Los Angeles, CA – On April 8, the Los Angeles Unified School District Board (LAUSD) passed a unanimous resolution calling on President Obama to use federal administrative action to suspend any further deportations. The resolution, introduced by LAUSD board member Bennett Kayser, is part of the growing Protect Our Families Campaign that has already gotten several resolutions passed by the city councils in Los Angeles, Carson, Santa Ana and Cudahy. Similar resolutions have also been approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the City Council of Berkeley and in Chicago, Illinois.
Asheville, NC – Amidst the backdrop of continuing congressional inaction on immigration reform, over 100 community members gathered at Saint Lawrence Basilica and marched to the courthouse, demanding an end to deportations and full legalization for all families. The Asheville chapter of Coalición de Organizaciones Latino-Americanas (COLA) joined over 80 cities taking part in a National Day of Action to End Deportations on April 5, organized by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON).
Tampa, FL – The U.S. prides itself in having a day to ‘give thanks.’ They call this, ‘Thanksgiving’ and it's supposed to be a time when the family unites and shares a home-cooked meal. This tradition, however, is not always shared by immigrant communities.
Los Angeles, CA – As the U.S. Senate has begun debating the immigration reform bill, on June 20 the Legalization for All Network is organizing a national call-in day to demand that senators make the immigration reform bill better. There are many parts of the bill that increase militarization of the border. Meanwhile, the legalization aspect of the bill would leave too many immigrants out and needs to be expanded.
Milwaukee, WI – On May 30, activists from Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) and Voces de la Frontera organized a rally of 200-plus outside the Federal Court House in downtown Milwaukee. Inside, Senator Ron Johnson met with delegates from Milwaukee’s Mexican and Latino community to discuss his position on immigration reform.
On April 17, a bipartisan group of eight senators released their proposal for “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” While there are parts of the proposal that would improve the lives of millions of undocumented, it falls far short of a real legalization plan and it includes many bad parts that cannot be supported. What needs to be done, first and foremost, is to rebuild a mass and militant movement for legalization and against more militarization of the border and against workplace repression. We need to go all out to mobilize for May 1 and keep the pressure on politicians to come up with a better immigration reform bill.
Miami, FL – Over 2000 people marched here, April 6, demanding legalization for undocumented workers and calling for an end to the deportations of immigrants. Young and old, undocumented and documented, workers and students came together in order to push local and national policy makers, including President Obama, into immediate action.
