The Resource Center for Nonviolence, la Liga de la Comunidad, the ACLU of Santa Cruz, and other local organizations will host a special screening of the new documentary film, "The 800 Mile Wall," on Friday, February 26, at 7pm at the First Congregational Church in Santa Cruz; at 7pm on Saturday at the Lutheran Community Church in Watsonville; and, at 2pm on Sunday at the Peace Resource Center in Seaside. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director, John Carlos Frey and the film’s producer, Jack Lorenz.

"The 800 Mile Wall" highlights the construction of the new border walls along the U.S.-Mexico border and the lethal effects on migrants trying to cross into the United States. Migrant deaths have soared since enforcement and security measures were implemented by the U.S. beginning with Operation Gatekeeper in 1994. Read more

A National DREAM Week of Action kicked off on February 22nd and will last until Friday, February 26th. Students across California and 16 other states are organizing in support of the DREAM Act, a piece of federal legislation that would provide a pathway to legalization for undocumented students educated in the U.S.

Every year, 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools, but these students face serious barriers to higher education. First, they are not eligible to receive any state or federal financial aid; this includes work-study and student loans. Basically, these students and their families have to pay dollar-for-dollar what it costs to attend an institution of higher learning.

Students at UC Santa Cruz have organized a Teach-In for Wednesday at 7pm in Oakes Room 105, as well as short films, pan dulce and drinks on Friday at 12pm in the Cervantes/Velasquez Conference Room. Read more and view photos

For Maria Marroquin, Christmas 2009 is bittersweet. As the holiday draws near, she enlists her 5-year-old granddaughter to help sort through a donation of clothing and toys at the Mountain View Day Worker Center, where Maria has served as Executive Director for nearly a decade. The donations are most welcome, say the workers who sign in daily, seeking work in local homes and gardens. Gifts from the community will supplement the meager incomes earned by those who come to the Center every morning...and wait.

Only fifteen percent of the workers who show up are matched with jobs on any given day. In recent years, the average worker’s yearly income has totaled about $5,000. When the figures are in for 2009, Maria says, the total will probably come to quite a bit less, probably in the range of $4,000. "The recession has hit everyone," she says, "but those earning the lowest incomes are getting hit the hardest."

Read the Article

Day Worker Center of Mountain View

As the traditional American Thanksgiving holiday drew near, immigrant rights groups held actions in San Francisco and Washington D.C. to expose the unjust treatment of immigrants in both congressional and senate healthcare bills.

“Hey hey, ho ho, the five year bar has go to go,” shouted Californians who came to demonstrate at Pelosi's San Francisco office from as far away as Los Angeles. In speeches, chants, and song, they urged Congress and the White House to repeal the five year waiting period for low-income legal immigrants to receive access to affordable health care. Korean-Americans made up the majority of participants and enlivened the event with traditional drumming and a circular march. They were joined by members of progressive Chinese and Spanish speaking communities.

At approximately the same hour in Washington D.C., a group of committed Asian Americans and Latinos confronted staff in the office of US Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina. Rep. Wilson has been a vocal opponent of government-subsidized health benefits to immigrants and is well-known for his outburst, "You lie!" during a speech by President Obama to a joint session of Congress. When a member of the delegation said that the congressman's policies are based on racism, one of Wilson's staff members retorted with an outburst of his own, saying "That's not true!" and turning his back on the group.

Summarizing the sentiment of the demonstrators, EunSook Lee, Executive Director of NAKASEC, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, stated: “... immigrants continue to become the scapegoats and, if not corrected, this will result in a poisoning of the health care debate and the blocking of the real progress Americans need.” NAKASEC was the key organizer of this week's bicoastal actions.

Read More | Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

National Korean American Service & Education Consortium

Last year, Mountain View Day Worker Center supporters purchased an abandoned cinderblock building next to railroad tracks on Escuela Avenue in Mountain View, California. Plans are in place for day workers to help renovate the building and make improvements to the neighborhood, but NIMBY ("not in my back yard") neighbors nevertheless called in a Washington D.C. based group, Judicial Watch, to advise them on protecting their neighborhood from "illegal" immigrants.

Judicial Watch is a right-wing organization that initiates legal battles against day laborer centers around the country. Through their "sanctuary busters" program, they make the claim that day laborer centers violate federal immigration law by hiring undocumented immigrants. In April, a representative of Judicial Watch addressed a meeting of Escuela Avenue residents, calling it a "public education effort."

Judicial Watch has filed lawsuits in Herndon, Virginia, and Laguna Beach, California. But Chris Newman, the legal director of a national group of day laborer centers, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, called Judicial Watch's lawsuits baseless, pointing out that they are meant to generate anti-immigrant sentiments and intimidate people.

The city council remains stalwart in the face of threats of a lawsuit by members of the neighborhood group. The council initially approved the Day Worker Center's permit on May 5. On May 12, with a unanimous vote, the council turned down the NIMBY group's appeal of the council's earlier decision. Read more

Nimby Group Loses Anti-Day Worker Center Appeal | National Day Laborer Organizing Network

On Wednesday, April 29, UC Berkeley Police, apparently acting on behalf of ICE and introducing themselves as ICE agents, arrested Jesús Gutiérrez, a worker at the Clark Kerr Campus Dining Commons and a union activist in AFSCME Local 3299. Acting on information alleging that Gutierrez was using false papers to work at UC Berkeley, the UCPD charged him with identity fraud. Gutiérrez has been placed under ICE immigration hold as he sits in Santa Rita Jail.

Gutiérrez is suspected of no crime apart from the allegation of working using false identification. He is currently charged with felony identity fraud, a charge that is reserved for people who use identity information to steal money.

In a statement, Ronald Cruz, a member of BAMN, writes, “There is a strong likelihood this is an effort by UC Berkeley to intimidate organized labor. Jesús was a rank-and-file union activist in AFSCME Local 3299, which just had a strong one-week strike in summer 2008 and won a contract that includes language requiring ICE to contact AFSCME before arresting a worker. Surprisingly, the arrest has come from UC Berkeley itself.” Read More

On Wednesday, May 13th, a rally and a march was held at Sproul Plaza, UC-Berkeley, to demand the release of Jesús Gutiérrez from ICE custody. Video

ICE kidnaps UC Berkeley employee | Berkeley Protests ICE Raids | AFSCME Strike Postponed -- What's Next?

In San Francisco, calling for mass action in defense of jobs and families, union contingents, students and an anarchist bloc gathered at Dolores Park in San Francisco at noon and marched to Civic Center for an afternoon rally. The Alexander Berkman Social Club sponsored a picnic at Dolores Park. Photos: 1 | 2

Also in San Francisco, a May Day Anti-Capitalist Action Struck Union Square

In the East Bay city of Hayward, participants gathered at Weeks Park then marched to City Hall to demand passage of an ordinance that would make Hayward a Sanctuary City. In Oakland, a program at Fruitvale Plaza preceded a march to City Hall. At UC Berkeley, a rally at at Sproul Plaza, was followed by a march to Ashby BART. Photos

In San José, demonstrators were greeted by entertainment at City Hall by the Raging Grannies. The immigrant rights action started off with a march from King and Story. After the rally, spontaneous singing and dancing broke out on the street in front of the City Hall plaza in celebration of International Workers Day and the upcoming Cinco de Mayo events planned in the city. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

In Fresno and Reedley, the day was marked with songs of the labor movement. Pre-recorded Raging Grannies' singing was broadcast on KFCF (Audio). Speaking events focused on worker-related topics from farms, to the threat of fundamentalism, to justice and sustainability. A March for Legalization started at Fresno's Eaton Plaza. Photos

At UC Santa Cruz, students rallied in the Bay Tree Plaza and then marched to the Beach Flats. In Watsonville, rain canceled a rally and march, however dozens of people demonstrated in front of Wells Fargo to protest to their abuse of immigrants, including being a major shareholder in the GEO Group which builds and operates immigrant detention centers. Wells Fargo Attacked in Santa Cruz

See also: Immigrant Rights Marches Still ON Despite Swine Flu Hysteria || Report by the Immigrant Soldarity Network || Filipinos Demand Legalization and Immigrant Rights

May Day 2008: May Day Revival on Three Fronts: Labor, Immigrant, and Antiwar || Thousands March on May Day in San José and Demand Inclusion in U.S. Society || May Day 2008 Actions in Santa Cruz and Watsonville

On Friday, May 1st from 4:00 - 9:00pm there will be May Day activities in the Watsonville Plaza, including speakers, free consultations with lawyers, films, and more. At 6:00pm, people throughout the Monterey Bay Area will rally and march to demand justice, human rights, and comprehensive immigration reform with pathways to citizenship. Read more

see also: May Day at UCSC and in Santa Cruz | Bike to Watsonville for May Day March

Previous coverage of May Day in the Monterey Bay Area: 2006 | 2007 | 2008

A day of anti-tax, anti-immigrant demonstrations in San Jose started at noon in front the IRS building and didn't end until after 7:00pm. An estimated 150 right wing demonstrators, whipped into a frenzy by national conservative broadcasters, took over four corners of an intersection in the downtown area, jostling and shouting at the handful of counter-protesters who showed up in the early hours of the demonstration.

At 5:00pm about 40 student activists marched from San José State to Plaza de César Chavez where they were joined by more anti-war/immigrant rights demonstrators. The group chanted calls for tolerance and unity as they entered the park and were met with boos and cries of "U-S-A, U-S-A" by about 500 anti-tax demonstrators. When the former attempted to approach the stage they were pushed back by police wielding batons while riot police stood in formation across the street.

In San Francisco a smaller group of immigrant rights activists carried signs with phrases such as "Not Welcome MinuteKlan" aimed at countering the presence of the Golden Gate Minutemen. Both San Francisco and San Jose are official sanctuary cities for immigrants.

Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | San Jose Photos: 1 | 2 | San Francisco Photos: 1 | 2

Phoenix, AZ - Organizations from around the country are calling for an end to the immigration raids of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and specifically to revoke his controversial contract with the Department of Homeland Security.

A national organizing conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on February 27th, as well as a Peaceful Dignity Walk and Demonstration on February 28th. Demonstrators will carry a simple message: Stop the raids and revoke all 287(g) agreements that allow local law enforcement departments to arrest people suspected of being in the country without proper documentation.

On February 4th, Arpaio forced undocumented immigrant inmates to march to a segregated area in his notorious "Tent City." Organizations universally condemned the action and pledged to assist the people of Maricopa County to overcome Sheriff Arpaio's reign of terror. Read more

Arizona Indymedia || Puente || Democracy Now! coverage || Petition to Congress || 2/20 Protest in Los Angeles

On December 18, members of the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations (FIOB) in the city of Greenfield, California opened a new office in the city to meet the requests of the indigenous migrant community in this area. The grand opening is doubly symbolic because International Day of the Migrant is celebrated on this day.

The mission of the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations (FIOB - Frente Indigena de Organizaciones Binacionales) is to contribute in the development and self-determination of migrant and non-migrant indigenous communities, as well as to struggle for the defense of human rights with justice and gender equity at the binational level. Read More and View Photos

see also: Farm Workers Cutting Anise in the Winter | "Living Under the Trees"

previous coverage: Oaxacan Perspectives on the Binational Struggles of Mexican Indigenous Migrant Communities