INB 5/14/08: May Day Roundup; Raids Continue

Immigration News Briefs
Vol. 11, No. 10 - May 14, 2008

Immigration News Briefs is a weekly supplement to Weekly News Update on the Americas, published by Nicaragua Solidarity Network, 339 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012; tel 212-674-9499; weeklynewsupdate@gmail.com. INB is also distributed free via email; contact immigrationnewsbriefs@gmail.com to subscribe or unsubscribe. You may reprint or distribute items from INB, but please credit us and tell people how to subscribe. Immigration News Briefs is posted at http://immigrationnewsbriefs.blogspot.com.

In this issue:
May Day Roundup; Raids Continue

Mobilizations:
1. Northeast: NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, NH, PA
2. DC and Southeast: DC, VA, NC, GA, FL
3. Midwest: IL, WI, IN, MI, MN
4. Texas, Southwest & Rockies: TX, NM, AZ, CO, NV
5. Pacific Coast: Port Strike, CA, OR, WA

Raids:
6. Raid at Texas Landscaping Business
7. Raid at Arkansas Airport
8. Raids at Bay Area Restaurants, Homes
9. Restaurants Raided in Hawai'i
10. Virginia Construction Site Raided

May Day demonstrations for immigrant and worker rights took place in at least 220 cities in 32 states on May 1, 2008. [CIMAC (Comunicación e Información de la Mujer, A.C.) 5/5/08 published in Criterios.com] The largest action appeared to be in Milwaukee, where some 30,000 marched, although crowd estimates at Chicago's march ranged from 15,000 to 50,000. In Los Angeles, the reported turnout was anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000.

The mainstream media ran fairly favorable coverage of the marches, noting their energetic spirit despite lower turnout. Compared to previous years, the media also paid more attention to the way in which the immigrant marches have become an annual tradition and are bringing the May Day labor holiday--International Workers' Day--back to the US, where the tradition started in the 1880s.

Many of this year's protests were focused on stopping the immigration raids, especially workplace raids, which have increased steadily since 2006. Yet the raids continued, both before and after May Day, with at least 170 workers arrested in workplace raids in Texas, Arkansas, California, Hawai'i and Virginia between Apr. 25 and May 5.

"[W]hen there is so much repression against immigrants and their families, the real story is how so many people overcame their fear and marched in 200 cities," noted Gladys Vega of the Chelsea Collaborative, which organized a May Day march in Chelsea, Massachusetts. [Article by Roberto Lovato, Of América, posted on Alternet 5/2/08] [...]

Read the full report:
http://immigrationnewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2008/05/inb-51408-may-day-roundup-raids.html