Los Angeles, CA – A militant march and rally was held on International Workers Day, May 1 that brought out the Boyle Heights community by the hundreds. Raising the demands of Legalization for all, dump Trump, and stop police killings of Chicanos, the protest was organized by Centro Community Service Organization (Centro CSO).

The march was led by people holding banners reading “Legalization for all.” Two large red flags also led the march. Waving and yelling at the top of their lungs, Garfield High School students carried the two flags, one of Aztlán and the other with the slogan “Liberation not deportation.”

As the militant crowd lined up to march, they were fired up and began chanting, “Chicano power,” “Aqui estamos y no nos vamos, y si nos echán, regresamos!” (We are here! And we’re not leaving! And if they deport us, we’ll be right back!) and “Dump Trump!”

Leading chants on the back of a pickup truck, Sol Márquez kicked off the march by asking the crowd, “Who’s ready to march to the police station and demand justice?” The march started on Soto and Chavez in the heart of Boyle Heights and was greeted by many cheers and waves from the public.

Marchers stopped for a short rally at the LAPD Hollenbeck police station to denounce police killings of Chicano youth.Three families in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles have fallen victim to police killings in 2016. They all joined the march. The three Chicanos murdered were Edwin Rodriguez killed by LA County sheriffs on Feb. 14; Jose Mendez, killed by LAPD-Hollenbeck Feb. 6; and Arturo Valdez killed by LAPD-Hollenbeck April 10.

In front of LAPD station Jhony Mendez shouted into the microphone, “My little brother Jose Mendez was only 16 years old when LAPD shot and killed him. And to this day LAPD has never shown us their faces, because they know they are in the wrong.”

Estela Rodriguez, shouted and pointed to LAPD, “My 24-year-old son was shot 17 times, all in the back or to the back of his head. It’s time we bring Edwin Rodriguez’s case to justice.”

The spirited march ended with a high energy rally at the historic Mariachi Plaza. Blanca Valdez, long time education activist, talked about her son Arturo being shot in the head by the LAPD.

Isabel Ocampo of Centro CSO talked about the militant spirit of the undocumented youth and the fight for deferred action for all. “It is time undocumented people come out of the shadows and join the fight for legalization,” said Ocampo.

Long time Chicano leader Carlos Montes spoke to the crowd, “Self-determination for all Chicanos, political and economic control for our people. Are you down with me? We can keep fighting years for reforms, but real change will come from revolution!” The crowd overwhelmingly agreed by chanting, “Viva la revolucion!” (Long live revolution)”

MECHA de Roosevelt High School and the undocumented students of SURGE, of California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) urged support for the fight for public education and immigrant rights. Leonardo Vilchis of Union de Vecinos also talked about the fight against evictions and raising rents!

Participants in the event included students and families of Boyle Heights and ELA, members of Centro CSO, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Union de Vecinos, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), CSULA SURGE, East Los Angeles College M.E.Ch.A, Roosevelt High School M.E.Ch.A, Garfield High School M.E.Ch.A, GABRIELA Los Angeles, Anakbayan Los Angeles, The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) of Los Angeles, Assoc. of Ex Braceros, local rank and file Teamsters from UPS, the MORENA party of Mexico, , Human Rights Alliance for Child Refugees, Serve the People, and two different chapters of the Brown Berets.

Sol Márquez concluded the rally stating, “We thank all of you who were present today demanding justice for all Chicanos killed by LAPD and LA sheriffs. And we thank our Black brothers and sisters who have fought back against their own national oppression at the hands of the state – and their movement is only growing. We must unite since our interests are the same: Liberation now, freedom now! And let us also never forget that women hold up half the sky!”

Centro CSO will be holding a meeting May 18 at the Benjamin Franklin library, for upcoming plans against police crimes and actions for Deferred Action for Parents (DAPA). For more information about Centro CSO https://centrocso.wordpress.com/

#LosAngelesCA #InJusticeSystem #Labor #OppressedNationalities #MayDay #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #BoyleHeights #immigrationRights #California

Milwaukee, WI – More than 100 people gathered at a rally, Sept. 26 at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to condemn deportations and police brutality.

Timed to coincide with a talk by Michelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, the rally brought together two of the largest movements in Milwaukee. One is the movement against the mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, gathered around Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) and its parent organization Voces de la Frontera. The other important movement is against police brutality and mass incarceration, gathered around a number of community leaders and the families of police brutality victims.

Speaking to the gathered crowd, State Representative-elect David Bowen condemned the deaths of young African-American men at the hands of police. Next from Voces de la Frontera, Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz denounced “the private prison system that profits from filling its beds with undocumented immigrants.”

Then Angela Walker, socialist candidate for county sheriff, explained, “The historic tactic of the ruling class is to divide oppressed peoples against one another. By holding rallies like this we are challenging oppression and exploitation.”

Nate Hamilton, brother of Dontre Hamilton who was murdered by the Milwaukee Police Department, implored, “We need unity between Black and Brown communities. We call on all forces to rally this upcoming Tuesday at Red Arrow Park, the site of my brother’s murder, to mark the fifth month anniversary of his death.”

MATC community college students led the rally. Youth Empowered in the Struggle at MATC founder Mario Gomez laid the foundation for the rally by looking at the common denominator between mass deportation and mass incarceration – class exploitation and national oppression. Gomez spoke directly, “Let’s be honest, they’re targeting the working class. They’re not targeting just anybody. They’re not out here targeting and deporting rich Europeans and Canadians. They’re targeting the working class, and as a proud member of that working class, at the largest working class college in Wisconsin, we’ve got to start fighting back!”

The rally maintained a high level of enthusiasm throughout, and ended with YES leading the crowd in a Unity Clap, inspired by the farmworkers struggle of the 1960s and 1970s. All participants were invited to a lunch social afterward, hosting by the MATC student organizations.

Co-sponsors of the rally included: Youth Empowered in the Struggle, Youth Empowered in the Struggle – MATC, MATC Black Student Union, MATC Latino Student Organization, Voces de la Frontera, and the African American Roundtable.

#MilwaukeeWI #PoliceBrutality #YouthEmpoweredInTheStruggle #ChicanoLiberation #immigrationRights

Los Angeles, CA – On the afternoon of May 1, a powerful May Day march, organized by the Southern California Immigration Coalition (SCIC), took place in the heart of downtown as many garment workers were leaving work. The highly spirited 1000-plus crowd was made up mainly of working class Latinos, union members from Roofers Union Local 36 and United Teachers L.A., street vendors, daily laborers, families and high school students. Also joining the march and helping to carry the lead banner were the women and men of the homeless shelter Projecto Pastoral in Boyle Heights.

The SCIC is composed of dozens of groups including the International Action Center, Community Service Organization, Union del Barrio and Bayan USA. SCIC is an independent grassroots coalition that receives no government or foundation funding.

The many speakers called for Obama to stop the deportations and demanded legalization for all. Many denounced the police/ICE abuses such as detentions, deportations and deaths at the border.

Bayan USA denounced U.S. imperialism and its intervention in the Philippines and other countries. Ramon Mendez, a member of Roofers Union Local 36, spoke about being harassed and exploited at work, and when he filed a grievance the boss called the ICE on him. Mendez had to live away from his family until others came to his aid, pressuring ICE to respect a labor neutrality agreement with the Labor Department that protects workers who are in disputes with employers. He is now out on bail, fighting his deportation. The MECHA students talked about the need for legalization and better schools.

Carlos Montes, a veteran Chicano revolutionary, stated that the fight for legalization is part of the struggle of self-determination for the Chicano/Mexican people and equality for Latinos. He noted that May 1 had been revived in the U.S. by the massive 2006 immigrant rights marches led by Latinos.

The spirited march included flags from Latin American countries, including the Chicano nation of Aztlan.

Two other May Day marches took place in Los Angeles on May 1.

#LosAngelesCA #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #Chican #SouthernCaliforniaImmigrationCoalition #CarlosMontes #MovimientoEstudiantilChicanoDeAztlánMEChA #Latinos #immigrationRights #legalizationForAll #NoMasDeportaciones #RoofersUnionLocal36

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).

With patience worn thin from discarded political promises, the marchers chanted “Hey Obama, don't deport my mama!” Protesters held signs that said “Liberation not deportation” and “ICE out of our communities,” with the hashtags #Not1More and #2Million2Many. Several speakers relayed their experiences dealing with the deportation of family members.

“More than 1000 people are being deported every day and President Obama has the authority and the power – he can definitely do what’s right,” said Bruno Hinojosa, a member of COLA. Speakers explained that, despite promises to take action on behalf of immigrants, President Obama has instead functioned as deporter-in-chief.

#AshevilleNC #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #immigrationRights #legalizationForAll #borderRepression #NoMasDeportaciones

But the reality is that the Republicans will block any legalization bill, while business interests will push the passage of expanding temporary worker and employment based visas. In the meantime immigrants are facing a wave of repression, with the Obama administration having deported a record 2 million undocumented people. So the piecemeal approach is most likely to end up being more of the same for the undocumented: more deportations, no legalization and a temporary reprieve for undocumented who came as children and qualify under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

So why is Obama retreating in the face of Republican opposition to immigration reform? One reason may be a partisan consideration. By making this concession, Obama is trying to keep the immigration issue in the media, hoping to benefit in next year’s election by looking ‘reasonable’ in the face of Republican opposition to immigration reform, even if this means doing little to nothing to advance any immigration reform. But another factor is that many of Obama’s policies are, in fact, moderate Republican ones. Take a look at his Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Two of the most controversial parts of the ACA, the insurance exchanges and the individual mandate, were both Republican ideas that were embodied in the Massachusetts health care reform under Republican governor Mitt Romney.

Fundamentally, this reflects the fact that both the Democratic and the Republican parties represent the 1%, the tiny minority who own half the total wealth in the U.S. and control the large corporations that dominate the economy. While the two parties have their differences, with the Republicans wanting more repression of immigrants with militarization at the border, and the Democrats are more interested in meeting the needs of business through expanding temporary and guest worker programs, they serve the same interests.

Up to now, there have been three views of immigration reform. On the one hand, there were advocates for the undocumented, family reunification and workers, who supported legalization and stopping deportations. They also opposed more militarization of the border, more workplace enforcement, more temporary and guest workers, cuts in family reunification and diversity visas and criminalization of the undocumented and expansion of using local police and sheriffs to crack down on immigrants. More and more of these forces are uniting behind a demand that the president issue a ‘Deferred Action For All’ that expands the DACA program to all the undocumented. This would allow the undocumented to come out of the shadows and be able to work and drive legally, while laying the basis for a stronger push for legalization in the future.

Then there were the right-wing Republicans in the House of Representatives, who opposed legalization, and wanted more militarization, more workplace enforcement, more temporary, guest and employment visas and supported criminalization of the undocumented and expansion of ICE-local police programs, as seen in the SAFE act that passed a House committee on a straight party line vote. The House Republicans also support a piecemeal approach so that they can pass what they want (more repression of immigrants) and block what they don’t want (legalization).

In between was the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” or CIR approach, as seen in the Senate immigration reform bill. CIR tried to combine the other two opposing views on immigration reform, as a way of getting Republican support. But with the overall atmosphere of repression, the Senate bill got steadily worse, with a lot more militarization of the border. The House bipartisan bill was widely known to be even worse, but it never got off the ground as the House Republicans pulled support for any bill with legalization and rallied around a piecemeal approach in opposition to CIR. With Obama’s concession to the House Republicans, the CIR approach is basically dead for now.

Backers of the CIR approach have two choices: they can go along with the President’s approach, either openly or trying to hide behind the fiction that CIR is still possible in the House. This will end up with some pro-business changes, such as more temporary worker and employment-based visas, but no legalization and the continuing deportation of record numbers of the undocumented. Or they can join with advocates of legalization and stopping the deportations by backing the Deferred Action For All or DAFA, which would both benefit the undocumented and put pressure on the House to deal with legalization.

Masao Suzuki is a supporter of the Legalization for All network and a regular contributor to Fight Back! newspaper on the economy and the immigrant rights movement.

#SanJoséCA #RepublicanAgenda #BarackObama #immigrationRights #comprehensiveImmigrationReform #AffordableCareAct #DACA

Grand Rapids, MI – More than 200 immigrants and their supporters marched for immigrant rights on Aug. 24. Mexican, Central American and Caribbean groups and families united in Lincoln Park on the Northwest side of Grand Rapids at noon. Leaders from religious, union and community groups spoke and then led a march through the neighborhood to protest outside the Republican Party headquarters. After chanting and singing, the protesters marched the mile back to the park for a cookout and party.

Carlos Gutierrez of Saint Joseph the Worker Parish spoke through a megaphone to the crowd saying, “Millions of immigrants that live in our country did not just come here for a vacation. They came here for their very survival, because they had no other alternative. War, violence, economic and social discrimination, racism, and political repression, are driving people and families out of their countries looking for security and a better future.”

Gutierrez continued, “We have dehumanized our immigrant brothers and sisters and we have forgotten our common human bond. We forget about all the women who travel so bravely to unite their families in the U.S. The mothers who see their sons and daughters leaving home, the mothers who pray that they will return one day, worried that their children might disappear or even be killed. The wives who stay home and keep their family together while their husbands are forced to leave and make great sacrifices to find work in the U.S. Don’t forget the children who grow up without their fathers at home because the fathers had to immigrate to earn money. Remember the sadness of the families who cannot even be united at a funeral, when a loved one dies back at home and they cannot return because of the broken immigration system. There are no strangers here; we are all one family, the family of God.”

Lindsey Rosa of Peace, Hope and Love Forever, spoke about the struggles of undocumented immigrants as the number of deportations continues to rise. Rosa said, “We are coming together on the 50th anniversary March on Washington D.C. We are marching today in solidarity with tens of thousands marching from coast to coast. We are also marching in solidarity with the spirit of Martin Luther King and with all those who have fought for justice throughout history, with Gandhi and with Rigoberta Menchu, with people both known and unknown.”

Rosa ended by saying, “I want to remember today, those who are currently undocumented and living in fear, and stress and anxiety, and those who cannot be here because they have been deported. We still remember and love them. We still continue to fight so this does not continue to happen…the universal fight for justice is the only true and honorable thing a person can do with their life. I know we will continue to fight until immigration reform is realized.”

West Michigan Coalition for Immigration Reform organized the protest and march.

#GrandRapidsMI #RepublicanAgenda #immigrationRights #immigrationReform #legalizationForAll

Charlotte, NC – On July 17, the day of Uriel Alberto’s scheduled meeting with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and likely deportation, Alberto received a phone call and was told his order of ‘Stay of Removal’ had been approved.

What started off as a simple demonstration against reactionary anti-immigration policies, turned into a year-long struggle against Uriel Alberto’s ICE-enforced deportation process. In Raleigh, on Feb. 29, 2012, immigrant rights group El Cambio crashed a House Committee meeting on immigration issues, resulting in Alberto standing up and ripping off his outer shirt, revealing an undershirt reading, “Undocumented and Unafraid!”

Alberto was detained for his actions, sparking a ten-day hunger strike against his imprisonment. He was eventually released, but from then on ICE has been scheduling a year-long process in deporting him back to Mexico because of his unwillingness to do so voluntarily.

On July 4, what many in the United States mark as their Independence Day, Alberto launched a hunger strike against his scheduled deportation in front of the ICE office here in Charlotte. A petition was subsequently launched, calling for the U.S. House of Representatives to call off their hunt, reaching over 400 signers.

As was suggested by friends and family, Alberto began calling for an order of ‘Stay of Removal’ as July 17 kept getting closer and closer. Since then, it’s now been approved. A ‘Stay of Removal’ isn’t a permanent solution, but it would allow Alberto to remain in the country until the immigration court is able to sort out any legal issues and then bring back up his deportation case. For now, his deportation has been postponed.

When asked of the campaign’s temporary success, Alberto said, “Well I feel blessed with all the support from loved ones and strangers alike. Though I also feel some remorse because I feel there are others a lot more deserving perhaps, that have not been as lucky as I am. I’m glad to be able to stay in the country, but this “Stay of Removal” does not allow or give me any rights. This is part of the new immigrant working class that the Federal Government is creating, but it is a small victory in a long battle, and I’m ready to put it behind me and keep moving forward. Hopefully we will be able to apply for DACA now, because previously the government had advised us to not apply.”

Given the nationwide struggle for immigrant rights, and the subsequent call for ‘Legalization for All’, Alberto wished to speak to all those who are fighting the same struggle. “My one piece of advice to everyone,” he says, “is to fight until the end. To not give up, to not self-deport, but to fight your cases until the end!”

#CharlotteNC #deportations #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #immigrationRights #ElCambio #legalizationForAll #UrielAlberto

Charlotte, NC – On July 4, father and head of household Uriel Alberto sat in front of Immigration and Customs Enforcement office here to partake in a hunger strike against his scheduled deportation on July 17. The hunger strike was temporarily suspended for him to join his family and friends in Winston-Salem who demonstrated against his deportation, but will return to Charlotte on July 8 to continue his hunger strike.

What started off as a simple demonstration against reactionary anti-immigration policies, turned into a year-long struggle against Uriel Alberto’s ICE-enforced deportation process. In Raleigh, on Feb. 29, 2012, immigrant rights group El Cambio crashed a House Committee meeting on immigration issues, resulting in Alberto standing up and ripping off his outer shirt, revealing an undershirt reading, “Undocumented and Unafraid!”

Alberto was detained for his actions, sparking a ten-day hunger strike against his imprisonment. He was eventually released, but from then on ICE has been scheduling a year-long process in deporting him back to Mexico because of his unwillingness to do so voluntarily.

Alberto has been in this country since he was seven. He’s the father of two children and provides for them financially. His deportation won’t just affect him as an individual with rights, it will affect his whole family, if the reactionary rightists get their way.

Giovanna Vargas, member of Yadkinville chapter of El Cambio, has started a petition, calling for the U.S. House of Representatives to end the hunt against undocumented immigrants, and in particular Uriel Alberto. The petition can be accessed here: http://www.change.org/petitions/john-morton-luis-guti%C3%A9rrez-help-stop-the-deportation-of-devoted-father-and-head-of-household

Giovanna says in relation to the current situation, “Uriel's case is one of many. Families are torn apart every day; perfectly good parents are taken from their children. Their children are then placed into institutions, when they actually have parents who love them and want to care for them. This immigration reform makes the system worse – it further criminalizes those families who want nothing more but a safe and better future.”

She continues, “North Carolina legislators have a huge fight on their hands, because organizers like myself, and more people from our communities are watching, we are resisting and we will keep fighting against the powers that be.”

So show your solidarity to Uriel Alberto by signing the petition, sharing it amongst friends and family, and join with Alberto in Charlotte, in front of the ICE office, in hunger strike against his deportation.

No more deportations! Legalization for all! ¡No a las deportaciones! ¡Legalización para todos!

#CharlotteNC #deportations #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #immigrationRights #ElCambio #legalizationForAll #UrielAlberto

So around the country people will call their senators to demand that they support legalization for all undocumented immigrants; that they reduce the time to reach legal permanent residency; that they eliminate the militarization of the border and surveillance drones from the bill; and that they stop the deportations now.

The current Senate bill has more than a ten-year wait for undocumented immigrants to become legal permanent residents. This and other barriers will act to exclude many from legalization.

Right now hundreds of immigrants are dying as they try to cross the border because the militarization of the border has driven them to harsh desert areas. The current Senate bill could lead to military drones flying over millions of Americans who live within 100 miles of the border – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Under the Obama administration, there has been record number of deportations. The call-in day will demand that Senators support a moratorium on deportations while the legalization process is starting.

Call the two U.S. Senators for your state. Find their phone numbers here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Call the US Representative in your district by putting your zip code in the box in the upper right corner of this page: http://www.house.gov/representatives/.

For more details, go to facebook.com/LegalizationForAll.

#LosAngelesCA #deportations #immigrationRights #comprehensiveImmigrationReform #legalizationForAll #borderRepression

The bill would not have allowed DACA recipients to have a permanent driver’s license. DACA itself is only a two-year temporary ‘fix’ and recipients are required to reapply and pay new fees to have the temporary two-year DACA-status. HB 235 would act in the same manner; DACA recipients would have to start the process all over again (fees included) every two years. However, this will still benefit a large portion of the undocumented.

Driver's licenses for the undocumented provide many benefits. The main reason is that it allows travel to drive to work, school, the hospital or anywhere else without the fear of being pulled over by the police. In many places the police put up stop points to target the undocumented for arrests. Being targeted by the police and ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement), the undocumented can face anything from fines and arrests to deportations. In fact, many of the deportations result from driving without a license. For those who are not deported, and are arrested, they will have a much harder time gaining legal status as well as citizenship. On top of this, a license will help the undocumented with employment. As it stands now, without a license, the undocumented are exploited at the workplace in terms of harassment, wage theft and in some cases, slavery. Having a license and documentation, even in a small form, would help to provide more opportunities for employment and limit random immigrant searches.

Governor Scott, like most of the right wing, does not want undocumented people to obtain legal status. In fact, upon entering office, Scott wanted to pass laws similar to Arizona's racist SB1070.

For now, groups around Florida have been planning press conferences and actions to demand licenses for all undocumented immigrants. In Tampa, Dream Defenders is planning a press conference and action within the next few days. Dream Defenders has been demanding that driver’s licenses be extended to all 1.5 million undocumented in the state of Florida. They have started a petition while pressuring their city council to pass a resolution in support.

Sign here: https://www.change.org/petitions/support-licenses-for-all-undocumented-immigrants-in-the-state-of-florida

#TallahasseeFL #driversLicense #GovernorRickScott #immigrationRights #legalizationForAll

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

Fight Back! interviewed veteran Chicano activist Carlos Montes on the fight to win legalization for undocumented immigrants. Montes is a longtime fighter in the struggle for immigrant rights. Fight Back!: Why is the struggle for legalization for the undocumented so important right now?

Carlos Montes: The struggle for legalization is very important now because immigrants, especially Mexicans and Central Americans, have been suffering tremendous hardships. The deportations, long detentions, police-ICE harassment and raids have caused extreme hardship for the masses of families who live in daily fear. These attacks have been exceptionally focused and hard on Mexicans and Central Americans, since they count for more than 90% of all deportations, and have high rates of incarceration and deaths on the border. On top of all this they face oppressive conditions in public schools, oppression in the work place, with low pay for long hours and poor working conditions, often without benefits or health care.

Fight Back!: There is growing discussion of so-called ‘Comprehensive Immigration Reform’ by politicians in Washington D.C. Is this what the community needs? If not, what demands does the immigrant rights movement need to put forward?

Montes: The community needs a fundamental change to the current oppressive immigration situation. The large Latino vote turnout showed that Latino voters want Obama to work on immigration along with job and other bread and butter issues. The immigrant rights movement needs to continue to put forward the most principled, advanced and progressive demands, such as legalization for all, no more repression on the border and in the workplace, and no guest worker program. We cannot let the politicians set the agenda and the platform of reform, because they will vacillate and compromise for a weak reform that serves the interests of big business and not the community.

Fight Back!: What is the connection between the struggle for immigrant rights and the struggle of Chicanos for self-determination and full equality?

Montes: The fight for immigrant rights is a fundamental part of our struggle for self-determination and full equality. We don’t just want a green card, we want our freedom! The history of the U.S. is a history of oppression and annexation of the Chicano/Mexicano people, our land, labor and culture! Fighting for immigrants’ rights is just a step in our ongoing fight for self-determination, economic and political power and freedom from the chains of U.S. imperialism.

Fight Back!: How can the movement win the struggle for immigrant rights?

Montes: Mass organizing, mass protests, civil disobedience and every tactic and form of protest is valid. Change will only come about if we force the politicians to change. In Los Angeles we organized, protested and forced the L.A. city chief of police and mayor to change the car confiscation policy by police who targeted immigrants without licenses. Real genuine reform has historically only come about when the people demanded it and took action. As in the historic Chicano movement when we organized the East L.A. walkouts demanding quality public education, an end to racism in the schools and Chicano Studies, and the mass anti-war protest of the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War.

More recently undocumented youth, the so-called Dreamers, took militant actions that pushed the Obama administration to grant temporary residency known as DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals]. Now is the time to unite and move into action. Many forces are already moving and taking action, everyone should do something in their community. But the key is to base our work among the poor and working class as they are the ones who will stand firm. They should lead this movement – not the politicians, nonprofits, or intellectuals. What poor and working class will unite and fight for is full legalization for all and not a compromise that puts up barriers to legalization while increasing the repression of immigrants.

#UnitedStates #CarlosMontes #ChicanoLiberation #immigrationRights #immigrationReform #legalizationForAll

Tallahassee, FL – On the morning of March 5, over 150 Black and brown Dream Defenders from across the state converged onto the state capitol here to deliver one important message to Florida Legislators and Governor Rick Scott on the first day of legislative session: the start of the “Dream Era.”

Dressed in black shirts with the phrase “Can we dream together” etched in white, the Dream Defenders gathered on the first floor of the Capitol building, starting off the day with a press conference to tell state legislators and national press about their Dream Agenda. Speakers from Dream Defender chapters all over Florida, including Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Tallahassee, spoke on the issues of stopping Florida’s school to prison pipeline, immigration, and repealing Florida’s absurd Stand Your Ground Law, as well as stopping Republican efforts to suppress the votes of Black and brown people. There, Dream Defenders delivered their own State of the State address, hours before Governor Rick Scott was scheduled to give his later that day.

After the speeches, the 150-deep crowd chanted, “Whose state is this? The state is ours, the state is ours, the state is ours!” to the same rhythm as the famous old school rap single, “The World is Ours” by hip hop artist Nas. The large crowd of Black and brown youth then marched to the fourth floor of the Capitol rotunda to greet the legislators and Governor Scott.

The students lined up in two with signs that read, “Can we dream together?,” “I am human,” “Zero tolerance for zero tolerance,” and “Welcome to the Dream Era.” Chants then began, and the legislators and lobbyists immediately started to feel the effect of the Dream Defenders’ attendance. The singing chants of, “Mama, Mama can’t you see, what the system's done to me,” echoed throughout the whole building, even into the legislative chambers where legislators were taking in session.

Dream Defender and FAMU Chapter President Elijah Armstrong led chants and other activists chimed in with, “We are the dreamers, the mighty Dream Defenders,” all to the chagrin of capitol police and security who tried to stop the chants. However they were unsuccessful as the youth kept on, waiting to confront Governor Scott before he gave his State of the State address.

With Dream Defenders all over the fourth floor, Governor Scott and his security staff tried to enter the front of the House Chambers through a back hallway. Scott’s attempts to avoid the young activists were unsuccessful. He was confronted by loud chants of, “We who believe in freedom shall not rest until it’s won.” A visibly uncomfortable Scott quickly hurried into the House Chambers with his security personal to avoid the wrath of the protesters.

“We came here today to flex and let Governor Scott know that this is just the start”, said Dream Defenders at FSU Vice President Brian Marshall. “The Dream Era has just begun and Black and brown youth are rising to flourish in the state of Florida and fight for the issues that affect us the most.”

Dream Defenders are planning to keep the pressure on the Scott and the Republican-dominated legislature to make sure their Dream Agenda is heard.

For more information on Dream Defenders and the Dream Agenda, visit http://dreamdefenders.org/

#TallahasseeFL #GovernorScottWalker #DreamDefenders #immigrationRights #DreamEra

With more students on more campuses, in more states, in every region of the U.S., members of the commission made plans to organize and bring social change to both colleges and society. Student leaders shared lessons on building active student groups, conducting campaigns with clear demands and winning victories on campus. Together they summed up the successes of the big anti-NATO protest in Chicago, the Carlos Montes victory in Los Angeles and the march on the RNC in Tampa, where even a threatening hurricane could not hold them back.

Students from more than a dozen campuses considered how to share in the initiatives and campaigns of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The Student Commission also discussed the importance of the African-American and Chicano national movements for social change. Florida students relayed the lessons learned from taking militant actions to demand justice for Trayvon Martin and they shared a new campaign to end “the schools to prison pipeline.”

FRSO is also attracting campus leaders and founding new groups in the student and youth immigrant rights movement nationally. Students came to the meeting from the Midwest and Florida, as well as the Rocky Mountains, the South and Southwest.

Stephanie Taylor, chair of the Student Commission said, “Even after the FBI raids and in the midst of ongoing heavy political repression, the FRSO Student Commission continues to grow because we are consistent revolutionaries. Both positive and forthright, we organize to end U.S. wars, fight racism and stop government cutbacks. Students with FRSO are making gains with campus campaigns to stop rape, end discrimination against queer people and to support labor unions and workers. In this period of war, austerity, and oppression, many serious activists who oppose imperialism and desire socialism are joining the FRSO.”

Sol Marquez, a student organizer with Dream Defenders in Florida said, “We debated approaches to the immigrant rights struggle. By organizing for the Dream Act, immigrant students and youth won a concession from President Obama – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It is a small victory and something to build on, but we did not come here alone, so we must demand ‘Legalization now!’ for our parents, and for everyone.”

Marquez continued, “‘Comprehensive immigration reform’ is a tricky phrase, it is politician talk. With FRSO, we are organizing for economic equality and political power. Our group demands self-determination for Chicanos and African-Americans and full equality for others. We do not think it is easy, but revolution makes sense. 2013 is going to be a year for struggle, a good year for revolutionaries. We are embarking on a path to unite students, working class and oppressed people to liberate ourselves from this oppressive and exploitative system.”

Mike Raspanti of Milwaukee SDS said, “The meeting was great. I had no idea. Every person in the room raised their hand when asked if they helped organize emergency actions in solidarity with Palestine this past November. We are an organization of leaders and doers, not just talkers.”

A leader of the Revolutionary Student Union in Utah said, “Since joining the FRSO, our ability to mobilize people for protests is improving steadily. When the United National Antiwar Coalition called a day of protest against the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, we were happily surprised to hear Salt Lake City’s was the largest in the country.”

Students are gearing up for action this spring. First is the one-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s brutal murder on Feb. 26, 2012. Dream Defenders formed out of this struggle and led actions to demand police accountability. In solidarity, SDS is calling on students across the country to demand “Justice for Trayvon Martin!”

Another important date is the March 14 Education Rights Day of Action. Small groups of students continue to organize on their campus against tuition increases, education cutbacks and increasing student debt. SDS and others continue to demand an end to bloated administration positions and overpaid salaries for bosses, demanding, “Chop from the top!” and “Education is a right!”

SDS is also calling for April 11 anti-war events, with banner drops, teach-ins and protests to end the U.S. war in Afghanistan, stop U.S. covert operations and stop war moves against Syria and Iran, and to ban U.S. drone attacks.

The meeting provided the opportunity for members of the FRSO Student Commission to clarify their goals both nationally and on their own campuses. The student leaders summed up victories of 2012 and learned from mistakes, to plan an exciting year of struggle.

#UnitedStates #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #RevolutionaryStudentsUnion #immigrationRights

Wentworth, NC – On Oct. 10, El Cambio, a North Carolina-based immigrant rights group, led 60 activists in challenging a racist ‘documentary’ shown at Rockingham Community College. The coalition included undocumented immigrants, Occupy Wall Street activists, students and immigration lawyers such as Marty Rosenbluth, executive director/attorney at North Carolina Immigrant Rights Project and Ann Marie Dooley of the North Carolina Immigration Law Division.

The Rockingham County sheriff’s office hosted the film, They Come to America: The Cost of Illegal Immigration. The sheriff claims it is a non-partisan film providing a venue for open discussion from both sides regarding the topic of immigration. El Cambio and their supporters decided to put these claims to the test.

El Cambio watched the film and found it not only attacked undocumented immigrants, but immigration in general. The propaganda film included an attack on Muslims in the U.S. as well. It claimed that anyone with a Qur’an or prayer rug was not only an immigrant, but also a terrorist. Three-quarters of the way through, the director of the film, Dennis Lynch, revealed his argument – that if the U.S. allows immigration to continue, then America will be under threat for another 9/11.

After sitting through an hour and a half of the film, El Cambio and their supporters said enough was enough, and walked out of the auditorium, into the hallways of Rockingham Community College. What began then was a storm of angry debate and confrontation with the sheriff’s racist supporters.

“How can portraying us as murderers,” said Giovanna Vargas of the Yadkin County El Cambio chapter, “possibly help people support comprehensive immigration reform? It creates a stigma of stereotypes and racism that prevents people from supporting immigration.”

Moises Serrano, another activist for the Yadkin County El Cambio chapter, furthered this concern, stating, “This ‘documentary’ places a barrier with the community that we are trying to reach out to, by drawing the link between murderers, criminals, and rapists to our immigrant communities. It purposely defeats our goals of trying to educate the community before we can even have the first word. We are being silenced and dehumanized when we have other people and other propaganda tell our stories without them ever letting us share our own.”

A few of those who supported the film’s vile claims came out and engaged the activists, relaying sound bites from the film itself. Rockingham County Commissioner James Kallam went so far as to verbally threaten Moises Serrano, asking him if he’d like to volunteer in being a shooting target in order to achieve his quota of killing three people in the county. Commissioner Kallam has since retracted his statement, claiming it to be a ‘joke.’ Few are laughing.

Overwhelmed by the show of opposition to the film, Sheriff Sam Page asked everyone to leave the crowded hallways. El Cambio continued the demonstration outside.

In front of the building, El Cambio dedicated the day, Columbus Day, to the indigenous communities by chanting, “They come to America – they who? Christopher Columbus was undocumented too!” This was a direct response to the film Director’s claim, “[Immigrants] are not here to cut your grass or mow your lawn, they are here to cut your throat.”

“We made history in Rockingham County,” said Moises Serrano. “No one had ever stood up to racism, hatred, or xenophobia in that county. So our win was more symbolic. Now they know that we will not sit idly by and let our communities be attacked in any way, shape, or form. We had an undocumented student who came out of the shadows for the very first time. If we empowered someone to do that then our job was done.”

Moises shed light on what was next for the group. “El Cambio’s next step is In-State Tuition Equality for undocumented students and to use our platform to push heavily for our goal in 2013. With such great friends and allies El Cambio now has in the movement, I know that if we work hard enough we will be able to see undocumented youth go to college at an in-state tuition rate.”

#WentworthNC #Racism #immigrationRights #ElCambio #RockinghamCounty #SheriffSamPage #documentary

Milwaukee, WI – A few blocks from Brewers stadium, picketing in hot sun, 150 plant employees of Palermo's Pizza are out on strike.

These workers, many Latino, walk the picket line each day, demanding job reinstatement, the recognition of the Palermo’s Workers Union and a just contract that addresses health and safety concerns, among other things.

Striking worker Roberto Silva says, “We want a union and we demand justice.”

A national boycott of Palermo’s Pizza is taking off, along with an online petition, which can be signed here. A strike fund has also been set up here.

The strikers are fed up with the way they are being treated. Intimidation, harassment and unsafe working conditions brought problems to a tipping point. Ten days ago, on June 1, these workers walked off the job and now face termination. Using termination and immigration audits as tactics to stop the union organizing, Palermo’s Pizza has not fazed the striking workers.

Solidarity is pouring in from Voces de la Frontera, faith and labor leaders, local labor unions, the national AFL-CIO and Occupy Milwaukee. A petition has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board. There will be elections for a union July 6.

Tiffany Strong of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) brought water to the picket line. “Every worker should have the right to organize and create a union. We should boycott Palermo’s until they agree to allow these workers to unionize and give them the respect and the rights they deserve. This is not just a workers’ fight or immigration fight, but a fight for humanity.”

Peter Adamczak of Occupy Milwaukee has been at the strike several days, helping to mobilize people and bring supplies. “Occupy supports this strike because it is a direct challenge to those who feel emboldened after Scott Walker's victory against the recall. This strike is a sure sign that the working class has not given up!”

#MilwaukeeWI #Labor #classStruggleUnionism #PalermosPizza #pizzaWorkersStrike #immigrationRights