In San José and all across the United States, marches for immigrant and workers' rights are reviving the long-dormant American tradition of May Day. While legislation for comprehensive immigration reform has stalled in Congress, demonstrators are poised to take the struggle to the next level.

For the third year in a row, immigrant workers and their families went into the streets to march on May Day. From coast to coast, over a hundred thousand marched on May 1, 2008 to demand respect and recognition as workers who contribute so much to building the United States. The largest demonstration was reportedly in Chicago where some 15,000 people participated.

Their numbers were much smaller than two years ago on May 1, 2006 when millions marched against the threat of being criminalized by the Sensenbrenner Bill (H.R. 4437). That unprecedented outpouring of protest ensured that the bill would die in the Senate, but it also unleashed a wave of immigration raids by the Bush administration that has kept millions of undocumented immigrants and their children living in fear of forceful separation and deportation. Read More and View Photos

On April 24th and 25th, Centolia Maldonado Vasquez and Bernardo Ramirez Bautista, Oaxaca-based members of the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations, gave presentations in Greenfield and at UC Santa Cruz on indigenous Mexican migration to the U.S. and its impact in the communities of origin, the current political situation in Oaxaca, the role of women in the movement for social justice in Oaxaca, and current challenges of indigenous governing community institutions in Oaxaca.

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 with Audio and Photos

On Friday, May 2nd, immigration agents conducted a large-scale raid at taquerias across San Francisco and the East Bay. Agents arrested about 60 employees at several locations of the El Balazo chain. Some of the workers have been released, but forced to wear electronic ankle bracelets while they await deportation hearings. Others are still imprisoned. Many were interrogated without legal representation.

ICE claims that it targets those involved in criminal activity and doesn't do random enforcement. But most of the Balazo employees had no criminal records. They were arrested for the crime of working to support their families.

On Monday May 5th, immigrant rights activists marched on the I.C.E office in San Francisco to protest the raids.

Video: 1 | 2 | ImmigrantRights.org

The Movement for Immigrant Rights Alliance (M.I.R.A.) is a coalition of UC Santa Cruz students, community members, and diverse organizations working together to build a unified voice for people with migrant backgrounds, particularly those labeled undocumented. M.I.R.A. aims to raise public awareness about the rights and living conditions of immigrants who are continuously attacked and dehumanized by corporate media and public policy. Through dialogue, action, and reflection, M.I.R.A. strives to create a movement for human rights that transcends man-made borders.

M.I.R.A. called for a rally at UCSC and march to Santa Cruz on May 1st, May Day, to demand the DREAM Act be passed in the U.S., a stop to ICE raids, the construction of a day laborer center in Santa Cruz, a fair contract for AFSCME workers and an end to the militarization of borders. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Video

Hundreds of families, students and workers participated in May Day activities in Watsonville which included free legal consultations, a rally in the plaza with speakers, musicians, face painting and a brinkolin (jump house) for kids. Homemade signs stated, human rights start with immigrants, legalization now, end the war, we are not criminals, fuck Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), let's help people!, yes we can, and asked the fundamental question, "Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" Photos: 1 | 2

see also: May Day attack on santa cruz McDonald's | May Day, 420, & the Election - An Editorial | ATMs Attacked In Solidarity With Olympia Rioters

Organizers in cities and towns around the U.S. are hoping to bring back the historical significance of May 1st in international labor and workers' struggles, and to reignite the labor movement by integrating recent undocumented workers' struggle for amnesty. Marches, rallies, and other gatherings on that date will focus on issues such as federal agencies and ending harassment by local police, raids, and the separation of families in immigrant communities; stopping the use of "no-match" letters to intimidate worker organizing efforts; holding elected officials accountable to supporting immigrant rights; funding human needs and services instead of militarism and war; and amnesty for those who do not have current documents.

Under the broad theme of Workers Uniting Without Borders –Amnesty for All, protesters will gather in San Francisco on Thursday, May 1st for a 2:00pm rally in Dolores Park, a 3:30pm march to Civic Center, and a 5:00pm rally and musical performance. The final planning meeting will take place on April 24th at 7pm at 522 Valencia St., near 16th St. BART. In Santa Cruz, march participants will wear green in solidarity with campus workers. There will be a 12pm rally in Quarry Plaza, followed by a march to a 4pm celebration in San Lorenzo Park. A march, rally, outdoor film screening, and other activities will take place in Watsonville starting at 4pm in the Plaza. An Immigrant Rights May Day March in Oakland will gather at 3 pm at Fruitvale BART Plaza for a march down International Blvd. to a 6pm rally at Oakland City Hall (14th & Broadway). In San Jose, an Immigrants Being Active Participants in Change march will gather at 4pm in the Mi Pueblo Foods parking lot (Story and King Roads) and will head down King Road and Santa Clara Street to San José City Hall (Santa Clara and 5th Streets). In Fresno, a March for Immigrant Rights will gather at 3pm in the Fulton Mall Free Speech Area, with plans for a 5pm march (Video). In San Diego, the community will gather at City College, march down Broadway to Pantoja Park, and then the day's events will continue with a public assembly at Memorial Park at Oceanview and 30th .

MIRA on the significance of May 1st | Indybay's past coverage: May Day 2007 | May Day 2006|

Workers at Lakeside Organics in Watsonville have filed numerous complaints against their employer, including compensation disputes for denied breaks and unpaid overtime totaling more than $10,000, sexual and discriminatory harassment, unsafe working conditions such as employees developing rashes from fertilizers being applied to produce, making employees drink non-potable water "from the hose," overflowing porta-potties that were not cleaned at regular intervals, supervisors drinking on the job and verbally abusing and de-humanizing workers, lack of medical compensation for job related injuries, and "dumping" injured workers.

These complaints were issued in the fall of 2007. Long drawn-out legal efforts to hold Lakeside Organics accountable for their labor abuses have simply highlighted the discrepancy in legal resources between the laborers and the corporation. Traditional legal support systems for migrant laborers such as California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) have been systematically targeted by corporate interests that the government has come to represent. Originally funded via the federal Community Service Agency, CRLA was substantially de-funded during the Reagan administration. During the Clinton administration it was heavily restricted when "Republican [lawmakers] inserted provisions preventing representation of undocumented immigrants and preventing legal aid from collecting attorneys fees". Over the past few years, CRLA has been investigated numerous times for alleged noncompliance with federal funding restrictions, making it difficult for the agency to offer meaningful help in cases where some of the persons making claims may be out of status. Read More

On the evening of November 11th, participants in the first No Borders Camp on the US-Mexico border dismantled the camp and marched west on either side of what has become a 15 foot wall dividing Mexicali (Mexico) and Calexico (United States), converging on the port of entry to protest the militarized border. The demonstration was peaceful until the US Border Patrol, without giving an order to disperse or other warning, brutally attacked those on the US side with point-blank rounds of pepper-spray pellets, batons, and swarm tactics, leaving several badly injured. This event was the final action of the No Borders Camp, and came after a week of peaceful confrontation and resistance to the border system.

The Border Patrol made three arrests: Steve Murphy, Erik Wackernagel and Juan Ruiz. Murphy and Wackernagel were released on November 14th after being held in the Imperial County Jail in El Centro, California. Ruiz is being charged with two counts of assaulting a federal officer. To donate to his legal defense fund, mail checks made payable to 'GDC Legal Defense Fund' to PO Box 2442, Madison, WI 53701, with memo 'Juan Ruiz'. Further support and solidarity information is available at NoBordersCamp.org.

More than 500 people participated in the No Borders Camp during the week of November 7-11. Actions during the camp included a rally and march on November 9 at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in El Centro, CA and a memorial service on November 10 at a cemetery in Holtville, CA where the remains of about 600 migrants who have died crossing the border are buried. All activities during the camp were peaceful and intended to build connections across borders.

Text: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 || Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 || Audio: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 || Video: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 || Poster

more info / más info: San Diego Indymedia | No Borders Camp | Centro de Medios Libres | Regeneracion Radio

More Coverage of November 5th - 11th:
Text: Comuncado del Campamento Contra las Fronteras | Communique from the No Borders Camp | Day One Zine | Segundo Comunicado | Day 1 | 2nd Letter from Mexico Side (w/ photos) | Another Day deleting borders | Comunique 2 from the NBC (South side) | Day One & Two Update (w/ photos) | Much Ado About Breakfast!: Update 11/9 | Blogger's Dispatch from a Borderless World | Breaking News from Nov. 9 | Base Camp No Borders! | No Borders Landscape | Rally and March Against I.C.E. and Border Partrol In El Centro and Calexico / Mexicali | comunicado 3 del lado sur del campamento | Comunique 3 from No Borders Camp south-side | Day Two Zine | Blogger's Second Dispatch from a Borderless World | Day Three Zine | 'Borders & Ecology' workshop | Autonomous Action Against Border Wall Construction Company

Photos: NoBc First Day/ Primer Día de Sin Fronteras | Day One | day 2 | Nov 8 | Day 2 | From the NBC | Day One, Two and Three | sin fronteras / without borders | Day 3 - Breakfast Standoff and ICE Detention Center | from the Border | Desayuno at NBC | Demo at ICE Detention Center | Surveillance at El Centro Protest | Art from the U.S. Side | Fotos del campamento | Link to more photos | the Cemetery

Audio: Conversations at the Wall | From the NBC: What It Is And Where We Are | From the Mexicali IMC | Breakfast at the Border | Interview with NBC Participant

Video: video from day 1 | NBC Solidarity Statement | Nov. 10 | The Week In Context | The Start, Nov. 7 | Binacional Breakfast Standoff

Solidarity Actions: Montreal | Chiapas | Tacoma

Live radio streams from the No Borders Camp: Main stream - MP3 | Radio 98.9 - MP3 | Mexicali stream - OGG

During the week of November 7-11th, the first No Borders Camp is taking place on the US-Mexico border. Participants who want to see "a world without borders, where no one is illegal" are meeting on both sides of the border in Mexicali (MX) and Calexico (US) and will march on Wednesday, Nov. 7th to take the camp. Following the establishment of the camp there will be different days of action against capitalism, immigrant detentions and the separation wall. Schedule of Camp

The No Borders Camp is meant to be a networking forum and a manifestation of resistance against the border regime and its corresponding ideologies of repression, deportation and economic terrorism. Activists from across North America will be coming together to strategize, learn from one another and defend the rights of migrants, indigenous people, and all those who are affected by neo-liberalism and the homeland security state. On Friday, November 9th, there will be rally and march against the Border Patrol and ICE in El Centro, CA, site of one of the largest federally run detention centers in the United States. Solidarity events will be happening across North America, including a protest in Tacoma, WA at the biggest Homeland Security Detention Center in the North West.

The camp, to take place during the 18th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, will happen simultaneously with the Indigenous Border Summit of the Americas in San Xavier on the Tohono O’odham Nation and the Week of Action Against the Apartheid Wall in Palestine / Israel.

Promo Videos: 1 | 2 | Ways to Plug-in to the Camp | No Borders Camp | deleteTheBorder
San Diego Indymedia | Arizona Indymedia | Tijuana Indymedia

Immigrant communities and their allies from around the Bay Area joined together for a vigil on Wednesday, September 12th. They gathered at 24th and Mission Streets at 6:30pm. Video of the Press Conference and Photos of the Mural

The St. Peters Housing Committee called for the vigil to protest a variety of legal attacks against immigrants. Vigil organizers are concerned about the use of tactics such as raids, Social Security "No-Match Letters," English-only policies, increased fees for citizenship applications, and attempts to eliminate family-based immigration. This last issue was publicized recently through the case of Elvira Arrellano, who took refuge in a church in Chicago for a year before she went to Los Angeles and was deported. After the vigil, participants marched to the HOMEY Mural at 24th and Capp Streets.

English-language announcement | Anuncio en Español | 8/24 Santa Cruz Vigil | New American Media Interview with Elvira Arrellano | Arab Resource and Organizing Center | HOMEY SF

In an interview by Christina Aanestad, Dr. Ann Lopez discusses the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and it's impacts on farmers from West Central Mexico. In the interview, Dr. Lopez discusses the story of a 60 year old grandmother who risks asphyxiation to travel across the border to visit her "illegal immigrant" farmworker son. Dr. Lopez also talks about the struggles women migrant farmworkers face in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties and how neoliberal trade policies often force Mexican farmworkers to migrate into California's corporate agricultural fields. Listen to the Interview

A full one hour interview about NAFTA's impacts on Mexican farmworker communities will be aired on KZYX in Mendocino County on Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd from 6-7pm.