May 17, 2008
End Cruel Immigration Raids in California
The May ICE Homeland Security raids that took place in California following immigrant rights marches and rallies the same month are an outrage. The fact that some of these raids occurred in San Francisco, a sanctuary city for immigrants and their families, is even more appalling.
Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party join with other activists in condemning these raids and demanding that city officials, including S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors, actively defend workers against such assaults on their human rights.
However, we are not surprised that Mayor Newsom has remained silent. His failure to mobilize in defense of immigrants is in line with Democratic Party policies that include promoting legislation that would make felons of the country's 11 million undocumented youth, workers and families. Equally racist “guest worker” bills promising to "control" the immigration “threat” through new bracero programs--that amount to indentured servitude--are currently being sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein and other politicians of both major parties.
These raids are a reflection of the crisis of capitalism. As the U.S. economy continues its downward spiral, and the imperialist war against Iraq cost trillions, scapegoats must be found to take the blame for falling wages, layoffs, foreclosures, high rents, increases in gas and food prices, and the destruction of social services. It's a simple corporate rule: divide workers and you can conquer them. It is obvious that the ICE raids are intended to terrorize and criminalize the most vulnerable working people in the country. However, they are also meant to disorient and sow fear and division among the entire working class. No worker in the U.S. is secure as long as immigrants are abused!
Native born and foreign-born workers share a common cause: the wealth that we create through our labor is now in private hands-- being pocketed by mega-corporations at unfathomable human and environmental cost--and we are outcasts in a system that without us would not last a single day. To win lasting justice and security for immigrants and all workers, capitalism must go! The liberating solution is socialism—a democratic system designed to serve the needs of working people, of all homelands, rather than the interests of those who profit from our labor.
We call for:
Emergency response networks organized to publicize and stop the ICE raids
wherever they happen!
Redirect union and movement money into defense funds for
those arrested by ICE instead of pouring it into Democratic and Republican campaigns,. Also press union leaders to launch massive organizing campaigns
for immigrant workers and call for a national work stoppage
—a general strike—to end the raids.
Push cities, unions and immigrant rights coalitions to
provide real sanctuary and offer safe places where families and
individuals can stay and the funds to help them.
ID cards for people without papers.
Unconditional amnesty for all undocumented immigrants and
open borders for working people! Amnesty is a necessity for current
immigrants, but only opening the borders will prevent the criminalization
of future immigrants and keep them safe. This would stop employers
from using the threat of deportation to sexually exploit women and it would allow families to stay together.
No Human Being Is Illegal!
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Issued by:
Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women
New Valencia Hall, 625 Larkin Street #202
San Francisco, CA 94109
415-864-1278 * bafsp@yahoo.com * calradicalwomen@yahoo.com
www.socialism.com * www.radicalwomen.org