News and Views from the People's Struggle
Denver, CO – More than 50 people gathered in Denver’s Civic Center Park, Feb. 7, and marched to U.S. Senator Michael Bennett’s office. The protesters are frustrated over his lack of action to defend DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Milwaukee, WI – On Jan 20, the Young People’s Resistance Committee (YPRC) attended Milwaukee’s Women’s March. Around 20,000 people were in attendance to counter the Trump administration’s continuous attacks on women, queer people and other oppressed communities.
Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, Jan.14, immigrant rights activists, including students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, held a protest and community outreach action on the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, a busy intersection in the heart of the Minneapolis Latino immigrant community. They demanded that Congress pass a clean Dream Act before the Jan. 19 congressional budget deadline.A clean Dream Act means permanent protection for immigrant youth with DACA status who were brought here as children, without pairing that with repressive anti-immigrant measures like the border wall, ending family-based immigration and the diversity lottery or increased raids and deportations against other immigrants like President Trump is trying to do.At the busy intersection, the protesters held signs and chanted demanding a clean Dream Act. Some signs also supported Salvadorans, Haitians and others for whom Trump has ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS), exposing hundreds of thousands of families to the threat of deportation. Some of the group’s signs also made pointed reference to Trump’s recent racist statement calling El Salvador, Haiti, and African countries “shithole countries.” Many passing cars honked and signaled their agreement with the anti-Trump and pro-immigrant message.The action was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the Interracial Student Movement (ISM), as part of a series of efforts to pressure Congress to act now to pass a clean Dream Act.After protesting outside in the bitter cold for a half hour, the group went inside a popular Latino immigrant marketplace. There, American Indian Movement (AIM) leader Clyde Bellecourt spoke to the group, expressing support for immigrant youth. Bellecourt put the struggle in the context of European colonization of the Americas and the struggle of the indigenous peoples of the Americas for unity and justice, and emphasizing the importance of young people in leading the struggle forward.Then, in a visual and participatory action, the group shared balloons with messages supporting immigrant youth written on them with people in the marketplace. The organizers called on everybody to pop their balloons at the same time to symbolize that President Trump and Congress are trying to destroy young people’s dreams. Three organizers from the group spoke to the gathered crowd, sharing information with people about the struggle of DACA youth and the need for the community to get involved in the fight for a clean Dream Act.In September 2017, President Trump abruptly announced the end of DACA. A federal court ruling has temporarily forced the administration to keep DACA alive while court cases about it are still being heard. But this is a temporary situation, not a real solution. The need for action for immigrant youth is as urgent as ever. As soon as the court cases end, every day around 122 more immigrant youth will lose their legal status and face the threat of being deported and uprooted from the only life they have ever known. Having put 800,000 immigrant youth in jeopardy of deportation by ending DACA, President Trump and anti-immigrant Republicans in Congress are now cynically using these young immigrants as bargaining chips for their anti-immigrant agenda.Democrats in Congress have given lip service in support of immigrant youth, yet enough of them voted before the new year in support of the continuing resolution to fund the congressional budget for it to pass, temporarily keeping the government open until the fast-approaching Jan. 19 deadline. With that deadline upon us, another congressional vote on the budget is here, and the Republicans can’t pass it without some Democrats’ votes. So immigrant rights activists around the country are demanding that congressional Democrats turn their lip service into action and all vote no on passing any congressional budget unless a clean Dream Act is passed, even if that means a government shutdown. That is one of the strongest kinds of leverage they have to force a clean Dream Act through despite the opposition of anti-immigrant Republicans in Congress and the administration.
Los Angeles, CA – Over 1000 Salvadorians and allies marched in downtown LA, Jan. 13, to demand Temporary Protective Status (TPS) and residency. The loud and enthusiastic rally denounced Trump for his racist and insulting comments against Africa and El Salvador, pointing out that U.S. interventions have caused misery, poverty and the mass displacement of millions in Central America and Africa.
Demands are to pass Sanctuary City Platform and create a Minneapolis Police Accountability Council
Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 12, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) made their presence felt at the first meeting of the newly-elected Minneapolis city council.
Milwaukee, WI — Like activists and organizers across the country, 2017 was a tremendously busy year for those in the immigrant rights struggle of Milwaukee, and the closing months were no exception.
Resist deportations and continue fight for legalization for all
Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 8, President Trump announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for around 200,000 Salvadorans living in the United States. TPS for Salvadorans will be phased out in 18 months. This comes after Trump has already ended TPS for Haitians and Nicaraguans, and soon Hondurans will almost surely lose TPS as well. While the loss of TPS for any country is an injustice, the number of Salvadorans with TPS is more than all other nationalities combined.
Minneapolis, MN – On the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, a group of activists from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) brought day-late gift-wrapped ‘presents’ and a Christmas tree to the Minneapolis office of Senator Amy Klobuchar emblazoned with messages of “Clean Dream Act now,” “Keep families together” and “No more deportations.”
Washington D.C. – On Dec. 15, seven undocumented immigrant youth, now referred to as the #Dream7, risked deportation by staging a sit-in outside of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office in the Capitol building, as part of a wave of protests demanding that Congress pass a clean Dream Act now.
Tucson, AZ – On Dec. 7, community organizations and residents held a vigil in downtown Tucson in honor and remembrance of a Central American migrant killed by Border Patrol the week before. On Nov. 29, Border Patrol agents in the Baboquivari Mountains of the Tohono O’odham nation, located just southwest of Tucson, Arizona shot to death one of four migrants said to be from Guatemala. The others were detained.
Minneapolis, MN – Over 150 people marched on International Human Rights day, Dec. 10, in south Minneapolis demanding an end to Trump’s wars and his administration’s attacks on immigrants. The Anti-War Committee and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee co-sponsored the community march, which started at Powderhorn Park.
Minneapolis, MN – The Anti-War Committee and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) are co-sponsoring a community march on International Human Rights Day to show solidarity with the communities whose human rights have been violated by the Trump administration. Protesters will rally in Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis, Dec. 10, at 11 a.m. and will then march on Lake Street past hundreds of immigrant-owned businesses to say “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!”
New York, NY – On Nov. 28 in Brooklyn, at around noon, lawyers staged a massive walkout when the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) grabbed a defendant from the hallway midway through a court hearing.
Minneapolis, MN – El 10 de noviembre del 2017, casi 500 estudiantes de 17 escuelas locales salieron de sus escuelas en la mañana enfrentando un frío brutal y tomaron las calles para exigir que el Congreso tome acción inmediata para proteger a cientos de miles de jóvenes inmigrantes que perderán el estado legal que tanto lucharon para conseguir. Se juntaron en el parque de Martin Luther King, Jr. y marcharon más de dos millas a la estatua de Emiliano Zapata, simbolizando la unidad de las luchas de los estudiantes afroamericanos y latinos.
Minneapolis, MN – On Nov. 10, around 500 students from 17 local high schools and middle schools walked out of their schools and braved cold weather and bitter winds as they took to the streets to demand that Congress take immediate action to protect hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth who will be stripped of their hard fought-for legal status. They converged at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and marched over two miles to the memorial of Emiliano Zapata, symbolizing the unity of the struggles of Black and Latino students.
Minneapolis, MN – Immigrant rights activists demanded “Sanctuary now!” at the Minneapolis City Council meeting Oct. 6. The activists gathered outside of City Hall then made their presence felt in the City Council chamber, holding their banner and signs at the start of the council meeting.
Minneapolis, MN – Around 50 people gathered on the steps of City Hall Sept. 20 for a press conference to publicly launch the Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform. Afterwards, many of them marched into the city council meeting to demand “Sanctuary now” for immigrants.
Chicago, IL — About 150 people gathered outside the international terminal, Sept. 19, at Chicago's O'Hare airport in support of Rasmea Odeh. The send-off rally was the last chance for supporters to say goodbye, as Rasmea was forced to depart the U.S. after an almost four-year legal and political struggle. Speakers applauded Rasmea and a defense campaign that put Israel on trial for its crimes, and lifted up the cause of Palestinian liberation.
Salt Lake City, UT — Over 100 people joined Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to protest Donald Trump’s repeal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Sept. 15, at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building downtown.
Tucson, AZ – The decision made by Trump on Sept. 5 to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program saw numerous mass mobilizations nationwide. The people of Tucson joined the latest wave of the growing resistance to the Trump administration.