Immigrant rights

[Communist]

.
SAN DIEGO

Demanding immigrant rights (http://www.workers.org/2010/us/immigrant_rights_0311/)

Mar 4, 2010

Immigrant communities and their allies are organizing resistance nationwide in the face of stubborn government inaction on the issue of immigrant rights and continuing acts of anti-immigrant terrorism on the part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (http://www.ice.gov/about/contact.htm).

The demand for full legal equality is being voiced repeatedly in the U.S./Mexico border county of San Diego.

http://www.workers.org/2010/us/sd_0311.jpg (http://www.workers.org/immigrants/)

On Feb. 14 a local church near downtown San Diego organized a pro-immigrant rights march of parishioners following religious services.

On Feb. 22 the first of a series of community meetings, organized by the San Diego American Friends Service Committee (http://www.afsc.org/) and hosted by various community organizations, took place. Co-sponsored by the Lincoln Social Justice Parent Committee (http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:uiKzcxBleakJ:www.uufresno.org/justice.html+Lincoln+Social+Justice+Parent+Committ ee&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a), a packed classroom of community residents listened carefully as AFSC spokesperson Christian Ramirez called for mass action to win immigrant rights.

More such community meetings are scheduled in the coming weeks.

On Feb. 28 a protest called by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (http://www.uua.org/events/index.shtml) drew immigrant rights supporters to a rally at the downtown Federal Building.

Last spring several Latino/a students on their way to school were arrested by ICE and deported to Tijuana, Mexico, where they knew no one.

The community’s outrage was undoubtedly a deciding factor in the recent decision in the students’ cases. Local immigration attorney Lilia Velasquez announced Feb. 24 that a federal judge had ruled that he didn’t have jurisdiction because of discrepancies with the charging documents.

So the children can continue their lives on this side of the border for now — and for the future, too, if the people have anything to say about it!

— Report and photo by Gloria Verdieu
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© 1995-2010 W (http://www.workers.org/wwp/)orkers World (http://wwppitt.weebly.com/). (http://webarchive.loc.gov/collections/lcwa0001/20011014184410/http://www.workers.org/marxism/)
Verbatim copying & distribution
of this article is permitted in any
medium without royalty provided
this notice is preserved.

[Communist]

.
Trail of dreams (http://www.workers.org/2010/us/trail_of_dreams_0311/)

Mar 4, 2010

http://www.workers.org/2010/us/dreams_0311.jpg (http://www.trail2010.org/)
Trail of Dreams, a grassroots immigration reform group that has been staging a protest walk from Miami to Washington, came through Atlanta on Feb. 27.

The walkers, led by young activists from Miami, started out on Jan. 1 and intend to join a national immigrant rights demonstration in the U.S. capital.

Their main demand is to be treated with respect and dignity.

In Georgia they have marched through towns where the Ku Klux Klan has come out to spread its vile racism and through counties where the sheriffs use their power to deport immigrants without papers.

Nevertheless, they have picked up supporters along the way — local people have walked with them and attended the fiestas they hold at the end of each day.

About 150 people walked with them in Atlanta. Their website is www.trail2010.org (http://www.trail2010.org).

— Photo and report by Jimmy Raynor
_________



Articles copyright 1995-2010 Workers World (http://wwppitt.weebly.com/).
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire
article is permitted in any medium without royalty
provided this notice is preserved.

[Uppercut]

Excellent post, comrade. It's time us Americans realize the atrocities we have committed in the past, and historical justice must be met without reactionary influence. There is no such thing as national boundaries or "private property". There is one world, one people, and one nature. It is time for the U.S. to say "fuck the borders!"

[Democrat]

It is ironic to see distinctions being made when referring to other people. Aren't we all just one people? That is why it is confusing why we refer to and label people as immigrants, like cattle.

All I know is that as an anarchist, the SCW [Spanish Civil War] showed that when you leave behind names and labels, you will carry on, and achieve prosperity.

[Robocommie]

One of the things that annoys me the most about US political philosophy is it's apparent inconsistency. It's founding document, the Declaration of Independence, asserts that all men are created equal, endowed by the Creator with inalienable rights - God given rights that are inalienable! Under the spirit of the law, everyone, regardless of nationality or even citizenship, should be given the same rights because that's what this country is supposed to be about.

But of course, that's not how it works, because that's not convenient for the ruling class.

[Communist]

.
Undocumented and Unafraid (http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/3/15/chicago-mobilizes-immigrant-rights-next-step-march-21-washington-dc)

Chicago mobilizes for immigrant rights - next step March 21 in Washington D.C.

By Viviana Moreno
March 15, 2010


Chicago, IL - Over 1000 young, undocumented immigrants and supporters gathered at Union Park here, March 10, followed by a march to “come out of the shadows.” This kick-started a national week of action for immigration reform that will lead up to a protest in Washington, D.C. on March 21.

Immigrant rights protesters chanted, “Undocumented and unafraid!” as they were making their way towards Federal Plaza.

Eight young immigrant activists, members of the newly formed Immigration Youth Justice League shared their stories in front of thousands of people and encouraged other undocumented youth to come of out the shadows and join them in their fight for immigration reform. One of the speakers, Tania Unzueta said in her speech, “I know that I am tired of hiding…I do this knowing the risks we’re taking are necessary,” referring to publicly declaring her immigration status. Tania is one of the 12 million undocumented immigrants who came to this country wishing to fulfill their dreams of a higher education and a better future.

On March 21 tens of thousands will march in Washington to demand Congress act to pass immigration reform. They are marching because the Obama administration has failed to enact legislation to aide families torn apart by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They are fighting for legalization for all.

.

[Communist]

.
Minnesota

Drivers licenses for immigrants passes first legislative hurdle (http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/3/13/drivers-licenses-immigrants-passes-first-legislative-hurdle)

By Brad Sigal

Saint Paul, MN - On March 10, a bill that would allow immigrants to get drivers licenses in Minnesota passed its first hurdle in a key vote. By a vote of 8-5-1, the "drivers license for all" bill, HF1718, passed the House Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Committee.

According to Jovita from Mujeres en Liderazgo (Women in Leadership), the group leading the campaign, "This was a victory." More than 60 Latino immigrants and immigrant rights supporters (http://www.fightbacknews.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/article-lead-photo/driverslicense1.jpg) packed the committee hearing room at the State Capitol to pressure the committee to support the bill. They held signs that read, "Drivers licenses for all!" Jovita noted, "Many people came to the hearing - families, mothers, some with kids - and we told the legislators about our experiences and about the importance of public safety. The community presence at the hearing was important." The large community presence and the testimony of immigrant women and supporters of the bill clearly made an impression on the committee members.

The drivers license bill would change Minnesota law to allow anyone who lives in the state to apply for a drivers license, regardless of immigration status. Currently in Minnesota, state residents have to prove their immigration status to get a drivers license; it is not considered enough to live, work and pay taxes in the state. This creates a huge hardship and constant fear among immigrant workers, who are mostly forced to drive to work due to inadequate public transportation, and then face increased chances of being stopped due to racial profiling. Without a drivers license, immigrants who get stopped while driving risk getting their car impounded and have to pay a huge fine to get it back. They also get a ticket and sometimes are taken to jail with the threat of deportation. Additionally, it is a public safety issue since drivers without a license cannot get car insurance.

Two on the committee were vocal in opposing the bill. Rep. Mary Holberg (R) raised the specter of identity theft and invoked the threat of terrorism and 911. Rep. Greg Davids (R) called on Patricia McCormack, the Director of Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services Division to testify whether her agency would support or oppose this bill. After repeated pressing, she said she would oppose the bill, because they can't be sure that passports from other countries have enough 'security features' to be legitimate identity documents. One person present at the hearing commented that, "Considering that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] accepts foreign passports as legitimate identity documents for people immigrating to the United States, it doesn't make sense that the Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services Division would require a higher level of security than ICE." Opponents of the bill tried to associate the drivers license bill with unrelated issues. But the women from Mujeres en Liderazgo and attorney Bruce Nestor focused in their testimony on the daily difficulty in the lives of people who live in Minnesota without access to a drivers license, and on the public safety issue of unlicensed drivers not being allowed to get insurance.

This is the first time in about a decade that the immigrant community in Minnesota has pushed the legislature for the right to a drivers license, signaling an increasing confidence in the struggle for equal rights. After the committee voted to pass the bill, supporters met in the hallway to celebrate and plan their next moves as the bill moves on to a maze of committees in both the House and the Senate.

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[Communist]

.
Immigrant Rights Campaign to Set Large March (http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=7907)


March 15, 2010


"I cannot underscore strongly enough how pissed
off the base is over the lack of action"

Gabe Gonzalez, Center for Community Change

Last week, immigrant rights groups became the first
major progressive constituency to issue a release
publicly denouncing the Obama Administration. Blasting
the White House for "escalating deportations and
detentions" while taking no action toward enacting
comprehensive immigration reform, national immigrant
rights leaders are escalating a pressure campaign that
will feature the largest march of the Obama presidency
in Washington DC on March 21. The march comes amidst
growing frustration over the President's failure to
advance an issue that galvanized enough Latinos to the
polls in 2006 to give Democrats control of the House,
and which helped elect Obama president in November
2008.

Having used massive marches in cities across the nation
to put immigration reform in the national spotlight in 2006,
activists are now returning to this tactic as part of new
campaign to escalate pressure on Obama and Democratic
Congressional leaders. The goal is to pass comprehensive
reform this year.

After activists came close to winning comprehensive
immigration reform in 2006 and 2007, the election of
Barack Obama and Democratic control of Congress
seemingly made enactment a certainty in either 2009 or
early 2010. Given the steep political cost of inaction
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and dozens of
Democratic Congressmembers need large Latino turnouts
to keep their seats - one would have thought that the
Democratic Party would act quickly on this signature
issue.

Congressman Luis Gutierrez certainly thought so. The
strong immigrant rights advocate told the UNITE HERE
convention in June 2009 that President Obama had
assured him that if a comprehensive reform measure were
not introduced in 2009, it would happen at the start of
2010.

But after Obama devoted but a single sentence to
immigration reform in his State of the Union speech,
and March 2010 began with no legislation even on the
horizon, activists decided to take matters into their
own hands.

The March for America

Organized by the Center for Community Change (CCC), the
March 21 event will be the largest protest march since
President Barack Obama took office. It will include
activist groups from nearly every state, and revives
the labor-religious-community coalition that built the
mass marches of 2006.

According to lead CCC March organizer Gabe Gonzalez,
SEIU, UNITE HERE, LIUNA and the UFCW have all committed
to mobilize for the march. Gonzalez also told me "the
churches are totally on board," with evangelical
churches - which have seen a steady rise in Latinos -
playing a larger role than in 2006. Such faith-based
activist networks as Gamaliel, PICO and the IAF are
also involved, which means that a large cadre of very
experienced organizers is involved in ensuring the
event's success.

Having written about how the immigrants rights movement
was built, and then exploded onto the public stage in
2006, the reassembling of this movement in Washington
DC next Sunday is significant. It means that many of
the nation's most strategic organizers from diverse
fields - labor, immigrant rights, faith-based activism
- are again working in concert to protect the over 10
million undocumented immigrants who face deportation
and the break-up of their families due to the
government's failure to legalize their status.

And while the march sends a powerful message, Gonzalez
and key organizers know that even more important is
what happens afterward.

The New Immigrant Rights Campaign

Following the march, activists plan to turn out in
large numbers to the Town Hall meetings that congress
members will hold during the two week recess starting
March 29. The traditional media gave massive coverage
to Tea Party members attending town halls last August,
and should be under pressure to provide something close
to that coverage for the immigrant rights activism at
these upcoming events.

On April 10, there will be an immigrant rights rally in
Las Vegas with Senator Reid. Reid knows his re-election
depends on massive Latino turnout in November, and
immigrant rights advocates are sending a message that
they will mobilize for him provided he provides
leadership on legalization.

Other rallies are also planned, but the chief focus
will be on pressuring legislators to support
legislation that activists now expect to be introduced
in April. The key issue that divided progressives in
the past - the treatment of guest worker programs - is
likely to be resolved through various potential
compromises, including the possible appointment of an
independent commission to regulate such programs.

Because the groups aligned with the CCC-spawned "Fair
Immigration Reform Movement" have weaker ties to the
do-nothing Democratic Party than do some of the key
health care advocacy groups, the upcoming campaign will not
hesitate to publicly criticize Democrats.
Gonzalez has already made it clear that "we expect the
Democratic leadership to act as leaders and hold their
Party's votes," and said New York Senator Chuck Schumer
- who would be the lead Democratic Senator on the
immigration bill - has "got the ball and he's got to
get off the dime."

The Politics of Reform

Both President Obama and activists recognize that
immigration legislation requires some Republican
support in the Senate. This is not as difficult as it
seems: recall that John McCain once co-sponsored a
legalization bill, and Maine's two Republican Senators,
along with Lindsey Graham (SC), Judd Gregg (NH), Scott
Brown (MA) and George Voinovich (OH) are potential yes
votes.

So comprehensive immigration reform that offers a
feasible path to legalization remains winnable this
year. And for President Obama and other Democrats
looking to fulfill their 2008 campaign promises to
Latino voters, moving the legislation as far as it can
go is essential.

The Democrats' betrayal is the cause of legislative
inaction. Politicians have paid a steep political price
for opposing legalization, and with key Senate contests
upcoming in Colorado, Nevada, and Florida, and other
states where Latino voters could prove the difference,
Republican and Democrat Senators may want to avoid a
high-profile opposition strategy that galvanizes Latinos
to come outand vote against them.

In a recent speech on health care reform, President
Obama countered calls for delay by stating, "If not
now, when?" The same argument applies to comprehensive
immigration reform, which is why activists are mounting
this unprecedented grassroots campaign to win
legalization for millions of families this year.

________________


.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Thanks comrade.

This is a big fight that is brewing in the US. The far-right feels emboldened from the tea-party opposition to the Democrats healthcare (mis)form and immigrants are their next target.

Anti-immigrant racism is also fueling the growth or neo-nazi groups. Radicals really must take this threat seriously and try and link the fight against budget cuts and the attacks on public sector union workers to the fight for immigrant rights. In california the far right is attacking both of these groups.

[Communist]

.


Thousands To March For America To (http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/blog/)
Demand Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Shu Ohno, Reform Immigration FOR America (http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/) (202) 309-5645

Washington D.C. - The Reform Immigration FOR
America Campaign announced a massive mobilization
effort that will bring tens of thousands of people to
Washington, D.C. for a dramatic demonstration of
support for fixing our broken immigration system. The
March For America, (www.WeMarchForAmerica.org (http://www.wemarchforamerica.org/)) will
unite leaders and organizations representing labor,
people of faith, and communities from across the
country to demand that Congress address our nation's
most pressing issues.

The following is a statement by
Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National
Immigration Forum and Chairman of the Campaign:

"The American people are demanding that Congress come
together and deliver. Americans want an immigration
system that works. The time is right for both parties
to work together to create a bipartisan bill to address
our broken and outdated immigration system. Thousands
of working families will be coming to DC to show that
the American people want a practical solution that is
fair to everyone, is key to our economic recovery, and
lives up to our best traditions as a nation of
immigrants."

Robust recovery of our economy cannot take place on top
of a broken immigration system. Simply put: Fixing the
broken immigration system is a fundamental link to
fixing our economy. Comprehensive immigration reform
would put the economy on a more stable footing, provide
a vital boost for recovery, and increase wages for all.

The fact is that Congress must act immediately address
our weak economy, create jobs, and get our country
moving again. Immigration reform is part and parcel of
that strategy. A multitude will gather in the nation's
capital on March 21st to demand leadership from
Congress. We want them to put aside partisanship and
Washington game-playing and deliver on their promise to
fix our broken immigration system. If not now, when?
Congress must act to solve our toughest problems."

.

[Communist]

.
Immigrants deserve legalization (http://www.workers.org/2010/us/immigrants_0325/)
Full Rights for ALL WORKERS

By Teresa Gutierrez
Mar 19, 2010

On March 21, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people will be demonstrating for immigrant rights in Washington, D.C.

The action arises from the frustration and deep anger that exist in the immigrant community and among their supporters that despite a nonstop demand for full rights for immigrants, especially legalization for the undocumented, such pleas have been ignored by Washington.

The huge March 21 demonstration will continue the massive outpouring of millions of workers in the spring of 2006, when immigrants poured out of the shadows and burst onto the scene, forever changing the political landscape in this country.

Immigrants and their supporters know that the undocumented have earned legalization. In fact, they have earned it a hundred times over.
Workers are forced to come to the very country — the U.S. — that has created the conditions back home that leave them no other option but to leave.

NAFTA, the U.S.-backed wars in Central America, agreements with migrant-exporting countries such as the Philippines, the ongoing intervention and occupation of Haiti, the coup in Honduras, the refusal to pay reparations for the historic plundering of Africa, are all examples of U.S. policies abroad that mean that millions must painfully leave their homelands in search of survival.

Then when workers arrive in the U.S. they are forced to work in the underground economy with absolutely no rights.

It is a perfect system for the capitalist class: a vulnerable, exploitable, expendable, cheap labor force that must serve the whims of the bosses.

Despite the mantra that is constantly stated that immigration policy is broken, it does indeed work. But it is working for the bosses and the bankers, not for the people.

The demonstration on March 21 and all efforts to win rights for immigrants are extremely important. But what will come out of this demonstration is equally important.

What kind of reform?

There is a widespread movement for what is called comprehensive immigration reform. It is important to continue to elaborate exactly what kind of immigration reform is needed. The movement — not just immigrants, but labor, the anti-war and all progressive movements — must demand immigration reform that is thoroughly pro-worker.

This kind of reform will lift the standard of living not only for immigrants but also for the whole working class.

This immigration reform must at least include:

• Immediate legalization for all the undocumented in this country
• An end of the militarization of the border, which is an act of war and fosters a xenophobia mentality
• Stopping the raids now and ending the division of families
• Ending U.S. foreign policy that creates the conditions for migration such as support for the Honduran coup
• Repealing U.S. trade policies like NAFTA
• Jobs for all workers in this country regardless of place of birth
• Education for all regardless of place of birth
or economic status
• No guest worker programs
• Recognition of the role climate change plays
in creating refugees and policies to prevent it

It is clear where the Republican Party stands on the immigration question. While having nuances of differences here and there, overwhelmingly this party continues to maintain a vicious anti-immigrant position. The far-right inside and outside the party uses immigration as one of the issues to whip up a rabid right-wing campaign. It is racist and targets the first Black president in an inexcusable way.

In response to the massive organizing for the March 21 demonstration, an extreme anti-immigrant group called NumbersUSA held a press conference. At it, a member said, “ ... the new welfare queen today is women coming from Mexico with a bunch of babies. We have babies, they have dependents.”

This is thoroughly anti-poor, no matter national origin or color. The Mexican woman is today’s target, but their rhetoric is aimed against all poor women.

While the position of the far-right is clear and easy to fight, it is not so clear with the Democrats.

Two major bills from Democrats are up for consideration in Congress. One is by New York Sen. Charles Schumer and the other from Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez. Gutierrez already introduced his bill in December 2009; Schumer has not yet done so.

Rep. Gutierrez’s bill is the more progressive. Gutierrez has been traveling around the country speaking to huge audiences about passing “comprehensive immigration reform.” His talks fill Latinos/as with pride about their background.

His 700-page-long bill is officially named the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act. The acronym CIR ASAP is clever.

But the bill goes along with the argument that the immigration issue and therefore immigrants are part and parcel of the so-called “war on terror.”

Democrats have not confronted this militaristic thinking.

They will not stand up and declare that the real terrorists are in the Pentagon and on Wall Street and calling the shots in Washington. They will not declare that the real terrors in society are the policies that shut down factories, evict people from their homes, violate the environment and so on.

Workers looking for survival are not terrorists. They are the victims of terror. Any immigration bill that has “enforcement” as its heart is an immigration bill that should be rejected.

Unfortunately, Democrats will tell the movement this is the best they can get. When immigration advocates asked Schumer to refrain from calling the undocumented “illegal aliens,” he refused. Schumer said that is the way it is.

The movement must decide

Throughout U.S. history, the capitalist class and the officials in Washington that do its bidding have always declared in one way or another, “That is the way it is.”

They will not point out that history shows just the opposite. When workers are in motion, when the movement is massive, what “is the way it is” can be radically changed from one day to the next.

Slavery was abolished when many said it would not be. Women won the right to vote when many said they could not. The war in Vietnam was ended due to the resistance of the people of Vietnam, but the movement in the U.S. was also instrumental.

Unemployment insurance, the 8-hour day and welfare were all gains that the people were able to wrest from the capitalist class. Nothing was given to us. All of it was won.

Legalization without enforcement and without a militarization of the border can be won.

But this can only happen if the people are fighting for their own interests independent of the Democrats. The Democratic Party has shown over and over again that it puts a brake on the struggle. It will only fight for band-aids, and it will never stand up to the powers that be, despite the good intentions of many individuals.

As hundreds of thousands march on Washington on March 21, they must keep this in mind. We must be vigilant in the days following that neither Schumer nor Gutierrez uses the momentum of the demonstration to back their bills. This would be opportunistic and a misinterpretation of the demonstrators who sacrificed to come to Washington.

Make no mistake about it: the masses in Washington on March 21 want legalization.

One way to assure that the demand for legalization prevails is to build the mobilizations for May Day 2010 around the country.

May Day is a signal to the ruling class that we are marching independent of the big business parties. May Day is a day when workers around the world march. It is a historic day that is filled with the spirit of class struggle.

This year’s May Day promises to be unique. In many areas around the country, it is attracting not just immigrants or immigrant rights activists. It is attracting more and more students, unions, organizations for the homeless, youth, anti-war organizations and organizations fighting for jobs or against foreclosures.

If united and militant, this is the kind of mobilization that can wrest what is rightfully ours, including legalization.

The author is co-coordinator of the New York May 1 Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
_____________



© 1995-2010 Workers W (http://www.workersworld.net/wwp/pmwiki.php/Main/Background)orld (http://wwppitt.weebly.com/). Copying of article is permitted in any medium without royalty if this notice is preserved.


.

[Communist]

.
Tens Of Thousands Call For Immigration
Reform At Washington Rally (http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-immigration-march22-2010mar22,0,2577801.story)

Protesters carrying banners and U.S. flags mass on
the National Mall. Organizers are trying to cast the
issue as an element of economic recovery.

By Clement Tan And Don Lee
Los Angeles Times
March 21, 2010


Tens of thousands of people began assembling in
Washington on Sunday to march for immigration reform, a
politically charged issue that has been pushed to a back
burner by the intense focus on healthcare.

Wearing colorful shirts and carrying banners and U.S.
flags, thousands filled two blocks on the National Mall,
chanting "si se puede" - "yes we can" - and "Obama
listen, remember your promise."

Among the marchers was Jose Barnell, 60, a janitor
originally from Mexico who said he crossed the border in
1970. A longtime resident of Chicago, he said he is now
legal, as are his children and grandchildren. He
traveled to Washington by bus to support immigration
reform.

"We play a bugle right before we enter a fight," he
said.

But many lawmakers, analysts and even activists are
dubious that any overhaul of the immigration system is
imminent. Sunday's march has been overshadowed by the
House vote on healthcare overhaul legislation, and other
domestic issues, such as the economy, weigh more heavily
in the political calculus of this midterm election year.

At the rally site, Ali Nooani, chairman of Reform
Immigration for America (http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/), which organized the march,
disagreed that immigration reform was all but dead in
2010.

"This is the only issue on the table that has a history
of bipartisan leadership," Nooani said, his voice almost
lost by the sounds of the growing crowds. "Fixing
immigration is fundamentally linked to the economy."

In a tactic that reflects the current economy, march
organizers have tried to cast the immigration debate as
part of economic recovery.

"What's important today is that jobs and immigration go
hand in hand," Marc Morial of the National Urban League (http://www.nul.org/)
said on Sunday in a television interview. "When you've
got millions of undocumented workers working off the
books that affects the economy for everyone."

There are more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the
country, and efforts to fix the current immigration
system have failed in recent years. Liberals have sought
a path for citizenship for undocumented workers, while
conservatives have been just as adamant in opposing what
they have called plans for amnesty. Both sides support
efforts to secure the border with Mexico, but they
differ on what tactics to use.

A new proposal has been pushed by Sens. Charles E.
Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.). There is
no bill yet, but the White House has endorsed the
initial framework.

The plan would require biometric Social Security cards
to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs; added
border security; a temporary-worker plan and some path
to legalization.

The immigration reform issue has been politically
difficult for the White House.

In a statement, President Obama praised Schumer and
Graham, saying he was pleased to see their "promising,
bipartisan framework, which can and should be the basis
for moving forward. It thoughtfully addresses the need
to shore up our borders and demands accountability from
both workers who are here illegally and employers who
game the system."

Latinos, in particular, have criticized the Obama
administration's record on enforcement as the number of
deportations of undocumented immigrants increased 5% --
to 387,790 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2009.
Nearly two-thirds of those removals involved non-
criminals.

"There are millions dramatically impacted because [the
policy is] not working," said Eun Sook Lee, executive
director of the National Korean American Service and
Education Consortium (http://nakasec.org/blog/). The Los Angeles-based group is one
of dozens of community organizations from California
that sent 455 representatives to the march, Lee said.

Lee, 42, was born in South Korea, raised in Canada and
came to the United States in 1994 without immigration
papers. She said she is fortunate she was able to obtain
legal-residency status, but many others are struggling
with split families and limited opportunities to
contribute, even though they have worked hard and been
in the U.S. for many years.

That's the main reason Julio Salgado, 26, a senior at
Cal State Long Beach, said he joined the march.

He said he came to the United States when he was 11 and
graduated from Long Beach High School in 2001 -- with a
3.6 grade point average.

But because he does not have a green card or legal-
resident status, Salgado said he couldn't qualify for
federal student loans for college, making it tough for
him to continue his education. Even so, he said he will
be graduating this spring -- nine years after first
enrolling in community college.

"We've done everything we've been told to do as kids,
but I'm at a loss here," he said of his job prospects
upon graduating. "Going to D.C. is my own personal push
[on the Obama administration], but it's not just for me,
but other people and families in the same situation as
well."


Copyright c 2010, The Los Angeles Times

.

[Communist]

.
Immigration
- We Need A Better Alternative (http://www.truthout.org/we-need-a-better-alternative57871)


By David Bacon
TruthOut
March 2010

Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham announced
Thursday their plan for immigration reform. Unfortunately,
it is a retread, recycling the same bad ideas that led to
the defeat of reform efforts over the last five years. In
some ways, their proposal is even worse.

Schumer and Graham dramatize the lack of new ideas among
Washington powerbrokers. Real immigration reform requires a
real alternative. We need a different framework that
embodies the goals of immigrants and working people, not the
political calculations of a reluctant Congress.

What's wrong with the Schumer/Graham proposal?

1. It ignores trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA, which
produce profits for U.S. corporations, but increase poverty
in Mexico and Central America. Since NAFTA went into
effect, income in Mexico dropped, while millions of workers
lost jobs and farmers their land. As a result, six million
Mexicans had to leave home and migrate north, looking for
work.

If we do not change U.S. trade policy, millions of displaced
people will continue to come, no matter how many walls we
build.

2. People working without papers will be fired and even
imprisoned under their proposal, and raids will increase.
Vulnerability makes it harder for people to defend their
rights, organize unions and raise wages. That keeps the
price of immigrant labor low. Every worker will have to
show a national ID card, (an idea too extreme even for the
Bush administration). A problematic ID would mean getting
fired, and maybe jailed.

This will not stop people from coming to the U.S. But it
will produce more immigration raids, firings, and a much
larger detention system. Last year over 350,000 people went
through privately-run prisons for undocumented immigrants.
That number will go up.

3. Schumer and Graham treat the flow of people coming north
as a labor supply for employers. They propose new guest
worker programs, where workers would have few rights, and no
leverage to organize for better conditions. Current
programs are already called "Close to Slavery" by the
Southern Poverty Law Center.

4. Schumer and Graham's legalization scheme imposes
barriers making ineligible many of the 12 million people who
need legal status. Their idea for "going to the back of the
line" would have people wait many years for it.

Getting in the back of the line is like having to sit in the
back of the bus. In 1986, even President Reagan, hardly a
liberal, signed a plan in which people gained legal status
quickly and easily. Many are now citizens and vote, run for
office, lead our unions, teach in our schools, and have made
great contributions to our country.

Schumer and Graham treat legalization as a carrot, to force
acceptance of a program in which the main beneficiaries are
large corporations, not immigrants, nor other workers.

Instead, we need reform that unites people and protects
everyone's rights and jobs, immigrant and non-immigrant
alike. We need to use our ideals of rights and equality to
guide us.

For several years, immigrant rights groups, community
organizations and unions have called for reform based on
those ideals. It's time to put those ideas into a bill that
can bring our country together, not divide it.

A human rights immigration bill would:

1. Stop trade agreements that create poverty and forced
migration.

2. Give people a quick and easy path to legal status and
citizenship.

3. End the visa backlogs, so there's no "get in the back"
line.

4. Protect the right of all workers in their jobs - against
discrimination, or getting fired for demanding rights or for
not having papers.

5. Bring civil rights and peace to border communities.

6. Dismantle the immigration prisons, end detention, and
stop the raids.

7. Allow people to come to the U.S. with green cards - visas
that afford people rights, that are not tied to employment
and recruitment by labor brokers.

8. Use reasonable legalization fees to finance job programs
in communities with high unemployment.

9. End guest worker programs.

Those who say no alternative is possible might remember the
"go slow" advice given to young students going to jail in
the South in the early 60s. If they'd heeded it, we'd still
be waiting for a Voting Rights Act.

Dr. King, Rosa Parks, the students in SNCC, and Chicano
civil rights leaders like Cesar Chavez, Bert Corona, Dolores
Huerta and Ernesto Galarza, asked the country a simple
question: Do we believe in equality or not? That's still
the choice.

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[Communist]

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Historic rally calls for immigrant rights (http://www.workers.org/2010/us/historic_rally_0401/)

By Teresa Gutierrez
Washington, D.C.
Mar 24, 2010

On March 21 a multitude of immigrants and their supporters amassed in the largest demonstration for immigrant rights in Washington, D.C., in decades, if not ever.

There were at least 200,000 people at the biggest immigrant-rights rally in this country since 2006. The crowd was overwhelmingly Latino/a, but pockets of Koreans, Filipinos, Africans and Muslim immigrants and families were also there in proud attendance.

http://www.workers.org/2010/us/immigrants1_0401.jpg
WW photo: Heather Cottin

People traveled from as far away as Colorado, Texas and California. Homemade signs called on President Barack Obama to keep his promises for immigration reform and urged the government to stop dividing families.

The intentions of the main organizers of this historic demonstration for immigrant rights may have been complex and varied. But the world should make no mistake about it: Every single person who came to the demonstration was there to demand legalization.

http://www.workers.org/2010/us/immigrants2_0401.jpg
Washington, D.C., March 21.

Furthermore, they were confident that immigrants have earned legalization over and over — and are not asking but are demanding it.

It was reported that the huge size of the crowd was in large part due to the money that poured in from unions tied to the Democratic Party as well as from the Democratic Party itself. In fact one of the rally speakers was a representative of MoveOn.org.

Nonetheless, it was an encouraging day that especially made Latinos/as proud as the crowd over and over again chanted, “Si se puede!” (Yes, we can!)

http://www.workers.org/2010/us/immigrants3_0401.jpg
WW photo: Dante Strobino

When it was announced that President Obama would be addressing the rally, the crowd roared in approval.

Obama’s intervention indeed made it one of the most interesting developments in this country since his election. In fact, this writer has never been to a progressive protest rally where a U.S. president has spoken.

While immigrants and their advocates may be buoyed by the huge turnout, it was also a day of concern and apprehension for anyone who is looking deeper into this issue.

Unfortunately, most of the speakers at the rally, including President Obama, repeated the demand for “comprehensive immigration reform.” This formulation has regrettably become a cover for a policy that is fraught with danger.

Obama endorsed the reform bill being proposed by Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Although the most progressive wing of the immigrant-rights movement has not made a full analysis of the Schumer bill since it was just recently introduced, preliminary assessments are that it may be like the thoroughly reactionary Sensenbrenner bill called by another name.

For example it calls for a biometric ID system for all U.S. workers. This will be ominous for the entire working class and it may push the undocumented further underground.

In the next few weeks, the most progressive wing of the movement will be addressing these bills. It will be figuring out the next steps of the movement in light of the historic March 21 demonstration.

But one thing is for sure. The March 21 demonstration confirms that May Day 2010 is more important than ever.

Immigrants and supporters are being told by many that “comprehensive immigration reform” — which means legalization for few and more militarization of society — is the best they are going to get. But history shows that militant action that represents the interests of the working class can win genuine gains.

The voices saying that legalization with no militarization is not realistic are the same voices who told women and Black people that they would never win the right to vote.

A mighty May Day 2010 that brings in not only immigrants but workers who want to fight for jobs, students who demand high-quality public education, youths who want education not jails or military recruitment, progressives fighting the wars abroad and all sectors is the kind of movement that can win the demands of the people, including legalization.
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