Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Immigrant Rights

By Brad Sigal

_Unions, workers and immigrants will unite for International Workers Day _

Saint Paul, MN May 1st flyer

St. Paul, MN – On May 1 workers, unions and immigrants will march together to the capitol in Saint Paul to demand justice for workers, to defend workers’ freedom to organize and to demand legalization and full equality for immigrant workers. The march will be held on the 125th anniversary of International Workers Day, or May Day.

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By Kosta Harlan

Durham, NC – A little over 24 hours after their initial arrests, the undocumented youth who blocked traffic in a civil disobedience action are declaring a victory after they were released from the Atlanta Corrections Detention Center April 7.

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By Kosta Harlan

Undocumented youth protest in Atlanta, Georgia on April 5

(April 7 update: The detained youth have been released)

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By Valeria Gonzalez

Milwaukee, WI – Over 1,000 community members, students and workers gathered on March 20 for an emergency meeting organized by Voces de la Frontera to discuss a new Arizona SB1070 style-law that will soon be introduced in Wisconsin by Republican Representative Don Pridemore.

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By Gregory Lucero

Utah protest for immigrant rights

Salt Lake City, UT – More than 1000 people gathered here, March 5 to fight for immigrant rights. United for Social Justice called for the rally and protest march in response to the many repressive bills attacking immigrants that have been proposed by Utah lawmakers.

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By Brad Sigal

Cleaning workers protest firing of organizer inside Cub Foods store

Minneapolis, MN – On March 2, Mario Colloly Torres was fired from his retail cleaning job at Cub Foods. Torres is a leader in the campaign for justice for retail cleaning workers. The campaign is organized by the Center for Workers United in Struggle or Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) in Spanish. CTUL is organizing low paid, mostly immigrant workers at major retail stores such as Cub, Lunds & Byerly's, Target, and Supervalu to fight for better wages, working conditions, and the right to organize.

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By Kosta Harlan

Demand Education Rights for Immigrant Youth

Vigil in Raleigh for immigrant rights.

Raleigh, NC – Over 80 people gathered here, Feb. 1, outside the North Carolina General Assembly to voice strong opposition to HB11. Undocumented students are already faced with the burden of paying out-of-state tuition. This bill, proposed by Rep. George Cleveland, would go further in barring undocumented students from having access to any community colleges and universities in the state. Because of North Carolina's new Republican-majority legislature, the bill is likely to pass.

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By Gregory Lucero

Immigrant rights protest, Utah State Capitol, January 24, 2011

Salt Lake City, UT – The United for Social Justice Coalition rallied at the State Capitol building here, on the evening of Jan. 24. Immigrant rights activists are fighting back against proposed bills that will further criminalize undocumented immigrants. 250 people braved the cold weather to show their support for the undocumented immigrants on the first day of the Utah legislative session. The crowd chanted slogans such as, “No human is illegal!” “Fund education not deportation!” and “They say ICE attack, we say fight back!”

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By staff

Chipotle workers and allies protest unjust firings Jan. 20 in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN – On Jan. 20, dozens of Latino immigrants who were among the hundreds fired from Chipotle Mexican Grill throughout Minnesota last month protested at a downtown Minneapolis Chipotle. At the protest the workers entered the store, while eight of the workers’ allies chained themselves together inside the store until they were arrested. The workers and their supporters are demanding justice from Chipotle.

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By Brad Sigal

Constitution’s 14th Amendment made Black people citizens after U.S. Civil War

Protesters unfurl banner and confront anti-immigrant press conference.

Washington, D.C. – At a press conference January 5 at the National Press Club, the most extreme anti-immigrant politicians from around the U.S. gathered to announce their plan to attack the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Their press conference was confronted by immigrant rights activists.

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By Brad Sigal

No More Deportations campaign presentation 12/19/2010 in NY Plaza on Lake Street

Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 19 activists from the No More Deportations campaign brought their message to the New York Plaza shopping center on Lake Street in Minneapolis. In the Latino market, activists explained the campaign to weekend shoppers and signed up dozens of people on the petition to stop deportations in Hennepin County.

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By staff

Speakers at Chipotle workers' press conference, 12/14/2010, Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 14, Juan and Maria, two workers from Chipotle Mexican Restaurant who are Mexican immigrants, spoke out at a press conference after being fired as part of a statewide immigration sweep. Over 20 other fired Chipotle workers stood by them as they told what has happened over the past week and presented their demands to Chipotle Mexican Restaurant and to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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By Brad Sigal

DREAMers on hunger strike at El Colegio in Minneapolis, 12/12/2010

Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 10, seven students here started a hunger strike to demand that Congress pass the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a proposed law that would give some undocumented immigrant youth the possibility to gain legalization if they go to college or join the military.

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By staff

Hundreds march to the Ramparts police department to demand justice.

Los Angeles, CA – Hundreds of angry protesters confronted the Ramparts Los Angeles police, driving a large sound truck into the station entrance as marchers moved to the front of the building chanting, “Assassins, assassins.”

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By staff

Carlos Montes demands justice for Manuel Jamine at community meeting

Los Angeles, CA – People in Los Angeles will be marching Sept. 18 to demand justice for Manuel Jamines, the Guatemalan immigrant who was gunned down by L.A. police Sept. 5. The cop who killed Manuel Jamines has a reputation for brutality and a wave of anger has swept the Latino community. Protesters will gather at 10:00 a.m. 6th Street and Union on Sept. 18. The Southern California Immigration Coalition is organizing the rally and march.

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By staff

Cop tries to prevent Deb Konechne from leading chants at governor debate

Minneapolis, MN – As the candidates for governor were preparing to debate inside the Pantages Theater here Sept. 15, about 30 members of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, including folks from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and the Welfare Rights Committee were on the street out front.

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By staff

Manuel Jamines, killed by LAPD.

Los Angeles, CA – The Guatemalan community, especially the indigenous Mayan sector, has been protesting and angry over the brutal killing of their community member Manuel Jamines. Jamines was shot in the head and body on a busy street in the late afternoon in the Pico Union, a Central American community, by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on Sept. 5.

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By Kosta Harlan

Protest raises pressure on Senator Kay Hagan

Fifty people marched in Greensboro, NC to protest the federal 'tax and deport'

Greensboro, NC – Fifty people marched through downtown Greensboro on Aug. 27, past the offices of the Internal Revenue Service, to protest the federal policy of ‘tax and deport.’

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By Joe Iosbaker

¡Amnistía ahora!

Chicago, IL – En Chicago, julio 19 la voz de Emma Lozano se quebrantaba cuando hablaba a miles de marchantes para los derechos de los inmigrantes en Grant Park. “Estoy aquí para tocar la campana para un moratorio inmediato a las deportaciones y a las autorizaciones de las redadas en empleadores.” El fundador de Pueblo Sin Fronteras terminaba de ayudar a conducir en una marcha de tres millas y media a más de 20,000 personas en una temperatura de 90 grados de calor. El evento era una continuación de movilizaciones para los derechos de los inmigrantes que comenzó esta primavera por el movimiento de Chicago en marzo 10.

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By staff

_ Investigate Killing of Ruben Salazar!_

Activists raise a banner commemorating the August 29 Chicano Moratorium.

Los Angeles, CA – The August 29th Chicano Moratorium Organizing Committee held a press conference here Aug. 25 to announce a protest march and rally set for Aug. 28 in East Los Angeles. The march commemorates 40 years since the Chicano Moratorium.

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