 | ||
 | | |
 | ||
| | |
Table Of Contents Proposal from Unidos en Arizona to compliment the proposed May first Marches and protests across the country Una Declaración De Amor: Progressive Latinos Speak to America On Immigration, History Is On Our Side, Take It, It's Yours Proposal from Unidos en Arizona to compliment the proposed May first Marches and protests across the country 3-6-2007 Following is a proposal from Unidos en Arizona to deliberately plan and utilize any and every action to advance the organization and preparation of our community for the hard fight ahead. Attached are two documents that we have begun using to explain to our community why we need to prepare to survive the major impact of repression that is just around the corner. The current "immigration reform" debate will center on the best method to implement a guest worker program. The "victories" will be the bits of crumbs that get "negotiated" to remove the most repressive aspects of this new law (such as the right to change employers, to enter and leave the country, belong to a union, bring their family, etc.). While we can and should attempt to influence the willingness of the Democrats to not go in this direction, the accompanying article and DHS document will show that this is a done deal. Not to mention the fact that the Democrats themselves collaborated in the current state of affairs, why should we expect anything constructive from them? We should in all likelihood expect the Kennedy / McCain bill to be revived or some variation of it and be prepared to counter with our own bill that reflects the desires and aspirations of the undocumented themselves. Operation "Endgame" a plan to remove ALL the 12 million undocumented Attached is the plan "Endgame" that is Homeland security's strategic plan to remove ALL (yes ALL) the undocumented off the face of the US map. They lay out how they plan to do this and the stages of implementation. This plan was on their website, but removed. This plan was presented and in effect since June of 2003! Here is the link to this document: http://cryptogon. com/docs/ endgame.pdf They are almost four years into the plan. The accompanying article is a political / economic analysis of why this plan is set into motion and how it is part and parcel of the "movement" to get a "guest worker" program implemented. Everything we have heard to date regarding raids, repression, detentions and deportations are in line with this plan. Once having this document in your hands, compare it to what is happening as it gets reported, from the local ordinances to the DNA database that will be built up by collected samples from the undocumented when they are arrested, to our local Sheriff's (Joe Arpiao) training 160 deputies to act as immigration agents) is laid out in the plan. You will find that they are right on schedule. This is beyond ICE "intimidation" or "low key war" against our undocumented community. It is the implementation of year four of their ten-year plan to wipe the ENTIRE undocumented community off the U.S. map! This is why we MUST get our undocumented communities to prepare for the worst in a plan to survive through this period and prepare for their own offensive. If we rely exclusively on the strategy of lobbying efforts to convince legislators for winning this reform (much less leaving it up to them to word it) we will be leaving our undocumented community totally and absolutely defenseless and unprepared for the repression that is documented to be coming in short order. The "Endgame" strategy of Homeland Security (dated June 2003) is not waiting for the "comprehensive" immigration reform to take place. Its function is to lay the groundwork for the expected "guest worker" reform and beyond. In fact in a later press release dated 11-02-05 referring to their “Secure border Initiative†or SBI, DHS states that part of their mission (via ICE and the Office of Detention and Removal) is to enforce the provisions of the guest worker program proposed by Bush. It reads: "Temporary Worker Program SBI will serve as the enforcement complement to the Temporary Worker Program that President Bush proposed last year. The Temporary Worker Program will have the effect of enabling migrants to pursue work in regulated, legal channels and will increase safety and security by giving us a better idea of who is entering our country and for what purpose." How can this be? His program is not even law and it is already part of Homeland Security's mission? It doesn't take a genie to see what is going on here. The guest worker program has already been implemented and we are witnessing the preparatory stages to put the infrastructure in place to make it happen. Transient Servitude: The U.S. Guest Worker Program for Exploiting Mexican and Central American Workers by Richard D. Vogel The second document is an article that appeared in the January 2007 issue of the Monthly Review magazine. This piece goes into the detail of the current political debate and strategic plan behind the “guest worker†program proposed by Bush. It also references the DHS strategic plan and proves that the issue has already been decided against our undocumented community. The author makes his case beyond a doubt that the guest worker program is part of a broader global plan of the industrialized western nations to insure a steady source of docile labor in the form of "guest workers". "Endgame" is the tool for its implementation here in the U.S. Here is the link to this article: http://www.monthlyr eview.org/ 0107vogel. htm. Unless someone else can come up with a better analysis that can disprove these facts, we as a movement will have no choice but to adopt a fundamentally different strategy than the current ones we have so far pursued. This is the fundamental synopsis of this article; in the author’s own words: "The final campaign of Endgame, a nationwide assault on the established communities of the undocumented migrants living and working in the United States and the deportation of millions of men, women, and children to Mexico and Central America, is the immigration emergency anticipated by the DHS. It will be the biggest mass deportation in world history. To remove all removable aliens means to locate, arrest, detain, and deport in excess of twelve million people. The logistical problems alone are staggering and, if ICE meets organized resistance, the operation could indeed produce an immigration emergency. People with their lives invested in the United States and with nothing to return to in their home countries might not go without a fight. The organization and training of ICE for military operations indicates that DHS is anticipating just such a contingency." In the face of this evidence, can ANYONE actually argue that this is not happening? Can ANYONE actually argue that the strategies of yesterday are going to get us out of this predicament? We need a new strategy based on thousands of organizations at the deep grassroots To counter this threat will require ORGANZATION at the deep grassroots in the form of thousands of support organizations where the undocumented community and their allies organize themselves into "self-help" groups to survive the impact of the coming repression and lay the groundwork for it's own offensive. These organizations will enable the undocumented community to utilize its economic and political power, not as "shows of force" that the massive mobilizations accomplished, but as a real, viable tool that can bring pressure to bear where it needs to. Ironically, in Arizona the day after the massive April 10th march, racist Republican legislators introduced 25 anti-immigrant bills! While impressive, the mobilizations were not enough to sway the Republican majority in that state to see things differently. Our movement must adopt a more sophisticated strategy The strategy that we adopt as a movement must be far-sighted and not locked into trying to win the race of some September deadline imposed by the present legislative environment where 2008 elections will take precedence over coming up with a meaningful reform. We cannot fall victim to the thinking that we will "lose" our window of opportunity if we fail to do so. Our strategy must be independent of such external developments and include how to leverage them to our advantage, but absolutely NOT allow them to determine our course of action. A correct strategy would be one that includes provisions for "helping" congress change their minds if they happen to pass a negative bill into law such as the current ones on the table. Just as they can pass a bill into law, they can repeal it or replace it with a better one if it becomes evident that they miscalculated. Isn't that what the civil rights movement was all about? This can only happen if we develop and implement a plan "B". We cannot proceed with only a plan "A". We must make the motto "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst" an everyday phrase amongst our undocumented and their allies. We have no doubt that the worst is coming. If plan "A" is to sway congressional votes in favor of a progressive immigration reform law through lobbying, then plan "B" must be to have the organized ability to convince congress that they made a mistake if it does not turn out to be so. To not have such a strategy is to put total and absolute faith in lobbying efforts, in wheeling and dealing and trade-offs or in the blind belief that "somehow" congress will see the need for a positive immigration reform because we mobilize millions to the streets once again. This is beyond blind faith; it is foolishness. Where is "OUR" bill? Where is our community during all of this? This means we need to have a better bill developed and in the pipeline that our community supports and not one that distant negotiators haggle and negotiate over in absence of any community oversight. This implies by its nature that our community be ORGANIZED to endorse such proposals as well as withdraw their support for any that runs counter to their best interest. This implies by definition that our movement must have the ORGANIZED means to take and to bring back ideas and feedback to our undocumented community and their allies. If they are not involved intimately with the process of developing "OUR", then they are being relegated to passive observers over decisions that will impact and change their lives forever. Our movement will have USED them to "IMPRESS" congress on the need for passing immigration reform bills, but kept them out of the loop and forced to learn of our work during the six o'clock news hour. They are expected to "march" upon demand on their own behalf, but not take part in the development of the solution over what is to become of their lives. This smacks of extreme paternalism and totally bypasses any democratic principles. We must build organized communication with our community as an integral part of this movement as the people who are negotiating on their behalf will not be the ones facing the consequences resulting from these efforts. In a nutshell, our movement must be made up of and led by the undocumented and immigrant leadership. Today, this is not the general state of affairs. Generally speaking, the pro-immigrant movement is being led by the citizen sector that is making the decisions on behalf of the undocumented community. Plan "B" calls for bringing such leadership into the foreground as a fundamental requirement of preparing their defense and offense. This is a tall order, but it is a strategic view that requires thinking beyond simple mobilizations to convince a Democratic controlled congress. Our movement cannot rely on a one-sided approach. We do not believe in a "kick start" approach to moving our communities to take action. The task of organizing our community is hard, tedious work, but it is quality work that produces long-lasting results. We need to see this from the long haul. If a bill becomes law that injures our undocumented community, then the movement must shift gears to repeal such a law. In the long haul such decisions will either help or hinder our community. If we fail to heed the warning signs and the task of preparing our community for the worst, we will not be looking at the same community in a matter of a few short years. The point of no return: Operation "Endgame" and a "guest worker" program For those who are proposing that we hurry up and lobby for an immigration reform law because time is running short before the 2008 elections, we say they are right. Time IS running short. But we are not referring to the same time frame they are. We are referring to the time that is left before "Operation Endgame" is in full implementation. That will be when a guest worker program is ratified and signed into law. At that point, the final piece will be in place and the floodgates of temporary workers will open to replace those who will be displaced by the hundreds of thousands and millions as the plan progresses. We urge that everyone NOT hide their heads in the sand and ignore the warning signs. This is pre-holocaust Germany of the 1930's era all over again. The main difference is that we have a "heads up" so we cannot claim we didn't know it was coming. If it plays out as it is planned, it will be our own doing (or undoing) for failing to take decisive, strategic steps to head off a catastrophe that will hit us in short time. We cannot rely on a "kick-start" approach We agree with the view of some that our undocumented community is living in fear and that we must give them hope and protection. However their only hope is in the organization of their numbers and their only protection is in their power to command respect. This is not accomplished by "kick starting" the mobilizations again to "impress" politicians to do the right thing, but by "kick starting" the mobilizations of the best leaders from within the ranks of the undocumented and their allies to lead the charge to build their organizations from the ground up if need be and to prepare our people for what is heading in their direction and beyond. Our community must develop self-reliance. Not reliance on well meaning liberal leaders, but the ability of our community to speak and to exercise its will on its own behalf. There are two major trends in our movement, and a minority one Our view is a minority position among the forces active in pursuing a humane and just reform. The first trend: The dominant trend is convinced that the only hope is to lobby hard to sway the legislators to pass a positive bill into law. This form of struggle has historically led to many progressive reforms. Its main strength depends on the ability of the lobbyists to offer something in return for legislative support such as votes or political consequences, etc. Its main weakness is that lacking the ability to convince, trade off or deliver political consequences leaves this effort in the weakest of positions, with no bargaining power. Such is the case today where the issue of “illegal aliens†has been elevated to the level of a national security risk, no thanks to 911, the Patriot Bill, etc. None of the mainstream legislators (upon whose vote a reform will depend) in his or her right mind will go against this trend and risk being labeled “unpatriotic†and risk ending their political careers. All but the most principled among their ranks and whose allegiance to our community is unwavering will do so. Unfortunately these can be counted with the fingers of one hand. On top of this, there is a strong undercurrent among the “lobbying†forces that believes "something is better than nothing" and would willingly accept in our community's name a law that will spell horror when implemented at the street level. This view believes that we must be willing to compromise in order to win our ultimate objectives. While this is generally true in legislative efforts, the real issue is: At what cost are they willing to compromise the lives of the 12 million undocumented? These people will not be the ones to suffer the consequences of their actions and it is all the more reason why our community must be prepared to be capable of resisting and winning. The lobbying effort is an example of a good tactic which cannot and should not be seen as a principle strategy as its inherent weaknesses will jeopardize the fight for a successful reform if relied on exclusively in the absence of an overall strategic plan. The second trend: The other major trend believes in taking the approach of constant “reactive†mobilizations and strategies, which propose to mobilize our communities to protest and march, boycott and engage in work stoppages but without a clear strategy and plan in mind. Their view, while believing in the inherent power that our community has, is not proposing a strategy to win but a strategy of protest. This is most evident whenever an announcement of a particular injustice is made or of a new law, proposed bill, raid or detentions. The first response is usually to organize a protest in one form or another. The success of these efforts are measured by the numbers mobilized and the press coverage attained. One has only to look at the conscious, organizational base that the community has (or has not) attained following this strategy to see that our community is not in a stronger position after years of following this approach. While this approach has successfully led to many reforms over the many years of its implementation on every social and political front, as a strategy it is a tactic and nothing more and as such must be part of a broader strategic plan. It is self-evident that times have called for a different way of looking at things. Both of these trends while achieving relative successes do not in and of themselves harness the organized, intelligent power of our community nor do they promote it. Instead they rely on the appearance of it, on the spontaneous nature of it to press forward. As strategies, they do not arm our community with self-reliance and leadership needed for the long haul. We are in this form the long haul, not the short-term fix. These two basic approaches are not enough; Unidos en Arizona proposes the following: While recognizing the strengths of both these main tactics, we also recognize their inherent weakness when used as primary strategies. We propose a third alternative that we believe will complement both of these efforts when combined with real organizational power at the grassroots that harnesses the labor and spending power of our community and its allies to forge a united effort with real teeth and muscle behind it. We propose that regional forums be organized immediately to accomplish two main objectives: First: To reveal, debate and discuss the plan that has been set into motion against our community in detail, so that our activists and organizers can appreciate the depth and scope of the repression that is headed our way. Our own forces must either prove or disprove the existence of such a plan on the part of DHS and arrive at a consensus as the correct path to take in light of this information. Second: To present, debate and discuss proposals to prepare our communities for the worst-case scenario while developing their capacity to fight and win a just reform. We must come out of this interaction united on the nature of the danger that is looming over our communities and more importantly a basic strategy to implement. Third: To begin immediately the dissemination to our undocumented community this same information so that they to are armed and can begin taking measures to defend themselves. In addition we must disseminate and distribute any and all proposals that are being formulated, presented or debated to the legislators so that they can be informed and can choose to support or not to support. This includes by definition that all materials be translated into at least the language of the majority immigrant community, which is Spanish. All immigrants must have access to this information for without it, they are totally and absolutely dependent on the citizen and legal resident leadership to carry their message to the legislators. Fourth: The immediate implementation of an organized defensive strategy via the formation of thousands of support / survival groups at the deep grassroots whose primary mission is to prepare the undocumented and their allies to defend themselves and economically survive this dark period and lay the groundwork for a much richer, deeper movement that has much more capability to exercise the type of pressure that congress will surely understand. Fifth: To utilize every effort, every action and every message to point to the need for our community to prepare themselves for the worst. The success of our mobilizations must be measured by how this agenda is advanced and how many come forward to join the ranks of those preparing themselves and their networks and not by mere numbers or press coverage. When all is said and done and everyone goes home at the end of the day, this is where success is to be measured, by what is left in the wake of the action. This means that sign up sheets must be circulated as a matter of standard practice specifically asking people to leave their contact information to begin the formation of their support groups, tables with information setup and flyers soaking the crowds with messages to prepare and how to do so and who to contact to join the effort. Speeches must be utilized to give concrete direction that points out to our community why they must move quickly to establish their lines of defense. Radio spots and interviews need to be done that explain the danger coming our way clearly and concisely. The DHS plan for the removal of ALL 12 MILLION undocumented must be broadcasted far and wide so that no one and no political sector can claim it is not true. Copies of this plan must be reproduced by the tens of thousands and circulated widely. Translated version must be gotten into our community's hands so that they can read for themselves the truth about what is about to happen. In turn, this effort will complement the existing two trends by providing the intelligent, conscious and most importantly, ORGANIZED participation of our community on its own behalf. By providing an organized base of support, the legislative efforts can know that they have the backing of our community at the street level. As long as their work is in line with the needs of the undocumented community and their allies, this support can be unconditional. By the same token, if their efforts deviate from this or dangerous concessions are being considered, such support can be withdrawn in an open and visible way. It is an instant barometer to the pulse of our community that the legislative forces can see and feel and use to stay on track. Without this element, they are not only without oversight; they are operating in the blind as to the real needs of our people and in absence of their moral and organized support. We must bridge the gap between the negotiators and the people they speak for. In conclusion: We cannot emphasize enough the strategic importance of moving to prepare our community to survive the coming repression and insure their full democratic participation in the fight to secure a just reform in the immigration law. These things will not happen by themselves. It will take a conscious, organized and methodical plan and its implementation to make it happen. This proposal and the successful completion of the first stage of organizing is being presented as an urgent task under what must be seen as emergency conditions. We must close ranks around a plan of action that arises from the concrete conditions that we are facing. Without such a move, each of our organizations is independent of the other and relying on our own resources to accomplish tasks that must be carried out nationally and in unison. In closing we want to share that we have been successfully implementing precisely this plan of action with success beyond our expectations. People are calling us to start the formation of their support groups. We have reached the point where we are forming groups of leaders who in turn will start or are leading their groups. We have run out of capacity to start them one on one as in the first stage of this work. We know this plan works, we know that the community will respond once it is explained why it is necessary to do so and how it is part of preparing for another stage of struggle. It is drawing forward the best leaders that are buried deep in the ranks our community and who are showing tremendous discipline and resourcefulness to see this task through. It is inspiring and a glimpse of the organizational and political capacity that is inherent in our people. They know that they are truly in a fight for their lives. But despite our success, we know it is only a drop in the bucket as the scope of organization and education must spread across every community, city, county, state and nation. It is imperative that others join this effort as if there was no tomorrow, for soon there will be no tomorrow for millions of our people unless we succeed. We have to say that the time to reflect on these things is not when we are being herded off to detention centers for either being undocumented or for being allied with them. Their cause is our cause in a one for all and all for one proposition. There is no time to waste. In solidarity, Unidos en Arizona 623-204-4626 info@unidosenarizon a.org Una Declaración De Amor: Progressive Latinos Speak to America Immigrants are the bedrock of America. From all parts of the world, immigrants come with the American Dream in their hearts. It is a dream of justice, opportunity, and liberty. This common dream strengthens our love of America, our commitment to community and our respect for human beings. It is what binds us together in America. As progressive Latinos -some with long histories in this country and others who have just joined their families- we affirm our love for the one human family, all children of God, all chosen and all deserving. We believe: CULTURE ENRICHES AND BRINGS MEANING TO LIFE Latinos are Americans, one people made of many. We are endowed with a lasting and rich cultural diversity. • We believe in respecting our heritage and celebrating culture, the lasting gift from our European, Indigenous, African and Asian ancestry. Throughout time, people from all parts of the world came together in the Americas from which emerged a new people and a new culture, one that is still evolving. AMERICA IS THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY Latinos have long worked, side by side with other Americans to make good on the promise that a rising tide lifts all boats. • We believe in a level playing field, where a person's starting point in life does not determine where they end in life. • We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to develop his or her human potential through education and work. • We believe that only genuine economic, civic and political participation can fulfill the promise of America. JUSTICE IS THE FRUIT OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Latinos are part of a long tradition of expanding democracy and prosperity by working against injustice and broken laws. • We believe that social responsibility is the basis for lasting social justice. We have duties and responsibilities to one another, to our families, to our communities and to society. • We believe that respect for people's rights is peace; "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz." We have a steadfast belief in the promise of America; an untiring willingness to work to expand the American Dream; and an unfaltering vision for a brighter, better future of respect and honor for human dignity. We will hold our community leaders, political representatives and ourselves accountable and responsible to these values. * * * * * This looks good, you can find it at www.bluelatinos.org/declaracion.htm On Immigration, History Is On Our Side, Take It, It's Yours It has been 38 years since the founding of the immigrant’s rights movement that led us to the historic Immigration Reform Laws of 1986. 20 years have passed since and without a doubt, in my time, I have never seen such a draconian array of proposed immigration reform laws in congress. The proposed criminalization of the aliens and supporters, the wall and militarization of the border are all an invigorated deluge of white nationalism disguised as anti terrorism and national security. It’s a smoke screen. Not content with the level of voracious exploitation brought forth by 25 years of Neo-liberalism, these laws are designed to further enslave the undocumented immigrant class living in this country and placed them and their families further back to the past, to the rear of the bus. Critics and pro immigrant sectors in the US, Mexico, and Latin America are condemning this pro war and anti immigrant American administration, singling out the racist and macabre implications of the bill passed by the lower house of Congress at the behest of Speaker James Sensenbrenner, with overt support from President George W. Bush. The writing is on the wall. With the polls showing disapproval of the president and his fabricated war on Iraq, the Republicans are finding refuge in their most conservative base, whipping up the old stand by issue, illegal immigration. The pro immigrant sectors have been lobbying, petitioning, holding press events, protests and regional meetings, but, the response lacks a historic vision and a coherent unified national strategy to lead us out of the quagmire. For the moment the right has the offensive. Behind the xenophobic proposals is the country’s highly organized ultra right, the Richard Mellon Scaif family fortune, their front man, John Tanton "The Pupeteer", and the shock troops, the paramilitary "Minutemen Project". They have all successfully pressured the Republican majority in Congress and the White House. Surprisingly the anti immigrant wave has turned Congressman Tom Tancredo into a respectable right wing zealot leading an 80 member caucus on immigration reform. But Behind it all is Tanton. As in the eighties, today, the country has a burgeoning undocumented population of low wage workers in the millions. In real terms they are the unofficial "Bracero Program". Because they perceive no social security or tax return benefits, it can be argued the economy rests on their backs. In the same vein it’s not farfetched to say today’s war on Iraq and its costly occupation is substantially paid for by the immigrant population. It is no different than when the Spanish empire financed its war against the French on the exploitation of the Gold mines of Guanajuato, Mexico and the silver mines of Bolivia. Mexico’s lukewarm response doesn’t really threaten Bush or Congress, but real pressure could turn the tables. For starters Mexico could expel the American Ambassador and reduce US-Mexico relations to "interest only affairs". As the Gringos did during the Macarena-DEA affair, It could virtually close the border entry points, turn off the oil pipes and finally suspend NAFTA. Indisputably this treaty has been horrendous for Mexico. It has decimated that country’s small agriculture as well as millions of small businesses, dramatically pauperizing Mexicans. Both President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and our then rising "Latino Establishment" demagogically proclaimed NAFTA was Mexico’s ticket into the 1st world and the migration flow to the promised land would recede. What a joke. But don’t expect anything dignified from President Vicente Fox. He’s a dogmatic neo libelarist free trader acting as the empire’s lap dog against the surging independent Latin American nations. So what to do is the big question? If history has taught us anything, the answer lies in the historical experience of the Latino immigrant rights struggle of the last thirty eight years. After the mass deportations of the 1950s and the expiration of the 20 year old Bracero Program, the rising tide of the first wave of the undocumented immigrant was coming to the fore. In 1968 the Autonomous Social Action Center was born. CASA-MAPA, as it was originally named(not Hermandad Mexicana), became the first Latino effort to organize immigrant workers. Hatched in the midst of the Chicano Civil Rights struggle, it turned into a genuine mass working class popular movement. In 1971, along with a successful constitutional challenge, we defeated the Dixon-Arnett Bill, then the country’s first anti immigrant legislation signed into law by none other than California’s Gov. Ronald Reagan. In January 1973 the National Coalition for Fair Immigration Laws and Practices was founded in LA and it immediately waged a national campaign to defeat the noxious Kennedy-Rodino Bill. Young Ted Kennedy’s office was inundated with an estimated 1 million letters demanding no employer sanctions and amnesty for all immigrants. From 1968 to 1978 CASA was established nationally and the arteries and foundation for a grass roots movement was set, including today’s electoral and labor successes. By the eighties the undocumented population had grown by millions. It was 1982 when the Class Action Silva Vs. INS was resolved and with it the protection for over 100,000 immigrants, all Mexicans, was suspended. This sparked the call for legalization and the Los Angeles Coalition for Visas and Rights for the Undocumented was founded with thousands in its ranks. The right wing in Congress then thought they could stick us with the stringent and limited 1984 Simpson-Mazzolli Bill. It was an election year and it also signaled the key historical push for the struggle for the amnesty of 1986. We endorsed and directed the ground breaking Jesse Jackson Campaign and his support for immigrants was unequivocal. A key historical decision was conceived. With only a three week campaign, on May 19, we held the 10,000 people march for a general amnesty and against the Republican sponsored immigration bill. With a grass roots coalition in place and Jackson and my brother Antonio as the key speakers, it was the largest mass gathering in support of immigrants to date. We then moved on to the National Democratic Convention in San Francisco but the democratic base didn’t need much prodding. The emboldened Latino delegates revolted and they, along with the Jackson delegates and others forced Walter Mondale and the Democratic Party to take a stand against the Republican Bill. The final push had been made successfully. Ironically, after intense negotiations, it was the archconservative President Reagan who finally signed the 1986 IRCA law benefiting millions. History clearly reveals this was the product of the popular mass struggle begun in 1968. In the nineties, although a divided pro immigrant movement staged the two largest street protests-25,000 and 150,000-in defense of the immigrant population it was not enough muscle to stop Proposition 187 at the ballot. Fast forward to 2003 and the successful rightwing California Recall Campaign against Grey Davis and the subsequent revocation of the Cedillo License Law. Gov. Schwarzeneger enraged California’s Latino underclass auguring the first successful statewide Latino Economic Boycott on December 12, 2003. With the exception of the electoral arena, this highly radical political venture, with hundreds of thousands, perhaps more than a million Latinos participating, went beyond anything we had ever seen before. Conclusions. First and foremost, the successes, unity, strategies and tactics, the coalitions, and accomplishments of this movement have been primarily due to the role and the vision of a progressive and left wing Latino leadership. Los Angeles, the bedrock, has been the most prominent venue for the key historical events of this struggle. However, several glaring negatives stand out: 1. In 1986 An estimated two million immigrants were left out and most of them have lived in the shadows since and 2. at the end, the middle class Latino national organizations, who have always been alien to the popular mass _expression, ended up in the negotiating table in Washington. 3. This movement has had its share of errors, caudillos, opportunists and moderates. (The meeting just held in San Bernardino on Jan 12, 2006 attended by 200 people is a perfect example. According to Anti-Minutemen activist Prof. Jesse Diaz, "We were used again. It was a show for the media. A delegation of The Minutemen was there, 20 strong, led by Ted Turner sitting in the front row, and shamefully Dr. Armando Navarro, the MC, silently refused to kick them out". Not surprisingly, this is vintage Armando. The meeting was not a collective enterprise. Astonishingly, the agenda, panel format, the speakers, the MC, the media interviews were all allegedly, the decision of one. Of course little came out of it. Many were disolutioned. It was not an inclusive, collectively set, participatory democratic venue. A common characteristic of Latino grass roots endeavors of late. The confrontation with the Minutemen took place at the end with Jesse challenging Turner and he ran.) Internationally, the empire’s wars for profits and hegemony, its indiscriminate bombing destroying cities and massacring tens of thousands of civilians in a matter of hours, as in Falluya, submitting prisoners to the barbaric practice of torture and secret prisons and the secret spying on its own citizens, has made the US, once again, the principal human rights violator in the planet. Actor Harry Belafonte was right on target when recently, in Venezuela, he labeled George, "the biggest terrorist in the world". Internally, the opinion polls clearly disfavor Bush. The winds of impeachment are in the air and the calls are sounding louder. The opening and the momentum are clear for the massive _expression of national Latino outrage against the proposed Republican Bill, calling at the same time for legalization. Latinos and the immigrant rights movement, one and the same, need to galvanize hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million unto the streets of Los Angeles, the second Mexican Capital. This will spark support and regional marches throughout the country. With 2003 as a backdrop, it should be followed by an economic boycott, possibly national. For this, the immigrant rights ONGs, labor, community, political, civil rights, clergy, and student organizations should take the baton from anti war leaders and come together in a comprehensive broad non sectarian coalition, or coalitions, connecting in the process to the most pressing issues and movements in the country today. The Spanish language media, though corporate, will follow and will probably engage actively. They did in ’94. Most important, the organizational wave will rise and put the heat on the usually dormant Latino establishment and call them on the front line. It’s been done before. Progressives should also call the chips on LA’s progressive Mayor Antonio Villaraigoza. Contrary to the spin that he is a product of labor and UFW follower his real political roots lie deeply as a CASA left activist in the immigrant rights struggle. He owes us. Making Simon Bolivar’s dream a possible reality, Latin America is definitely swinging "to the left". Bolivia and probably Chile will now join Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil in an independent block against the politics of neo liberalism and for national sovereignty. Just around the corner is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s almost certain election as the next president of Mexico in July of this year. They are waiting for Latino leaders, their compatriot paisanos, to visit them and express their solidarity and vice versa ask for their support and condemnation of the Bush regime. As independent states, along with Cuba, they are a powerful ally in the international arena and the struggle to defeat the right. Like anyone else, they just have to be educated on our history and struggles. The activist African American establishment, much more astute and intrepid, has just completed its second 13 member visit to Venezuela headed by veteran actor Danny Glover. In the last 5 years more than 2 million Mexicans have immigrated to the north. It is to our advantage to keep the doors open because upon crossing the border they become Latinos, us. The future triumph for legalization and empowerment for today’s 12 million immigrants will turn into an inspiring defeat for the right. History is once again boldly challenging us. The momentum is there, staring daringly at us. In the name of the people, take it, run with it, it’s yours. Javier Rodriguez H. is a Journalist in Los Angeles and was a leading member of CASA, co-founder of The Coalition for Visas and Rights for the Undocumented and directed California Latinos For Jesse Jackson in 1984. Jrod1194@sbcglobal.net | ||
| | |
