Feature Archives

As the government and the American public debate what should be done to fix the US immigration system, anti-immigrant forces are mailing bricks (to "help" build a wall along the border) to members of Congress. These bricks are symbols of division, isolation, and an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform. Advocates plan to counter the anti-immigrant bricks with a symbol of the positive contributions that immigrants make to the U.S. -- work gloves. Immigrant rights supporters are being encouraged to send a work glove to the Washington, DC offices of their local Senators and Representatives.

Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss, college students in Tucson, Arizona, are facing up to 15 years in prison on felony charges for the volunteer work they did last summer to help undocumented immigrants in the Arizona desert. Their trial is set to begin in August. Sellz and Strauss are in the Bay Area this week to build support for their defense campaign. They will speak on Tuesday, June 20th, at the Friends' AFSC Hall in SF, 65 Ninth St. (between Mission and Market Streets).

On Monday, June 19th, as part of Juneteenth commemorations, the anniversary of the declaration of the end of slavery of Africans in the US, a rally in the Bayview District demanded amnesty for all immigrants.

There will be a rally to send a message to owners of businesses like the Si Señor Taqueria that the community will not tolerate the use of immigration status to abuse workers. The rally will take place on Wednesday May 24th at 11:30am, at Si Senor Taqueria, 53 Stevenson St (one block down from Market and 2nd towards Mission, then left on Stevenson).

Sonia Cano and Carlos Barrancos are the couple whose story Indybay covered this winter: Carlos was taken into ICE custody and sent out of state when Sonia was 9 months pregnant with their first child.

Sonia first started working with Young Workers United in June 2004 after she filed a claim against Si Señor, the restaurant where she had worked, with the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, which is the agency that enforces the minimum wage of $8.82 for San Francisco. Right before Sonia filed her claim, she told her employer she was three months pregnant. Two days later she was suddenly fired for “indiscipline.” The employer often spoke against pregnant workers, and used racial slurs denigrating workers’ Mayan heritage.

In the following months, YWU, Sonia and Carlos worked to bring together other Si Señor workers to file minimum wage claims and demand respect from the owners. Workers stood up to the owner, demanding a stop to the racial harassment. Seeing the presence of workers organized with YWU, the racial harassment stopped and workers filed minimum wage claims. In direct retaliation for Sonia fighting for her rights and organizing her co-workers, the owners sent an anonymous letter making false and defamatory accusations against the family to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE acted immediately without any investigation, and on December 16th they raided Sonia and Carlos’ home and took Carlos into custody. He was held in Arizona for five weeks. Immediately Carlos began organizing his fellow detainees. He told them not to sign the voluntary deportation forms and to call YWU.

Sonia Cano won the minimum wage case, and this month she settled a claim with Si Señor for charges of discrimination, defamation, and retaliation with firing and sending ICE. Cano stated: "Don’t remain silent. Stand up for your rights and look for support from the community because we all deserve our rights at work."

Young Workers United | Photos and Report from YWU from 5/17 | Women's Employment Rights Clinic

May 1st Coalition for Immigrant Rights held an emergency march and rally on Wednesday, May 17th. The rally was part of a national day of action to demand Full Rights for All Immigrants. The San Francisco protest was held at 5:00pm at UN Plaza. Photos

The ANSWER Coalition called for protests to be held on May 16th and 17th in response to Bush's May 15th speech. The national demonstrations, were held in cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC, and demanded: immediate legalization for all undocumented workers, no criminalizing of people, the demilitarization of the borders, and civil rights and civil liberties for all.

According to Illegal Immigrant Protest dot com, May 5th and 6th were a "National Illegal Immigrant Protest Rally Days." Destroy the Border Coalition called for people to go out and counter the racist message of the rallies, saying , "The people who do the work in a community are entitled to live with dignity and without fear of violence and deportation. Undocumented workers are economic refugees from the countries that the U.S. has been exploiting for hundreds of years."

Read more | Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Audio | More about these protests

May 5th, or Cinco de Mayo, is the date on which the Mexican people celebrate the Battle of Puebla, in which the military and local people fought off the French.

In what is being called the largest-ever raid on undocumented workers, 1,187 people were taken from their workplaces and arrested on April 20th by the Department of Homeland Security and local police. While the story is still unfolding, it appears that 275 workers have already been deported to Mexico, while the rest are being processed. The raids occurred in 26 states, including California, where workers in both Riverside and Fresno were rounded up. All the workers are said to be employed by IFCO Systems North America - an international corporation that builds wood pallets for shipping. 7 company managers are also facing immigration-related charges.

In Chicago, workers’ families and their supporters held a protest last night at one of the many detention centers where the workers are currently locked up (read more from Chicago IMC). They called for a moritorium on all deportations until Congress makes a final decision on immigration reform.

Activists insist that this latest assault on immigrants is an attempt to intimidate and repress the growing movement that has seen millions in the streets of communities across the country. Meanwhile, families remain concerned about the status of their loved ones, many of which have lived and worked in the United States for decades, own homes, and have little children.

Democracy Now Coverage || WSWS: 1,200 Undocumented Workers Detained Across U.S.

Previous coverage: Local Man Returns from ICE Detention and Tells of Horrors He Witnessed || Expecting Couple is Split Up by US Immigration Officers || Pakistani Man Charged With Making False Claim on Loan Application || Haitian Priest Dies in US Custody || Farouk Abdel-Muhti, recently freed Palestinian activist, dies of heart attack || Bay Area Defends Local Family Facing Deportation || Demonstrations Continue Outside INS Offices || San Francisco INS Protest || Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in California || First National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Immigrants