‘We’re all under attack!’

Latest

Texas’s new anti-immigrant law appears to be contrary to people’s wishes. Nearly three quarters of Texans are concerned about undocumented immigration. But more than three out of five think immigration is a plus and oppose building a wall. Even more don’t want to deport the state’s millions of undocumented residents, with 80 percent of the youth defending immigration and immigrants.

LOS ANGELES, CA — Two recent cases in the Los Angeles area show that the government’s attack on “undocumented criminals” is a threat to the rights of immigrants, and even citizens. Unless a broad movement can stop these raids and police-state type actions against the most vulnerable workers, such attacks will spread out against more kinds of people.
Undocumented students and supporters are mobilizing to support Claudia Rueda, a 22-year-old undocumented activist at Cal State L.A. arrested by Border Patrol agents on May 18 and released on June 9. Some relatives had been arrested in a drug trafficking investigation, though she was not charged with being involved. But agents arrested her because she had not applied for federal DACA protection. The reason for not applying: she lacked the $500 fee.
The next week, on May 25, U.S. citizen Guadalupe Plascencia filed papers to begin a lawsuit against the San Bernardino Sheriff’s department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for illegally holding her in jail in March as an undocumented worker. She had gone to the Ontario (CA) police station to retrieve property and was arrested over a warrant she obviously didn’t know was out on her. When she was to be released from jail by the sheriffs, she was handcuffed instead and driven to an ICE detention facility.
Police and ICE representatives frantically tried to explain this away as just a “mistake,” but Ms. Plascencia knew better. “I felt helpless, like I was no one,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “Here, they talk about rights … I realized, we don’t have rights.”
The Coordinator of Cal State L.A.’s Dreamers Resource Center, Luz Borjon, agreed that when immigrants’ rights get attacked, citizens’ rights soon are also attacked. When supporters wrote letters calling for Claudia to be released on bond, Borjon said, “Staff and faculty were asked for driver’s licenses as proof of identity in order for the letters to be used by her lawyer. … We have to amplify the voices of undocumented students and make the choice to take a moral stand.”
Faculty and students did just that at Cal State L.A.’s graduation, holding up signs and banners calling for Claudia to be freed. They insist the campus raise funds to help immigrant students pay for lawyers, or for rent when parents are detained. Their struggle can become one step toward building a better society.

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Journalist Says Why ‘I Can No Longer Work With Reuters’

A photojournalist says why it is impossible for her to maintain a relationship with Reuters "given its role in justifying and enabling the systematic assassination of 245 journalists in Gaza."

Abrego Garcia Detained Again, Could be Deported to Uganda

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant worker, was freed from detention in Tennessee Aug. 22 and then re-arrested by ICE on Aug. 25 in Maryland. The Trump administration is trying to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda.

An Open Letter to Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose, CA.

From the San Jose CA Frontlines: Stop the sweeps. Unhoused people want a safe place to stay. All people should be respected, shown compassion, understanding.

Global Food Authority Declares Catastrophic Famine in Gaza

On Aug. 22, the world's top authority on hunger crises officially declared that a catastrophe-level famine in Gaza exists—a humanitarian disaster engineered by Israel's relentless blockade of food aid and other life-saving supplies.

Thousands of Texans Protest Trump’s Redistricting Plan To Get More Votes

The Texas capitol of Austin saw 5,000 people protesting Trump’s unconstitutional redistricting plan and other issues threatening our democracy.

More from the People's Tribune