By Joshua Partlow, Washington Post
May 26, 2016
MCALLEN, Texas: To save time, Adriana Zavala would take a shortcut down an empty lane on the way to school, until the afternoon last September when the tattooed Salvadoran gangsters blocked her way.
The threats she began receiving that day — sell our drugs to your classmates or we’ll rape you — propelled the teenager, her father and 13-year-old sister to begin a five-month odyssey from El Salvador that has ended, for now, in this Texas town. They are among thousands of migrants arriving at the US border in what authorities fear could be another surge of Central American families.
“In my country, they’re going to kill me. And I can’t die right now. There are so many things I want to do,” said Zavala, a 17-year-old who wants to be a chef and take singing classes.
On the US campaign trail, illegal immigration is a hot-button topic, with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, vowing to build a 1,000-mile border wall. But along this stretch of Texas border, where migrants climb over and walk around existing fencing, such proposed solutions tend to draw scorn, even from Trump fans. And the politician’s tough talk, people here say, might actually be attracting more migrants.[...]
Read the full article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/on-the-mexico-border-a-surge-of-migrants-ahead-of-a-possible-trump-wall/2016/05/24/7db4e742-1c7c-11e6-82c2-a7dcb313287d_story.html
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Revolt of the ‘Chapulines’: After Strike, Indigenous Mexican Farmworkers Vote To Unionize
By David Bacon, In These Times
May 25, 2016
Sometimes they call themselves chapulines.
It's a Oaxacan inside joke. Chapulines are small insects, like grasshoppers. When they're toasted with lime and garlic, they're a delicacy that's as much a part of Oaxacan indigenous culture as mezcal or big tlayuda tortillas.
One worker standing in line in the edge of a San Joaquin Valley blueberry field laughed at the name. "We're very humble, like chapulines, and there are a lot of us, like we're all piled up together on a plate." Another reason he liked the similarity was the color: a plate of chapulines is reddish brown. Pointing down the line of workers, he gestured: "Look at all the t-shirts."
Hundreds of workers had lined up in two long rows in the pre-dawn darkness, ready to vote in a union election last Saturday morning. So many were wearing red t-shirts emblazoned with the black eagle of the United Farm Workers that the few people without them stood out conspicuously.
As the sun came up, the lines slowly moved toward the ballot boxes, and workers began to vote.
By 11:00 a.m., it was over. Blueberry pickers in their red t-shirts poured out of the rows of bushes, and then gathered in a semicircle to watch an agent of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board make the count.
As he announced it, 347 to 68 in favor of the union, the cheering started. The chapulines had won.
Workers may make jokes about their indigenous identity, but a far less pleasant reality led to their decision to organize a union.[...]
Read the full article:
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/19154/san-joaquin-valley-farmworkers-united-farmworkers-strike
May 25, 2016
Sometimes they call themselves chapulines.
It's a Oaxacan inside joke. Chapulines are small insects, like grasshoppers. When they're toasted with lime and garlic, they're a delicacy that's as much a part of Oaxacan indigenous culture as mezcal or big tlayuda tortillas.
One worker standing in line in the edge of a San Joaquin Valley blueberry field laughed at the name. "We're very humble, like chapulines, and there are a lot of us, like we're all piled up together on a plate." Another reason he liked the similarity was the color: a plate of chapulines is reddish brown. Pointing down the line of workers, he gestured: "Look at all the t-shirts."
Hundreds of workers had lined up in two long rows in the pre-dawn darkness, ready to vote in a union election last Saturday morning. So many were wearing red t-shirts emblazoned with the black eagle of the United Farm Workers that the few people without them stood out conspicuously.
As the sun came up, the lines slowly moved toward the ballot boxes, and workers began to vote.
By 11:00 a.m., it was over. Blueberry pickers in their red t-shirts poured out of the rows of bushes, and then gathered in a semicircle to watch an agent of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board make the count.
As he announced it, 347 to 68 in favor of the union, the cheering started. The chapulines had won.
Workers may make jokes about their indigenous identity, but a far less pleasant reality led to their decision to organize a union.[...]
Read the full article:
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/19154/san-joaquin-valley-farmworkers-united-farmworkers-strike
Friday, May 27, 2016
Faith Groups Create Emergency Hotline for Immigrants to Call During a Deportation Raid
By Jack Jenkins, ThinkProgress
May 25, 2016
Nineteen faith groups in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are setting up an emergency hotline to help undocumented immigrants who need help during a deportation raid, hoping to shed light on the federal government’s renewed effort to forcibly remove people from the country.
Organizers of the program, which is being called “Sanctuary in the Streets,” say they are responding to news that the federal government will launch a new wave of deportation raids in May and June. The congregations — all which participate in what is being called the New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) — say they will form teams of volunteers to provide rapid respond support in the event of a hotline call, training them to rush to the site of the raid, hold a prayer vigil, film the event, and comfort the family.
“The goal … is to be in solidarity for the families being raided, and shine a light on what ICE is doing and apply pressure to encourage them to stop doing raids,” said Peter Pedemonti, a representative of the NSM in Philadelphia.[...]
Read the full article:
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2016/05/25/3782003/deportation-raid-hotline-faith-groups/
May 25, 2016
Nineteen faith groups in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are setting up an emergency hotline to help undocumented immigrants who need help during a deportation raid, hoping to shed light on the federal government’s renewed effort to forcibly remove people from the country.
Organizers of the program, which is being called “Sanctuary in the Streets,” say they are responding to news that the federal government will launch a new wave of deportation raids in May and June. The congregations — all which participate in what is being called the New Sanctuary Movement (NSM) — say they will form teams of volunteers to provide rapid respond support in the event of a hotline call, training them to rush to the site of the raid, hold a prayer vigil, film the event, and comfort the family.
“The goal … is to be in solidarity for the families being raided, and shine a light on what ICE is doing and apply pressure to encourage them to stop doing raids,” said Peter Pedemonti, a representative of the NSM in Philadelphia.[...]
Read the full article:
http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2016/05/25/3782003/deportation-raid-hotline-faith-groups/
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Migration as Reparations
Instead of a “surge” in deportations, the U.S. government should be paying off its imperial debt to Central America.
By Joseph Nevins, NACLA Report on the Americas
May 24, 2016
On May 12, Reuters revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is poised to undertake a 30-day “surge” in deportations. The label for the operation suggests a military-like endeavor—the stated goal of which is to arrest and deport hundreds of single adults, mothers, and children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who arrived after January 1, 2014, have been ordered to leave the country, yet remain in the United States without authorization. According to Reuters, it will constitute “the largest deportation sweep targeting immigrant families by the administration of President Barack Obama this year.”
Reports of the looming surge have led to protests, with many asserting that the would-be targets of the operation are in fact refugees, as defined by international law. They are individuals who have a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion” and can’t rely on their national governments for protection. As such, the critics (who range from immigrant rights advocates to Bernie Sanders to mainstream Democrats) argue that the women and children from Central America’s “Northern Triangle” who are said to be in the United States ”illegally” have a right to stay—even if only temporarily.
While this argument certainly has merit, their critique of Obama administration policy accepts the narrow international definition of who is and isn’t “deserving” of asylum. The result is that the criticism can only bear fruit to the extent that U.S. authorities accept and acknowledge that the humans they prey upon are under extraordinary threat in their countries of birth.[...]
Read the full article:
https://nacla.org/blog/2016/05/24/migration-reparations
By Joseph Nevins, NACLA Report on the Americas
May 24, 2016
On May 12, Reuters revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is poised to undertake a 30-day “surge” in deportations. The label for the operation suggests a military-like endeavor—the stated goal of which is to arrest and deport hundreds of single adults, mothers, and children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras who arrived after January 1, 2014, have been ordered to leave the country, yet remain in the United States without authorization. According to Reuters, it will constitute “the largest deportation sweep targeting immigrant families by the administration of President Barack Obama this year.”
Reports of the looming surge have led to protests, with many asserting that the would-be targets of the operation are in fact refugees, as defined by international law. They are individuals who have a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion” and can’t rely on their national governments for protection. As such, the critics (who range from immigrant rights advocates to Bernie Sanders to mainstream Democrats) argue that the women and children from Central America’s “Northern Triangle” who are said to be in the United States ”illegally” have a right to stay—even if only temporarily.
While this argument certainly has merit, their critique of Obama administration policy accepts the narrow international definition of who is and isn’t “deserving” of asylum. The result is that the criticism can only bear fruit to the extent that U.S. authorities accept and acknowledge that the humans they prey upon are under extraordinary threat in their countries of birth.[...]
Read the full article:
https://nacla.org/blog/2016/05/24/migration-reparations
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Women and Children First: Homeland Security Targets "Family Units" for Deportation in May and June
By Danica Jorden, Z Communications via Truthout
May 17, 2016
After January's raids that tore teens from their families and plucked them off buses on their way to school, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is about to embark on a renewed quest to arrest and deport Central Americans who applied for refugee status in the United States in the summer of 2014. According to sources reported by Reuters on May 12, 2016, and confirmed by DHS a day later, the agency is sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out on a second wave of raids against immigrants, this time with the specific aim of apprehending and imprisoning Central American women and their children, or "family units" and unaccompanied minors.
An article by Julia Edwards published by Reuters on Thursday referred to internal papers that were revealed to the news agency concerning the upcoming operation. "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has now told field offices nationwide to launch a 30-day 'surge' of arrests focused on mothers and children who have already been told to leave the United States, the document seen by Reuters said. The operation would also cover minors who have entered the country without a guardian and since turned 18 years of age, the document said. Two sources confirmed the details of the plan."
Despite assurances by DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson that "we will offer vulnerable populations in Central America an alternate and legal path to safety in the United States," the impending actions seem to be anything but.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/36060-women-and-children-first-homeland-security-targets-family-units-for-deportation-in-may-and-june
May 17, 2016
After January's raids that tore teens from their families and plucked them off buses on their way to school, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is about to embark on a renewed quest to arrest and deport Central Americans who applied for refugee status in the United States in the summer of 2014. According to sources reported by Reuters on May 12, 2016, and confirmed by DHS a day later, the agency is sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out on a second wave of raids against immigrants, this time with the specific aim of apprehending and imprisoning Central American women and their children, or "family units" and unaccompanied minors.
An article by Julia Edwards published by Reuters on Thursday referred to internal papers that were revealed to the news agency concerning the upcoming operation. "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has now told field offices nationwide to launch a 30-day 'surge' of arrests focused on mothers and children who have already been told to leave the United States, the document seen by Reuters said. The operation would also cover minors who have entered the country without a guardian and since turned 18 years of age, the document said. Two sources confirmed the details of the plan."
Despite assurances by DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson that "we will offer vulnerable populations in Central America an alternate and legal path to safety in the United States," the impending actions seem to be anything but.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/36060-women-and-children-first-homeland-security-targets-family-units-for-deportation-in-may-and-june
Friday, May 20, 2016
Obama’s Cruel Decision to Resume Mass Deportations
By Dan Kovalik, Huffington Post
May 16, 2016
According to NPR, “U.S. immigration officials are planning to detain and deport immigrants who were part of the surge of Central Americans who crossed into the U.S. illegally over the past two years . . . .” And, lest one believe, as the Office of Homeland Security is claiming, that this has anything to do with national security, “immigration agents are mainly targeting young mothers with small children, and unaccompanied youths who turned 18 after they entered the U.S.” This deportation will be carried out through “‘a months-long series of raids in May and June.’”
Sending mothers and young children back to countries from which they are fleeing violence is immoral and cruel as Pope Francis has recently emphasized. It is also illegal, as the U.S. is required under international law, for example under Article 14(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to accept such refugees who are fleeing from persecution in their home counties. And, when one considers the U.S.’s role in creating the conditions of persecution these refugees are fleeing, the immoral and criminal nature of Obama’s planned course of action is crystal clear.
Put quite simply, the U.S. owes these refugees a home in light of the fact that the U.S. has mercilessly destroyed their home countries over the past century or so. Let’s take the case of Guatemala for starters, where the U.S. supported a series of brutal military dictatorships after overthrowing its democratically-elected President back in 1954.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/obamas-decision-to-resume_b_9991768.html
May 16, 2016
According to NPR, “U.S. immigration officials are planning to detain and deport immigrants who were part of the surge of Central Americans who crossed into the U.S. illegally over the past two years . . . .” And, lest one believe, as the Office of Homeland Security is claiming, that this has anything to do with national security, “immigration agents are mainly targeting young mothers with small children, and unaccompanied youths who turned 18 after they entered the U.S.” This deportation will be carried out through “‘a months-long series of raids in May and June.’”
Sending mothers and young children back to countries from which they are fleeing violence is immoral and cruel as Pope Francis has recently emphasized. It is also illegal, as the U.S. is required under international law, for example under Article 14(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to accept such refugees who are fleeing from persecution in their home counties. And, when one considers the U.S.’s role in creating the conditions of persecution these refugees are fleeing, the immoral and criminal nature of Obama’s planned course of action is crystal clear.
Put quite simply, the U.S. owes these refugees a home in light of the fact that the U.S. has mercilessly destroyed their home countries over the past century or so. Let’s take the case of Guatemala for starters, where the U.S. supported a series of brutal military dictatorships after overthrowing its democratically-elected President back in 1954.[...]
Read the full article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/obamas-decision-to-resume_b_9991768.html
Thursday, May 19, 2016
ICE-FREE NYC Condemns The Raids // ICE-FREE NYC Condena A Las Redadas
By ICE-FREE NYC
May 13, 2016
Yesterday Reuters reported on a new surge of immigration raids “a month-long series of raids in May and June to deport hundreds of Central American mothers and children…The operation would likely be the largest deportation sweep targeting immigrant families by the administration of President Barack Obama this year after a similar drive over two days in January that focused on Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina.”
We know from experience that these immigration raids are facilitated by the NYPD, most recently in the Bronx where Homeland Security Investigations (a division of ICE) led a raid against “gang members” on the early morning of March 27, 2016.
This is why ICE-FREE NYC stands in unyielding solidarity with our all migrant and non-citizen communities resisting the continued war against our Diasporas. Please sign and share our petition to Mayor De Blasio demanding a NYC free of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Stay tuned to future actions and collaborations through our Facebook and Twitter.[...]
Read the ICE-FREE NYC statement:
https://www.facebook.com/camille.ibanez.98/posts/993990437378187
May 13, 2016
Yesterday Reuters reported on a new surge of immigration raids “a month-long series of raids in May and June to deport hundreds of Central American mothers and children…The operation would likely be the largest deportation sweep targeting immigrant families by the administration of President Barack Obama this year after a similar drive over two days in January that focused on Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina.”
We know from experience that these immigration raids are facilitated by the NYPD, most recently in the Bronx where Homeland Security Investigations (a division of ICE) led a raid against “gang members” on the early morning of March 27, 2016.
This is why ICE-FREE NYC stands in unyielding solidarity with our all migrant and non-citizen communities resisting the continued war against our Diasporas. Please sign and share our petition to Mayor De Blasio demanding a NYC free of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Stay tuned to future actions and collaborations through our Facebook and Twitter.[...]
Read the ICE-FREE NYC statement:
https://www.facebook.com/camille.ibanez.98/posts/993990437378187
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