All over the nation, communities are clamoring to be heard. In this worsening economic landscape, migrant communities are being terrorized by violent raids, families are destabilized, wage earners are jailed or detained, and xenophobic pundits continue to fuel a rising wave of hate crimes against Latinos.
The stakes could not be any higher: Now is the time to make our voices heard, especially after being ignored for so long by those with the power to make a difference. And so we are gathering in numbers in San Francisco and throughout California: A coalition of groups that has been working with San Francisco’s supervisors, community leaders, social service providers, and faith groups is gathering at City Hall to call for a halt to the raids and for support of fair and humane immigration reform. We will be joining our voices with thousands of others across California and across our country who found hope in the words of our new President Barack Obama during his inauguration speech […] —Choosing Hope Over Fear in Immigration Policy Reform, New America Media, Jan. 21, 2009 And on the same day, marching on Washington, DC (with photos): Over a thousand people are gathered in DC, a day after inaugurating our new president, to demand A New Day for Immigration. —Immigrants March for Reform in DC, RaceWire, Jan. 21, 2009 Sending letters from Albequerque, New Mexico: [C]oncerned New Mexico groups are among thousands of people signed on to a letter to President Obama asking for drastic alterations [in U.S. immigration enforcement policy]. Jo Ann Gutierrez Bejar with the Southwest Organizing Project says even families in Albuquerque neighborhoods feel intimidated by the presence of the Border Patrol. —NM Groups Push Obama for Immigration Change: "End Worker Raids Now", Public News Service, January 28, 2009 Immigrant rights groups are organizing across the nation: On January 27, the National Network of Immigrant and Refugee Rights will be releasing an “Open Letter to President Barack Obama” to establish a new framework for addressing immigration policy. You can help by circulating it to your friends and by signing the petition[.] —Time to Take Action towards Humane and Sane Immigration Policies RaceWire is suing President Obama for relief in Miami, Florida: The lawyers for over 600 American born children filed a lawsuit against President Obama to suspend the deportation of their undocumented parents until there is immigration law reform. —U.S. Born Children of Undocumented Parents Sue Obama, New America Media, January 28, 2009 And starting a 100-day Countdown Clock in Arizona: Arizona activists rallied in Tucson yesterday urging President Obama to keep his campaign promise to address immigration reform in his first 100 days on the job. Immigration rights organization Border Action Network wants a plan that respects human rights and preserves families[…] —100-Day Countdown Clock Started for Obama Border Reform, Public News Service, January 22, 2009 In essence, The American people want real solutions, not divisive rhetoric. The new administration and new Congress hold great promise for progress on immigration reform. Now it is up to people of conscience to hold our elected representatives accountable and demand immigration reform that benefits the American people, America’s economic and homeland security, and moves us towards a new era of recognizing that immigration is not a source of weakness for America, it is a sign of our strength. —Immigration Reform: Yes We Can?, New America Media, January 27, 2009 In the absence of national leadership, we end up with law enforcement so devoid of ethical guidance that it declares racial profiling an "important tool" and propaganda television that omits the horrors of the standing system. The fact is, fearful rhetoric has taken over what could be a sane dialogue and we are all suffering for it. Higher walls are not the solution. Letting our fellow humans move into caves is not the answer. And politicians who think only in terms of punishment and speak divisively will get us nowhere. The People have spoken. And are speaking. And we will continue speak. Until we are heard.
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