Immigrants deserve legalization

Full Rights for ALL WORKERS

By Teresa Gutierrez

On March 21, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people will be demonstrating for immigrant rights in Washington, D.C.

The action arises from the frustration and deep anger that exist in the immigrant community and among their supporters that despite a nonstop demand for full rights for immigrants, especially legalization for the undocumented, such pleas have been ignored by Washington.

The huge March 21 demonstration will continue the massive outpouring of millions of workers in the spring of 2006, when immigrants poured out of the shadows and burst onto the scene, forever changing the political landscape in this country.

Immigrants and their supporters know that the undocumented have earned legalization. In fact, they have earned it a hundred times over.

Workers are forced to come to the very country — the U.S. — that has created the conditions back home that leave them no other option but to leave.

NAFTA, the U.S.-backed wars in Central America, agreements with migrant-exporting countries such as the Philippines, the ongoing intervention and occupation of Haiti, the coup in Honduras, the refusal to pay reparations for the historic plundering of Africa, are all examples of U.S. policies abroad that mean that millions must painfully leave their homelands in search of survival.

Then when workers arrive in the U.S. they are forced to work in the underground economy with absolutely no rights.

It is a perfect system for the capitalist class: a vulnerable, exploitable, expendable, cheap labor force that must serve the whims of the bosses.

Despite the mantra that is constantly stated that immigration policy is broken, it does indeed work. But it is working for the bosses and the bankers, not for the people.

The demonstration on March 21 and all efforts to win rights for immigrants are extremely important. But what will come out of this demonstration is equally important.

What kind of reform?

There is a widespread movement for what is called comprehensive immigration reform. It is important to continue to elaborate exactly what kind of immigration reform is needed. The movement — not just immigrants, but labor, the anti-war and all progressive movements — must demand immigration reform that is thoroughly pro-worker.

This kind of reform will lift the standard of living not only for immigrants but also for the whole working class.

This immigration reform must at least include:

• Immediate legalization for all the undocumented in this country

• An end of the militarization of the border, which is an act of war and fosters a xenophobia mentality

• Stopping the raids now and ending the division of families

•  Ending U.S. foreign policy that creates the conditions for migration such as support for the Honduran coup

•  Repealing U.S. trade policies like NAFTA

•  Jobs for all workers in this country regardless of place of birth

• Education for all regardless of place of birth

or economic status

• No guest worker programs

• Recognition of the role climate change plays

in creating refugees and policies to prevent it

It is clear where the Republican Party stands on the immigration question. While having nuances of differences here and there, overwhelmingly this party continues to maintain a vicious anti-immigrant position. The far-right inside and outside the party uses immigration as one of the issues to whip up a rabid right-wing campaign. It is racist and targets the first Black president in an inexcusable way.

In response to the massive organizing for the March 21 demonstration, an extreme anti-immigrant group called NumbersUSA held a press conference. At it, a member said, “ ... the new welfare queen today is women coming from Mexico with a bunch of babies. We have babies, they have dependents.”

This is thoroughly anti-poor, no matter national origin or color. The Mexican woman is today’s target, but their rhetoric is aimed against all poor women.

While the position of the Republicans and the far-right is clear and easy to fight, it is not so clear with the Democrats.

Two major bills from Democrats are up for consideration in Congress. One is by New York Sen. Charles Schumer and the other from Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez. Gutierrez already introduced his bill in December 2009; Schumer has not yet done so.

Rep. Gutierrez’s bill is the more progressive. Gutierrez has been traveling around the country speaking to huge audiences about passing “comprehensive immigration reform.” His talks fill Latinos/as with pride about their background.

His 700-page-long bill is officially named the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act. The acronym CIR ASAP is clever.

But the bill goes along with the argument that the immigration issue and therefore immigrants are part and parcel of the so-called “war on terror.” Whatever their personal beliefs, Democrats have not confronted this militaristic thinking.

They will not stand up and declare that the real terrorists are in the Pentagon and on Wall Street and calling the shots in Washington. They will not declare that the real terrors in society are the policies that shut down factories, evict people from their homes, violate the environment and so on.

Workers looking for survival are not terrorists. They are the victims of terror. Any immigration bill that has “enforcement” as its heart is an immigration bill that should be rejected.

Unfortunately, Democrats will tell the movement this is the best they can get. When immigration advocates asked Schumer to refrain from calling the undocumented “illegal aliens,” he refused. Schumer said that is the way it is.

The movement must decide

Throughout U.S. history, the capitalist class and the officials in Washington that do its bidding have always declared in one way or another, “That is the way it is.”

They will not point out that history shows just the opposite. When workers are in motion, when the movement is massive, what “is the way it is” can be radically changed from one day to the next.

Slavery was abolished when many said it would not be. Women won the right to vote when many said they could not. The war in Vietnam was ended due to the resistance of the people of Vietnam, but the movement in the U.S. was also instrumental.

Unemployment insurance, the 8-hour day and welfare were all gains that the people were able to wrest from the capitalist class. Nothing was given to us. All of it was won.

Legalization without enforcement and without a militarization of the border can be won.

But this can only happen if the people are fighting for their own interests independent of the Democrats. The Democratic Party has shown over and over again that it puts a brake on the struggle. It will only fight for band-aids, and it will never stand up to the powers that be, despite the good intentions of many individuals.

As hundreds of thousands march on Washington on March 21, they must keep this in mind. We must be vigilant in the days following that neither Schumer nor Gutierrez uses the momentum of the demonstration to back their bills. This would be opportunistic and a misinterpretation of the demonstrators who sacrificed to come to Washington.

Make no mistake about it: the masses in Washington on March 21 want legalization.

One way to assure that the demand for legalization prevails is to build the mobilizations for May Day 2010 around the country.

May Day is a signal to the ruling class that we are marching independent of the big business parties. May Day is a day when workers around the world march. It is a historic day that is filled with the spirit of class struggle.

This year’s May Day promises to be unique. In many areas around the country, it is attracting not just immigrants or immigrant rights activists. It is attracting more and more students, unions, organizations for the homeless, youth, anti-war organizations and organizations fighting for jobs or against foreclosures.

If united and militant, this is the kind of mobilization that can wrest what is rightfully ours, including legalization.

The author is co-coordinator of the New York May 1 Coalition for Immigrant Rights.