Hands off Victor Toro, no defamation of MIR

On Jan. 11 the case of Victor Toro for political asylum will be heard in Federal Court in New York. Supporters are urged to attend the hearing from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at 26 Federal Plaza.

In 2007 Toro, a longtime revolutionary activist living in the Bronx, was racially profiled while riding an Amtrak train in upstate New York. He was detained by Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and issued a deportation order. Because he came to the U.S. seeking asylum, Toro is undocumented.

Victor Toro Photo: Next Left Notes

At his last court hearing in August, the U.S. Justice Department took a dangerous twist on the case and brought up Toro’s political affiliation with the MIR in Chile. The MIR (Movement of the Revolutionary Left) is well-known and respected not only by revolutionaries in Chile and Latin America but throughout the world.

The MIR helped lead a phenomenal and dynamic class struggle in Chile, especially in the early 1970s, and was part of the left movement of the period that had a clear class orientation and fought for the emancipation of the oppressed and working class.

Sept. 11, 1973, will forever be etched in the minds of the Chilean people. A fascist coup massacred tens of thousands of people as it overturned the pro-socialist government of President Salvador Allende. Within a few days, a U.S. puppet regime headed by the monstrous butcher Gen. Augusto Pinochet took over, making the name Pinochet synonymous with terror.

U.S. imperialism was decisive in bringing about this terror reign and instrumental in the defeat of the Allende government, leading to the murders and disappearances. MIR was essential in staying the hand of the fascists for a very long time but fell victim to the countless tortures and assassinations. U.S. imperialism and the fascist Pinochet regime were eventually able to defeat the revolutionary working-class movement.

Toro, a MIR founder, was forced into exile after the coup. He and his spouse Nieves Ayress, also a leader and freedom fighter brutally tortured by Pinochet’s police, made their home in the Bronx, where they have a family and deep roots in the community. Their extended family includes revolutionary artists Rebel Díaz, who have dedicated their efforts to demand political asylum for Toro.

Both Toro and Ayress have been organizing for decades and head La Peña del Bronx, a multi-issue fightback organization. They are also active leaders in the May 1st Coalition for Worker and Immigrant Rights.

Victor Toro’s support committee is demanding political asylum. His lawyer, Carlos Moreno, argues that much of the Pinochet regime still lingers in Chile and deportation could lead to Toro’s execution. The Aug. 26 DHS brief argued that Toro is linked to a “terrorist” organization — the MIR. Moreno argues that now it will be much more difficult for an immigration judge to counter the “terrorism” charge and grant political asylum.

Toro is surprisingly elated by this turn, saying, “If the U.S. government wants to put the MIR on trial, this gives us the opportunity to put the role of U.S. imperialism in Chile on trial.”

The Committee to Defend Victor Toro urges everyone to attend the hearing on Jan. 11. Toro is not just another migrant the U.S. wants to suppress and deport. His case highlights the right to fight back against exploitation and imperialism.

A victory for the U.S. in this case would send an ominous message to the people of Honduras, Venezuela, Haiti, the Philippines and elsewhere: Dare to struggle and you will suffer imperialism’s wrath.

For information on supporting Toro, visit www.may1.info or call 212-633-6646.