face abuse at the hands of ICE. “These are concentration camps where women and children get sick and die and are subjected to sexual abuses,” Sifuentes said, pointing out that last year a whistleblower revealed that ICE doctors are forcefully performing hysterectomies on women. “This is genocide! We demand these children to be reunited with their families and close the camps!”

Undocumented families suffered for years under the openly racist Trump presidency but have continued to fight and demand legalization for all and an end to deportations. The press conference called for mass marches in all major cities of the U.S. Organizers feel the time is right for mass marches and for the passing of legislation to relieve the suffering of millions of families.

In the Los Angeles barrio of Boyle Heights, May Day plans are to assemble on May 1, 11 a.m. at the Chavez Avenue corner with Mathews Street. From there participants will march to the heart of the community, Mariachi Plaza. At the plaza, a rally will feature various speakers, live performances and snacks. For more information contact: @Centro CSO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, CentroCSO@gmail.com, 323-943-2030.

#LosAngelesCA #MayDay #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSO #legalizationForAll

Los Angeles, CA – On October 12, hundreds of people gathered downtown to demand Trump’s concentration camps be closed. Many organizations and labor unions came together including NDLON Day Labor Organizing Centers and MEChA de CSULA with a clear message, “Close the camps.” October 12 was a national day of action in which multiple cities participated.

Speakers included a representative from the teachers union – UTLA. Another speaker, Sol Marquez of Centro CSO, said, “We need to call them what they are – concentration camps. The U.S. has a long history of using concentration camps, they did it to Japanese-Americans and they’re doing it now. We need to close these camps everywhere, not just in L.A. or near the border. And we have to stand in solidarity with Central American refugees. The U.S. destabilizes their governments and economies, forcing them to take dangerous journeys, only to be locked up once they get here. Close the camps.”

The crowd marched in the streets to the Hall of Justice, office of LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. They chanted, “El pueblo, unido, jamas será vencido!” The crowd then marched onto the steps of the building and heard from a few more speakers demanding that Sheriff Villanueva stop any cooperation with ICE at the jails. Black Lives Matter speaker Greg Akili also denounced District Attorney Jackie Lacey for not prosecuting killer cops. After the speakers, people performed a mock die-in symbolizing the dozens of immigrants and refugees who have died in the camps, including six children. As they read each of the names of the people who died, a person in the crowd would fall to the ground, symbolizing their deaths.

The crowd marched on to the Federal Metropolitan Detention Center, where many immigrants are held. They continued chanting, “Close the camps!” And “Policia, la Migra! La misma porqueria!” Hundreds gathered in front of the building. Marquez declared, “Trump in the White House hasn’t made the situation for immigrants, refugees, nor oppressed nationalities any easier. He’s inciting vigilantes to come after Chicanos at Walmarts, or Border Patrol agents to shoot into crowds of people. We must remain strong and keep building the fight to protect each other. We outnumber the rich, and they can’t stop us all.”

Centro CSO is an endorser of the “Legalization for All” call and marched with a banner that read, “Legalización para todos, lucha contra Trump” or “Legalization for all, fight against Trump.”

Centro CSO meets every third Wednesday of the month, 6 p.m., at Benjamin Franklin Library in Boyle Heights. Their contact information is 323-943-2030, centrocso@gmail.com, facebook.com/CentroCSO

#LosAngeles #ImmigrantRights #ChicanoLatino #legalizationForAll #AbolishICE #CloseTheCamps #BorderPatrol

San Ysidro, CA – Protesters marched from Larsen Field in San Ysidro to the pedestrian border crossing Friday evening, July 12. The march was led by local Kumeyaay tribal elders, accompanied by the Brown Berets, and local immigrant rights and political organizations in demanding an immediate end to the Trump administration's refugee and immigrant concentration camps.

These camps have been the center of popular outrage, as many reports have surfaced of children being ripped away from their families, sexually assaulted and denied medical treatment. Some even died in custody or immediately following release. Several thousand people participated in the march, which stopped right in front of the crossing that leads right into Tijuana, Mexico. There, Kumeyaay tribal leaders held ceremonial dances and local activists gave poignant speeches enumerating the atrocities the Trump and past U.S. administrations have committed against indigenous peoples, immigrants and refugees.

The influx of asylum seekers – particularly from Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala – can be directly attributed to U.S. efforts to destabilize progressive governments and attack revolutionary movements across Latin America.

In the United States, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has been using insidious tactics in its war on oppressed nationalities. Once tactic has been scouring driver and motor vehicle databases in states that permit undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses, using facial recognition software to identify potential deportees.

Protesters that night chanted slogans like “Free the children! Free them now!” “Abolish ICE,” and “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” They also proudly displayed signs reading “Close the camps, free the fams,” “Prosecute Trump,” “Kids don't belong in cages” and “No more dead children!”

After speakers addressed the crowd, protesters marched back to Larsen field and the action ended around 10:30 p.m.

#SanYsidroCA #OppressedNationalities #US #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #legalizationForAll #DonaldTrump #AbolishICE #concentrationCamps

Los Angeles, CA – On the afternoon of May 1, International Workers Day, Boyle Heights families, workers and students protested the Trump anti-immigrant attacks and raised the demand “Legalization for all” and “No Wall on the Mexico border!”

The lead banner, with the red flag of Aztlan, called for fighting Trump. The organizers called for self-determination for Chicanos in Aztlan, the U.S. Southwest. The fifth annual May Day in Boyle Heights united hundreds of poor working-class families, students, teachers and workers, mostly Chicanos. Among the demands were respect and equality for Chicanos and Central Americans, an end to killings by the LAPD and East LA Sheriffs of Chicano youth and a stop to privatization of public schools.

The march started with a kick-off rally denouncing Trump’s attacks against immigrants. Among the speakers were Matt Harper from Los Angeles Catholic Worker and Eloisa Galindo of Eastside Parents Against Privatization. Galindo expressed unity and support in the fight against Trump’s attacks and exposed Monica Garcia for selling out LA schools to the charter lobby.

After marching for half a mile, a short protest was held at the corners of Chicago and First Street, at the LAPD Hollenbeck police station. The protest denounced the killings of eight young men including 16-year-old Jose Mendez, killed February 5, 2016, and 14-year-old Jesse Romero killed August 9, 2016. Both were child immigrants from Mexico and were raised in Boyle Heights. Several families who have lost sons to killings spoke, like Rosa Moreno whose son was killed by the Long Beach Police Department August 29, 2017, and Lisa Vargas, whose son Anthony Vargas was killed by the ELA Sheriffs on August 12, 2018.

Standing in front of the LAPD Hollenbeck station, Josefina Rizo demanded a stop to killings of Black and brown young men like her son Jose Mendez. The highlight was when Mendez’s eight-year-old sister grabbed the mic and asked LAPD Hollenbeck officers viewing the protest, “What would you do if your child was killed by cops?”

Joined by high school students from Roosevelt High School, a MEChA student said, “All the families who are suffering, we support you! We support legalization! And get rid of charters! I’m a proud student coming from a public school! Public education works!”

The march continued along First Street and was greeted by supporters. At Mariachi Plaza, a final rally was held with several speakers like Brenda Gutierrez from (AIM) American Indian Movement, who talked about the common struggles; and Yolanda Romero, mother of students at Marianna Avenue Elementary School who denounced the charter school privatization attacks at LAUSD. Romero called for fighting to support public education.

Lucy Madera, a UTLA member and Chicana teacher at Eastman Avenue Elementary, spoke about the fight against Extera Charter school in East LA. Luis Sifuentes spoke about the Centro CSO recent victory against KIPP Promesa charter school in Boyle Heights, stopping its construction where the former Lincoln Hospital is located. This success united parents, teachers, students and organizations like Eastside Padres Against Privatization and East Area teachers from UTLA to stop the KIPP Promesa Charter school project in Boyle Heights.

A large group of teenagers participated in the march and rally – many with Legacy LA. They spoke about the campaign to have a Youth Development Department for LA City and called for the end to LAPD harassment of Boyle Heights youth in the Ramona Gardens neighborhood.

A contingent from Black Lives Matter-LA and White People for Black Lives Matter marched and rallied in solidarity. The youth carried a large banner with the demand “LAPD stop killing Black and brown people.”

A powerful speech by Johanna Mustafa representing the community initiative Take on Hate spoke about the fight of the Palestinian people, stating “As a Palestinian Muslim, I cannot stay silent in the face of Trump’s racist anti-immigrant policies. From Mexico to Palestine, our enemy is one and the same. Our enemy is white supremacy. Our enemy is Zionism. The only way to win is if we fight back together, with no remorse to the capitalists that oppress us and profit off our pain and misery.”

Sol Marquez, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, closed May Day by speaking about farmworkers like her parents. “The working-class like my parents, creates all the wealth that these billionaires like Trump steal from us. We outnumber them. The only way we will be able to seize control of all the wealth we create – is with a revolution here, in the U.S.”

Centro CSO has monthly meetings every third Wednesday of every month 6 p.m. held at the Benjamin Franklin Public library in Boyle Heights.

May Day in Boyle Heights 2019 was endorsed by Eastside Padres Contra Privatizacion, Black Lives Matter-LA, UTLA-Breed Street Elementary school teachers, UTLA-Eastman Avenue Elementary school teachers, MEChA de Garfield High School & Roosevelt High School, Los Angeles Catholic Worker, Take on Hate, UTLA-Human Rights Committee, Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council, California for Progress, and the 50th Chicano Moratorium Committee.

#LosAngelesCA #OppressedNationalities #MayDay #US #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #CentroCSO #legalizationForAll #Antiracism #Socialism #DonaldTrump

Attacking Mexicans, and by extension Chicanos, Trump has dispatched the U.S. military to the U.S.-Mexico border to block the caravan. We say down with Trump, down with him hiding like a coward behind the U.S. military, down with the continued militarization, killings and abuses at the border, down with the injustices to the undocumented in the U.S., and down with the U.S. destabilization of Central America.

We must demand legalization for all current 11 million undocumented people in the U.S., and asylum now for the caravan refugees when they arrive at the border. Aztlán welcomes them with open arms.

A brief history

Chicanos of Aztlán – or the Southwest United States, a land that was once northern Mexico – express solidarity with those who make up the caravan and the countries they’re from: Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Close to 7000 individuals have been walking on foot for close to a month now. The caravan began in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on October 12.

Fleeing the destabilization and misery that the U.S. caused in their countries, these refugees have set out for an unknown, long, exhausting and extremely dangerous journey.

For us Chicanos who live in places like Los Angeles, we don’t have to travel far to meet or interact with Central Americans. As early as the 1940s, Central Americans have been immigrating to and permanently staying in Aztlán. As of 2009, up to 560,000 Central Americans live in the greater part of Los Angeles. If you know MacArthur Park, you know that since 2008 over 350,000 Salvadorans call it home.

A cultural embrace

What has this beautiful mix of cultures, history, language, economic struggle, and land done for both Central Americans and Chicanos? It has made us unite and have much in common. Chicanos participate in festivals like Salvadoran Day. There are also shared closeness of independence days like September 16 for Mexico, and September 15 for El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Many Central Americans participate in celebrations of Chicano holidays like Cinco de Mayo or El Grito for Mexicans. A shared love of food and music has caused Chicanos and Central Americans to learn about each other’s cultures and languages as well as embrace them. Central Americans talk about the differences in their tamales and Mexican ones, ask Mexicans for salsa recipes; while Mexicans and Chicanos enjoy pupusas.

Aside from culture and language, Chicanos and Central Americans also share workplaces, neighborhoods and struggle. Accounting for a major part of the workforce and the creators of wealth in places like California and the rest of Southwest, Chicanos and Central Americans are uniting.

Sharing stories of heroic fighters like Father Romero in El Salvador, along with Mexican revolutionaries like Zapata and Pancho Villa, a common outlook of united struggle is coming into being. Stories about crossing the border and how seeking a better future caused us all to live in Aztlán are also commonplace.

Stand up, fight back!

White supremacist sympathizers are having a field day with the caravan and it is up to us to stop them. On October 29, Trump ordered over 5000 U.S. troops to militarize the Mexico-U.S. border. Live broadcasts of public displays of bigotry were shared all over social media. Meters upon meters of barbed wire were wrapped around already existing border fences.

White extremists like Anne Coulter have suggested that the U.S. military invade Mexico to stop the caravan, stating, “They could invade. They could go in ten yards into Mexico. We didn’t ask for Iraq’s approval to go in, we didn’t ask for Afghanistan’s approval to go in.” Secretary of the State Mike Pence says of the caravan, “You will not be successful in getting into the U.S. illegally, no matter what.”

Vigilantes are self-deploying to the border, as they have done in the past. Armed with hatred and weapons, these vigilantes are also responsible for unmarked migrant graves found yearly at the border.

We in the U.S. will fight back against these vile and racist attacks. Stop Trump and his white extremist sympathizers. No to border militarization and troops. Let the caravan in!

Sol Márquez is a Chicana member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Márquez organizes for Chicano liberation in Boyle Heights with the grassroots group Centro CSO.

#LosAngelesCA #International #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #legalizationForAll #Antiracism #DonaldTrump #migrantCaravan

Organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) on less than a day’s notice, the protest made sure that the largest military-style workplace immigration raid yet under the Trump administration did not go unchallenged.

The immigration raid was carried out by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, which is ICE’s investigative branch. ICE simultaneously raided multiple workplaces in Nebraska and in southern Minnesota. The two Minnesota towns targeted were Sleepy Eye and Appleton. The targets were immigrant workers for Christensen Farms, which has its headquarters in Sleepy Eye and has a plant in Appleton. Incidentally, Appleton is the town where a private prison corporation and right-wing politicians want to reopen a currently-inoperative prison as an immigrant prison.

Christensen Farms is one of the largest pork producers in the United States with operations in several Midwest states. On August 8, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper, “Dozens of agents in black SUVs pulled onto the company property, blocking entrances to keep people from leaving or entering,” and, “for several hours, agents interviewed every employee and checked some IDs.”

At the Minneapolis protest, speakers included Kathryn Sharpe of the Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM); David Gilbert-Pederson of Minnesota Workers United and the Minnesota Regional Labor Federation; Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison; Pastor Rebecca Voelkel of the Center for Sustainable Justice; Jill Jacobson of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, and Kristin Dooley of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM). Speakers connected the struggle of immigrant workers, the labor movement, faith communities, the need for local government to enact policies to protect immigrants from the federal government’s anti-immigrant campaign, and U.S. militarism that drives forced migration.

In addition to condemning the ICE raid at Christensen Farms in Appleton and Sleepy Eye, MIRAC called for ICE to immediately release all the immigrant workers they detained, and to end all workplace immigration raids. They also called on Governor Dayton and all city and county governments in Minnesota to immediately end all coordination with ICE. Finally, they demanded an end to deportations, legalization for all, and abolishing ICE.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #Labor #OppressedNationalities #ChicanoLatino #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCoalitionMIRAc #legalizationForAll #Antiracism #AbolishICE

Salt Lake City, UT – About 4000 people rallied here, June 30, to stop child detentions and for legalization for all. The protest was one many taking place across the U.S. in response to Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants.

#SaltLakeCityUT #legalizationForAll

Washington D.C. — A hard-earned victory by the immigrant rights movement in 2012 is under imminent threat by President Trump.

On Sunday, Sept. 3, Trump spoke with U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan about slashing DACA in the following six months.

Young undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers challenged President Obama during his 2012 reelection campaign for lack of action on legalization of the undocumented. Countless protests at his campaign offices forced President Obama to issue an executive order to establish Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on June 13, 2012.

Over 800,000 undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as children have since been issued temporary visas, good for about three years. This allows them to get jobs and drivers licenses. Over 90% of them have become employed and many have gone on to seek a higher education.

Texas and five other Republican-ruled states have threatened to launch a lawsuit against DACA on Sept. 5 unless the administration starts taking apart the program. They hope to pressure the president to shut down DACA or at least not to defend the program in court, thus allowing a judge to end the program.

As a result, some Democrats, like California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, stated publicly on August 28 that he would help lead a defense of DACA if the Justice Department refused to intervene. Arizona Representative McSally ® and U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan have also expressed support, after much pressure from groups like United We Dream and Voces de la Frontera in Milwaukee.

A call-in day to express your outrage at Trump’s decision to slash DACA is set for Tuesday, Sept. 5. Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and demand Trump not end DACA for over 800,000 DREAMers. Follow the call-in day with hitting the streets at your nearest protest. If there is none, organize one now! Send pictures from your event to L4A’s page or tweet us at http://twitter.com/LegalizeForAll

Like the proposed Muslim Ban that was met by thousands demonstrating in the streets in dozens of cities and airports, we expect this attack on Chicano, Mexicano, Central American and other communities to be met with mass mobilizations.

The Legalization for All Network continues to oppose all racist attacks on immigrants by Trump, including the undocumented youth benefiting from DACA. We say, “Hit the streets and defend DACA! Defend the undocumented! Legalization for all now!”

#WashingtonDC #US #PeoplesStruggles #immigrantRights #legalizationForAll #Antiracism #DACA #Trump #DonaldTrump

The protest is being called on May Day, International Workers Day, a historic day for international workers’ rights that commemorates those workers in Chicago who were killed by police in 1886 striking for the eight-hour work day. Recently, May Day has been claimed by the immigrant rights movement as a day to demand immigrant justice and the end to mass deportations. This year, unions and immigrant rights groups across the country are uniting and will be taking action together, including the American Federation of Teachers, whose slogan for May Day is “Build schools, not walls!”

The Fort Lauderdale protest is being organized by People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), SEIU-Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC), Broward Teachers Union (BTU), and Women’s March Broward, among others. Their demands include; Make Broward a Sanctuary Count;, Implement a living wage in Broward County by implementing a $15 minimum wage; No more ICE in our county; No walls, no bans; Stop the attacks on unions and working people.

The event was partially inspired by the widely successful National Day without Immigrants in February and will be one of hundreds of similar actions and marches taking place across the country.

#FortLauderdaleFL #MayDay #internationalWorkersDay #legalizationForAll #Ni1mas