Riverside, CA – On March 16, over 300 people, mostly Chicanos and Latinos, came to the University of California-Riverside for the Alliance for Immigration Reform National Leadership Summit. A similar conference was held in Feb. 2006 at the Riverside Convention Center, which made the original call for mass marches against the criminalization of immigrants on March 10 and 25 of 2006.

After a day of panels and discussion the cry was loud and clear: “Legalization for all; no to more ICE enforcement/repression; and rejection of the current Obama/U.S. Senate proposals.” There was also a united call for a national day of actions on April 10 and mass marches on May 1 in all major cities.

The leadership summit was attended by a number of well-known Chicano/a movement activists like Nita Gonzalez, daughter of Corky Gonzales; Dr. Rudy Acuna, scholar, activist, and author of Occupied America; Maryann Gonzalez, Chicana activist; Maria Elena Durazo, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Secretary Treasurer; former California State Senator Gil Cedillo; Isabel Gonzales, of Tucson Arizona; Dr. Armando Navarro, Chicano scholar and writer; veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes; and Eliseo Medina, Executive VP of SEIU International. Also in attendance were students from the MECHAs of U.C. Riverside and U.C. Los Angeles, and many more.

The panel discussion included elected officials from many levels. One California assembly member called for the passage of a California Divers License bill as the crowd applauded. The Los Angeles Centro CSO circulated a petition directed to California Governor Jerry Brown calling for Drivers Licenses for undocumented people – everyone signed.

Another panel included well-known scholars and professors who pointed out the long fight for immigrant rights and the history of anti-migrant laws in the U.S. In an afternoon panel, Carlos Montes connected the fight for immigrant rights to the struggle for equality and self-determination for the Chicano/Mexicano people. He also denounced U.S. imperialism and U.S. NAFTA-type contracts as the cause of misery and mass displacement of people in the Third World. Montes also denounced the FBI as the main advocate of the ICE/police collaboration repressive program called SCOMM [Secure Communities].

The afternoon panel included grassroots activist groups and non-profit groups. They called for an end to the repression of deportations, detentions and deaths on the border. The panelists also united on rejecting the current Obama/U.S. Senate proposals which set up barriers and long waits for legalization, increased border and workplace repression, and expanded guest worker programs. The united demand was, “Legalization for all!” The Legalization for All National Network statement was circulated among the activists at the conference.

For more information: www.centrocso.org https://www.facebook.com/LegalizationForAll?group_id=120919468082931

#RiversideCA #ICE #immigrantRights #guestWorker #FBIRepression #legalizationForAll #AllianceForImmigrationReformNationalLeadershipSummit

Tampa, FL – Student groups from the Tampa Bay area and neighboring Polk County came together, Jan. 24, to demand answers from Congressman Dennis Ross and protest his anti-immigrant record.

Students from local immigrant rights groups confronted Congressmen Ross at his town hall meeting. The organizations involved included United We Dream-Tampa Bay; Tampa Dream Defenders; Tampa Students Working for Equal Rights; Polk State Students Working for Equal Rights; Tampa Bay Fair Food; and the Young American Dreamers.

About 30 Latino, Mexicano, Chicano and allied students stood at the entrance of the Temple Terrace city hall in east Hillsborough County with signs reading “Legalization for all,” “Stop tearing our families apart,” and even ones quoting Congressman Ross saying that immigration reform should “protect American citizens from invasion.” Each group united behind the demand “Legalization for all.”

Tampa Dream Defenders' Marisol Marquez said, “What we are demanding in Florida is legalization for all. And that includes three very specific pillars for real immigration reform because for far too long immigrants keep being deported and treated as slaves while in the U.S. The tearing apart of these beautiful families has to end now.” The three pillars she is referring to are full legalization for all undocumented immigrants, no second-class guest worker programs, and the demilitarization of the U.S.-Mexico border.

While students held signs outside the town hall meeting, a smaller group of students went into the meeting itself to confront Ross. Jacky Cruz of United We Dream-Tampa Bay asked Ross, “Do you support a humane immigration reform?” to which he agreed in front of cameras. Later, after the cameras were off and Cruz asked him again and Ross responded with a firm “No.” Others asked the Congressman questions about his racist anti-immigrant agenda. Ross repeatedly avoided the questions and even interrupted one of the activists as she was attempting to ask her question.

Towards the end of the meeting students positioned themselves at both visible entrances to the town hall meeting. Dennis Ross, however, was snuck out through a third exit, accompanied by Temple Terrace Police. He escaped down the street while activists chanted and yelled, demanding answers and justice.

As one student representing Tampa Bay SDS, Tefa Galvis, put it, “What makes you superior to us, Dennis Ross? You are as well a product of immigration from the 17th century. So if we all must go home, you must go back to Scotland, the country of your ancestors, too!”

The fact remains that what both the Democratic and Republican parties call Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) simply does not match up with what is needed for the people of the community. They support guest worker programs which will forever enslave immigrants, temporary legal status for English speakers, pushing people to join the military, fingerprint and immigrant databases, and even provisions to add more firepower and army presence to the border. Despite a daily average of 1100 deportations, there is yet to be any mention of legalization for the country’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The time is now; we must all demand legalization for all.

#TampaFL #guestWorker #Racism #ImmigrantRightsMovement #CongressmanDennisRoss

The call-in day message to the politicians said, “I want you to push for genuine, progressive immigration reform that consists of: (1) Legalization for all – we don’t want a restrictive or punitive approach; (2) No second-class guest worker programs – full legalization with full equality for immigrant workers; (3) No more militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border – the border is already too militarized leading to too many deaths; and (4) No increased workplace repression – everyone should have the right to work with dignity and labor rights. Programs like E-Verify should be abolished, not expanded.”

MIRAc’s explanation for the call-in day read, “Congressional Democrats and the White House have announced that they plan to push a national comprehensive immigration reform bill in the new congressional session that starts this month. On issue after issue, we’ve seen the White House and Congressional Democrats too quick to abandon progressive proposals and give in to conservative bullying. So ideas that start out progressive (like health care reform for example) go through a legislative process that tears out any progressive content and stuffs it full of pro-corporate and repressive ideas. The final product comes out on the other end as at best mediocre or at worst as regressive, counterproductive laws. We don’t want this to happen to immigration reform. We want genuine, progressive immigration reform. So we are asking Minnesotans to start contacting Senator Franken and Rep. Ellison on Wednesday, January 16. Tell them you want them to take leadership to stand up for genuine, progressive immigration reform, and you want them to say no to pro-corporate or repressive proposals that some politicians will try to make part of immigration reform.”

MIRAc member Brad Sigal said, “I think our call-in day was a success and now we’ll continue to build momentum with other actions. We encourage people in other states to also start now to demand that their congresspeople stand up for genuine, progressive immigration reform and to demand that they refuse to compromise with the repressive anti-immigrant measures that some politicians will try to make part of immigration reform. The time is now to raise our voices.”

#MinneapolisMN #immigrantRights #guestWorker #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCoalition #everify

Specifically, Bush’s plan states that undocumented workers who come forward can stay for two three-year periods. The logical question is, “What then?” All that the Bush plan holds out is that folks can then go through the ‘normal’ immigration process. Because of the very strict immigration quotas, this amounts to a dead end for the millions of undocumented working here. Another part of the administration immigration proposal says that undocumented workers will need their employer to ‘sponsor’ them. The effect of this will be chaining undocumented workers to their jobs, making it hard for the undocumented to leave rotten jobs and giving the employers incredible power over the immigrant labor.

The Bush proposal reflects the fact that the corporate owners depend on immigrants. As things stand, a substantial section of the working class in this country, particularly those who work in the most difficult sections of service, agriculture and manufacturing, are immigrants, millions of whom do not have legal status.

When big business dreams of their ideal immigration policy, they see well-regulated labor markets, where there is an ample supply of workers, eager to take any job when the economy is booming. They also see workers who can be sent home in times of economic crisis or recession – avoiding the need to pay for programs like unemployment insurance for those who are out of work

Behind immigration, stands an ugly truth: U.S. corporations have used the political and economic power they wield to wreck the economies of many third world countries. As a result, people leave behind their homes and families in search of a better standard of living.

No discussion of immigration to the U.S. can ignore the issue of Mexico, where most undocumented workers come from.

From the theft of northern Mexico right up to NAFTA, the Mexican people have suffered the oppression and exploitation at the hands of the colossus of the North. The wealth concentrated in Wall Street is mirrored by the spread of poverty in urban and rural Mexico. This reality underscores the stupidity and chauvinism that is inherent in the ruling class’s discussions of immigration.

Right-wing commentators and self-serving politicians spew gallons of venom about ‘illegals’ crossing the southern border – as if they were the rightful owners of the Southwest portion of the U.S. Ignored is the fact the area was stolen from Mexico, and the Spanish speaking majority left on this side of the border were forced to endure more than a century and a half of oppression. In that process, a new nationality, Chicanos, came into being. As such, Chicanos have the same rights as any other nationality -including the right of self-determination.

To hear some reactionary politicians, who seem to have a sense of entitlement as big as a house, talking about the southern border (and the Southwest as whole) as if it were their personal property would be laughable, if the entire matter weren’t so deadly serious. Each year, hundreds of men, women and children fleeing poverty – poverty created by the U.S. elites – lose their lives attempting to cross the border. This is a life and death question.

The only just solution to the legal problems faced by undocumented workers is immediate and unconditional amnesty. Immigrants do not need ‘guest worker’ programs or political grandstanding that is aimed at widening the political base of the Republican Party. The undocumented need documents – documents that allow them to stay, work and exercise their rights.

It’s vital that every possible contribution is made to strengthen the movement that insists upon amnesty for the undocumented. At the same time, we need to insist on the defense of democratic rights such as drivers licenses and equal access to social services. By taking this course, a blow is struck at the system of racism, inequality and injustice that is visited upon the oppressed nationalities within the borders of the U.S. – and at the same time we unite all who can be united against the rich who rule this country.

#UnitedStates #Editorial #ChicanoLatino #Bush #immigrantRights #undocumentedWorkers #guestWorker