The Watsonville City Council meeting was packed on May 8th with attendees in support of a resolution requesting the suspension of random detentions and arrests of residents in Watsonville. An emotional public comment period lasted over an hour with the crowd bursting into chanting "si se puede" after on particularly moving commentary. Personal testimonies and comments ranged from accounts of "three days and three nights" of crossing the border to teachers sharing emotional stories of students distracted and wondering when the migra, or immigration enforcement, was going to come and take away them or their parents.

Migrawatch, a newly formed network of immigrants rights organizations, called for supporters of immigrant rights to speak up and demand that two clauses be added to the resolution before the council vote. The first clause to make the City of Watsonville a "sanctuary" for undocumented people similar to other cities around the country offering a safe space for members of the community. The second amendment sought by activists was a "notification" clause. Since it has become widely known the federal immigration enforcers notify local police departments, communities could be given advance warning before ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids the community. Some speakers referred to the raids as domestic terrorism by our own government and that for this reason the council should adopt a policy of notification as part of the "War on Terror" so that a human rights organization could come and document the raids and prevent unnecessary harm to the community. Read More and View Photos

see also: 'Illegal' is racism in disguise