Feature Archives

On Wednesday March 15th, over one hundred activists congregated at Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey to voice their opinion on the new HR4437 bill that had just passed in the House of Representatives and is now on its way to the Senate. The activists included students, community members, Brown Berets, veterans, and children. After a rally at the park, the demonstrators marched to Downtown Monterey (Alvarado Street) to tell the general public how they felt. As the protest moved towards downtown the number of demonstrators increased as they found more supporters to their cause. At one point the demonstration blocked one lane of the road as the demonstrators took to the street. Read more

More than five hundred people joined rallies and marches against HR 4437 in Santa Cruz on March 17th. The rally started at the Santa Cruz County Building and then marched to Beach Flats Park, with the community running out of their homes and into the streets throughout the night. People then left the Beach Flats, headed up Pacific Avenue, and back to the County Building for a final rally of the night.

HR 4437 would make it a felony offense to be in the U.S. without proper documentation. This would push undocumented immigrants further underground, and increase the potential for exploitation by employers. This bill would also criminalize nurses, teachers, clergy, social workers, and anyone else who aids, assists, or otherwise has regular contact with undocumented immigrants. (protest announcement).

reportbacks: Por que somos emigrantes, Por que somos ilegales, si señor. || Report from Friday's Marches and Rallies in Santa Cruz
photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
audio: Speakers from Santa Cruz Rally Against HR 4437
observations: Sentinel has no online coverage of Friday's March for Immigrant Rights in Santa Cruz || undercover cops at immigrant rights march?

On Friday, March 10, 2006 Chicago’s downtown was paralyzed by an immigrant rights march estimated at more than 100,000 people. The march, organized by a citywide coalition of community, labor and immigrant rights groups, was called to protest the punitive enforcement provisions of the anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner Bill.

Protesters carried hand-lettered signs saying "No Human Being is Illegal", "We are America," "My Mexican immigrant son died in Iraq," "Don't deport my parents,""I'm a dishwasher - not a criminal," and "Si, se puede!" - "Yes We Can!" The crowd stretched two and half miles, from Union Park on the West Side to their rally destination in Federal Plaza.

The march was one of the largest street protests Chicago has ever seen — exceeding the historic May 1, 1886 march down Michigan Ave. by 80,000 largely immigrant workers demanding an eight-hour workday. Read more | Democracy Now! coverage

Indymedia reports: [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] Photos: [ 1 ]
Other resources: Pueblo Sin Fronteras | Centro Romero | Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

On Tuesday Feb 14th immigrants across Philadelphia and regionally staged a walkout to protest bill HR 4437 as part of A Day Without An Immigrant. The bill threatens to criminalize those assisting undocumented immigrants as "alien smugglers" and to turn undocumented status from a civil violation to a federal aggravated felony.o

For more information on pending immigration legislation, see The National Immigration Law Forum | American Immgration Lawyers Association | American Immigration Law Foundation | National Immigration Project |Immigrant Legal Resource Center

For information on border activism in general, see deletetheborder.org| No Border Network | O.R.G.A.N.I.C. Collective | No More Deaths | Immigrant Solidarity Network

Law enforcement in Santa Cruz, CA this week, launched a 24-hour, spanish language hotline for day laborers to anonymously report abusive employers. FSRN reporter Vinny Lombardo has more. To leave an anonymous report about abusive employers in Santa Cruz, call (831) 420-5997.

La Policia de Santa Cruz, CA. esta semana, empienza a funcionar una linea telefonica, para denunciar los abusos laborales. Esta linea funciona las 24 horas, es en español, y la llamada es anonima. Tu puedes llamar al (831) 420-5597. FSRN reportero Vinny Lombardo tiene mas informacion.

Audio: Download the mp3

The March/Caravan for Migrants stopped at the south steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento on Monday, February 6th. A press conference was held at 12:00 noon and a rally took place at 4:00pm. Video After its stop in Sacramento, the caravan headed to Arizona, and then eastward across the US. There will be rallies in Washingron, DC on February 18th through 20th, and then the caravan will head westward via Chicago, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, with its return to San Diego estimated for February 26th.

The march for migrants plans to lobby senators and legislators to vote no on issues such as HR 4437; demand justice for Guillermo Martinez Rodriguez, who was assassinated by the Border Patrol in San Diego on 12/30/05; pay homage to the 4000 migrants who have died since the inception of the failed operation gatekeeper in 1994 (4000 crosses will be planted in their honor during the march across America); and hear the voices of migrant and immigrant communities across the country.

Border Angels' March/Caravan for Migrants Page

H.R. 4437 was passed by the US House of Representatives on December 16th, 2005 and was sent on to the Senate, where it is currently in committee. This bill, which was introduced by Rep. Sensenbrenner, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to strengthen enforcement of the immigration laws, to enhance border security, and for "other purposes."

HR 4437 would make it a felony offense to be in the U.S. without proper documentation. This would push undocumented immigrants further underground, and increase the potential for exploitation by employers. This bill would also criminalize nurses, teachers, clergy, social workers, and anyone else who aids, assists, or otherwise has regular contact with undocumented immigrants. Read Carlos X's PNN report about how HR 4437 would affect his life.

A Rally for Immigrant Rights/ Manifestacion Pro-Inmigrante will be held on Saturday, February 25th, from 12pm to 3pm at the St. Elizabeth's Schoolyard on the 1500 block of 34th Ave. in Oakland's Fruitvale District. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution condemning the Minutemen vigilantes and the “Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act” –HR 4437—and committed to a non-compliance of its provisions. It is expected that HR 4437 will reach the US Senate for debate in late February or early March. There will be a Call-In Week to tell Senators to oppose this bill from Monday, February 6th to Friday, February 10th.

Some local immigrant rights organizations: East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy | National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights | La Raza Centro Legal | Poor Magazine

The Bay Area Coalition to Fight the Minutemen held its first local action, a rally for Justice for Migrants and Immigrants on Sunday, February 5th at 24th St./Mission BART Plaza. 100-150 people greeted the Caravan for Migrants as it arrived from Fresno. The Caravan was heading from San Diego to Washington, DC.

The rally was in Spanish and English, with representatives of the Caravan, BACFM, MEChA de USF, and Mujeres Unidas y Activas speaking. A spontaneous march walked through the heart of the Mission, with chants and signs denouncing the border, racism and the INS/ICE and affirming the rights of migrants and immigrants. Protest organizers felt that the large turnout of corporate media outlets meant that actions like this one could be important in influencing the debate around immigrants' rights. Report

An event announcement said that messages of the protest would include "NO! to anti-migrant legislation like HR 4437, NO! to the 4,000+ deaths on the border, and NO! to the US Border Patrol murder of Guillermo Martinez Rodriguez on December 30th, 2005." People at the rally said, "YES! to human rights – No One Is Illegal!" Anuncio bilingüe