ALL SET FOR MAY 1 MARCH RALLY IN LA

CDIR Update No. 43
April 20, 2008

ALL SET FOR MAY 1 MARCH RALLY IN LA

Los Angeles-- In response to nationally coordinated raids conducted by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) the Coalition to Defend Immigrant Rights (CDIR) in Los Angeles will join the Press Conference of the newly formed Filipino American for Immigrant Rights (FAIR) and the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) on April 26, 2008 and the May 1 Rally Immigrant Workers Day March-Rally in downtown Los Angeles.

The FAIR press conference JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS will be held on April 26 at the PWC office, 153 Glendale Blvd.2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90026 at 11;30 AM. This is a preparation for the May 1st International Workers Day March in Los Angeles.

The FAIR contingent composed of youth students, workers and veterans will march from Historic Filipinotown on May 1 at 2:00 PM and meet with the MIWON and March 25th Coaltion March at Macarther Park. Th April 7 Coaliton with ANSWER-LA will also march on May 1. They will demand a STOP TO ICE RAIDS. FULL RIGHTS FOR IMMIGRANTS,and FAMILY REUNIFICATION now!

In Los Angeles, more recent ICE Raids

More than 200 immigrants have been arrested in Los Angeles this month. On April 4, more than 60 Mexican and Korean workers were arrested by ICE in Torrance and in downtown LA.

"This is a travesty of justice. CDIR is demanding the immediate release of all the immigrant workers and a moratorium on all workplace raids. The raids and other forms of repression serve no purpose other than to create fear and terror in immigrant communities across the country.

Activists demand a halt to right-wing hysteria that criminalizes the undocumented depicting them as a threat rather than what they truly represent: hard-workers who have the right to justice and dignity." said Arturo P. Garcia CDIR and Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) coordinator. JFAV is part of FAIR network addressing the immigration issues.

" On May Day 2008, we will be marching again in Los Angeles for equal rights for all workers, legalization now!, an
immediate end to workplace raids and deportations." Garcia added.

ICE Nation wide raids against immigrants

The ICE raids prompted LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to call on the DHS to “back off on raids on business places
because it is bad on business."

ICE conducted workplace raids at Pilgrim's Pride chicken plants in five states on Wednesday, April 16th then arrested more than 400 so called *illegal immigrants."

In another development, a group of 69 Filipino "undocumented immigrants" were deported by the DHS in San Francisco last Tuesday, April 15, the ABS-CBN News reported. More than 8,000 Filipino TNTs have been deported back to the Philippines since after Sept. 11, 2001.

For more information on immigration please call cdir or fair at (213)241-0906 or email@ cdir_usa [at] yahoo.com