Immigrant Rights Protest at the Calif. Democratic Party Convention

> Mexican American Political Association

> April 19, 2007

> Greetings!

> PICKET AT DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION

>

> JOIN US TO PREVENT THE BETRAYAL OF IMMIGRANT RIGHTS - NO TO
> GUTIERREZ-FLAKE IMMIGRATION BILL (STRIVE ACT)

> INFORMATIONAL PICKET AT THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION
> Saturday, April 28, 2007 - 10:00 a.m. San Diego Convention Center

> San Diego, California

>

>

> The Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) and the Hermandad
> Mexicana Latinoamericana call on all organizations concerned about the
> rights of immigrants, concerned about the growing intensity of
> immigration raids and deportations, which target predominantly Latino
> communities and workplaces, concerned about the forced separation of
> families and the abandonment of children by undocumented parents
> detained by ICE, concerned about the increased militarization of the
> border and the continued incidents of death on the border, and
> concerned about the increase of interior enforcement and cooperation
> between local police authorities and ICE - to join us in an
> informational picket at the State Convention of the California
> Democratic Party to definitively declare to the party leaders that the
> Gutierrez-Flake Immigration Bill, known as the STRIVE ACT - does not
> reflect the legitimate aspirations of immigrant families throughout
> the U.S.

> In 2006, millions of families marched to demand LEGALIZATION FOR ALL,
> NO TO THE BORDER WALL and NO MILITARIZATION OF THE BORDER, NO
> BRACERO/GUESTWORKER programs, and PROTECTION OF LABOR and CIVIL RIGHTS
> and CIVIL LIBERTIES. Today we add demands to STOP IMMIGRATION RAIDS
> and DEPORTATIONS, and NO FORCED SEPARATION OF FAMILIES through the
> deportation of undocumented parents.

> The California Democratic Party, the largest party delegation of the
> national Democratic Party, and the largest Latino reflected
> delegation, must convey to the national federal party legislative
> leadership - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader
> Harry Reid - that the Gutierrez-Flake legislation represents an
> incredible betrayal of the immigrant's interest, a rank strategic
> concession to the right-wing of the Republican Party that emphasizes
> enforcement- only or enforcement-first, over any form of fair and
> rational legalization of the estimated 12 million undocumented persons
> currently in the U.S., and the creation of a massive bracero-type
> program dubbed falsely as the "new worker visa."

> We will not be intimidated by the argument used by Congressman Luis
> Gutierrez that if we don't accept his legislation the immigration
> raids will not only continue, but intensify. We will not be bullied
> into accepting the argument that the only way to stop the separation
> of families and deportations is to embrace his proposal. We refuse to
> accept the rationale that in order to obtain a fair legalization
> program, we must accommodate ourselves to a loss of due process rights
> and the criminalization of our families. This is not a fair exchange.
> It is an unfair bargain.

> The immigration proposals recently released by President George W.
> Bush are ten steps to the right of the Gutierrez-Flake Bill, but the
> frame-work is essentially the same. The emphasis is on enforcement and
> the creation of a massive guest- worker program - guaranteeing cheap
> and vulnerable labor for corporate America and depressing the
> prevailing wage for domestic labor.

> We will not be forced to accept the supposedly less onerous
> legislative proposal due to the existence of a more draconian and
> extremist measure. In fact, Congressman Gutierrez has already used the
> White House proposals to buttress his own. "If you don't like my
> legislation, just look what the White House has in store for you."
> Neither proposal is a good choice for our families.

> While the majority of Latinos are Democrats, and were incredibly loyal
> to the party in the November 2006 elections, which resulted in it
> assuming control of the U.S. Congress, the party has not demonstrated
> equivalent loyalty to the Latino electorate and immigrant communities
> of America on the issue of immigration.

>
> This informational picket is not against the Democratic Party, but is
> designed to enlighten its leadership that the Latino and immigrant
> communities expect more from the party leadership. It is to demand
> full legalization for our families without being hooked into a massive
> bracero-type program, not be forced to voluntarily deport ourselves
> and waive our legal rights (return and touch base to our countries of
> origin and then apply for legal permanent resident status), or be
> criminalized for having entered the country without inspection.

> If we do not act immediately to stop the betrayal represented by the
> Gutierrez-Flake Bill and the surrender of our legal rights, it will
> too late. We must impress upon the Democratic Party leadership that we
> will not be intimidated nor bullied.

> California Democratic Party State Convention San Diego Convention
> Center 111 W. Harbor Drive San Diego, CA http://www.cadem.org/convention

> Contact us to confirm your attendance: (323) 269- 1575
> http://www.cadem.org/convention
> <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=wcz765bab.0.4vn665bab.qy9j9a44.8706&ts=S0240&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhttp://www.cadem.org%2Fconvention>

> http://www.centerforhumanrights.org
> <http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=wcz765bab.0.tkg856bab.qy9j9a44.8706&ts=S0240&p=http%3A%2F%2Fcenterforhumanrights.org%2F>