i know this doesn´t directly address my time here in oaxaca. but part of my learning is focused on connections between social movements here, and those in virginia that i will organize with upon my return – and reportbacks like the one below inspire me to take advantage of my short time here in mexico, and to acknowledge the importance of immigrant justice work as Plan Mexico is set to take affect soon (amidst local resistance), further militarizing southern mexico and displacing communities, some of whom who will then move north.
from mexico city, ready to make the trek back to oaxaca,
patrick
Amigos, The first state-wide VA Immigrant Solidarity meeting was a great success. Thanks so much to all the organizers and attendees, for keeping alive the hope that despite the current political climate, we can together create a safe and just community for all. Over 50 people spent the day in the unexpectedly unheated auditorium of the Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville on Nov. 3rd, educating ourselves and building community. The day started with introductions of all attendees. Immigrants and Anglo supporters from Charlottesville, Richmond, Harrisonburg, Norfolk, Louisa, Nelson County, and Northern Virginia, older and younger people from Churches, Mexicanos Sin Fronteras, local solidarity groups, as well as individuals, dedicated this full day to discussing issues of immigration. Channel 29 News showed up to film, prompting a discussion on the pros and cons of media coverage, including the risk for undocumented folks, the potential for bad press, and the need for positive press. In the end, one table was designated for folks who did not want to be filmed. The reporter didn’t stay long. Later, a reporter and photographer from the Harrisonburg-based Nuevas Raices joined us for most of the day without raising any concerns. The first speaker, Tim Freilich, from the Virginia Justice Center in Charlottesville, spoke about the federal, state and local status of anti-immigration legislation. He spoke of how many government groups are doing “studies” on “the cost of illegal immigration”, studies which ignore the benefits of immigration for communities. At the federal level, he said, a severe immigration restriction bill was presented last year, but, after massive street protests, did not pass. After that, a more lenient “amnesty” bill was brought up, but Congress could not agree on that, either, so in the end no federal immigration reform laws were voted on. Because of the Federal Gov’t.’s inability to address the immigration situation, States began to take on the issue themselves. Virginia State Assembly saw almost 50 different anti-immigration bills last year. But they, too, were unable to agree on any of them. Now, with state law-makers up for election, there is a chance to vote in some more favorable candidates. However, in many cases both candidates are running on anti-immigrant platforms, so it remains to be seen what will happen this coming year. One thing is certain, though, and that is that our voices, and the voices of all immigrants—documented and undocumented, as well as non-immigrant advocates—are really needed at this time. Unfortunately, because the feds and state gov’t. have not really dealt with the issue of immigration, local officials are now saying it is their responsibility to fix things in their counties, although it is actually illegal for local governments to deal with federal legal issues. So what has happened is that in several counties in VA local governments have passed anti-immigrant legislation, sometimes despite much local protest. Culpepper, Herndon, and of course Prince William are among the worst so far. At the moment Charlottesville and Albermarle Counties are not bad, but please be careful. In Prince William, if you are pulled over for a dead headlight, for example, and the officer has “probable cause”, you could have your legal status checked and reported to ICE. So…please make sure all your lights work and that your inspection sticker is current. Also, the police computers have been changed, so that when a police officer runs a check on your license, instead of just finding outstanding warrants, they will also be able to see if someone has ever been issued an INS Detainers, which is technically not a crime. These police, not knowing better, are likely to hold people for that, though its not legal to do so. Because many politicians advocate tightening up on illegal immigrants, local police are likely to go overboard. Please let Tim’s office know of anyone detained solely on suspicion of illegal status. Also, so far no one has had trouble with the police reporting them to ICE if they are a victim of a crime, so do not be afraid to call the police if you are a victim. Tim stressed that now is a very important time for all immigrants and immigrant advocates to make our voices heard and try and change the political and legal tide. The second speaker was Mario Canek from Mexico Solidarity Network. He spoke about the responsibility of the Mexican and US Governments for the situation in Mexico that is forcing people to leave home and seek work in the US. After 10 years of international solidarity work, and a long family history of immigration, he believes that both governments are quite unresponsive and we must devote much of our energy to connecting with other immigrants and potential supporters, discover who we are together, and work from there to build strong communities of resistance. After Canek’s talk, we took a break for a delicious lunch and some social time. When we regrouped, John Steinbach of the Woodbridge Workers and Mexicans without Borders gave a presentation on his group and what they do, and some details about the Prince William County struggle. He stressed the difficulties communities are facing in solidarity work and the fears that often prevent the white community from joining in. He recounted numerous instances in which they were told to “behave” and they would continue to receive support. “Behave” meaning stay out of the streets and don’t make a scene. Warning that we would all likely be told the same thing, John stressed that keeping a low profile is no longer an option for the immigrant solidarity movement. He then went on to describe the power and spirit with which the immigrant communities of Mexicans Without Borders have engaged the struggle in Prince William County, Culpeper and other places around the region. For the second half of the day, we spent time trying to decide what to DO with all this information; what issues are most important? How do we work on them together? We took some time to brain storm. Our “LLuvia de Ideas” was fruitful. We came up with about 15 specific ideas, which we narrowed down to three themes: communication, education and action. We then divided into groups, one for each of the three ideas, and spent time discussing how to move forward on each front. Finally, the groups reported back. The communication group hoped to see outreach to many more individuals and groups. They proposed coming up with a flier in Spanish and English listing local meetings and bigger actions, giving a few suggestions on how to start a local group, and contact information for our group. They suggested using the People United e-mail list for communication, as well as creating a phone list from the numbers collected during registration for meeting. They proposed another meeting like this one in January, inviting many more people. They also want to reach out to students. Anna hopes to show a film soon at UVA. The education group advocated educating the Latino community about how the US political system functions, as well as educating the wider public, both with personal stories and statistics, trying to create spaces for dialogue in which this issue could be represented not as an economic issue, but as a humanitarian issue. This could include interpersonal exchanges in which an immigrant is paired with a US citizen to listen to each other. The final group, the action group, decided to focus in January on participating in the advocacy days already planned by VACOLAO and the Catholic Diocese to talk to state representatives. They suggested planning a march in Richmond for April, recognizing that this may be more feasible for legal residents than non-residents, and trying to plan some activities where all would feel safe. Just before the end of the gathering, a Native American and immigrant family of 6 showed up all the way from Mecklenburg, VA . They had received an e-mail about the event at 10:30 that morning and were inspired to make the three hour trek in hopes of connecting with some kindred spirits. It was a long, cold day, and a lot of good work got started. Some were disappointed in the turnout. Local organizers were impressed with the number of white people who showed up, but had been hoping for a larger turnout from the immigrant community. There was discussion about the fear factor, about economic issues, and about a sense among some immigrants of the futility of “la lucha”. For myself, while I found it tiring to sit all day, to be cold all day, and to try and translate properly all day, what I remember now, at the very end of the day, are all the faces of the people who risked the trip to be with us, to share their stories and wisdom and fears. There was some beautiful new energy from young people, some serious analysis of the situation and commitment to speak out from many of those most affected, some excellent strategizing by those with experience, and a solid commitment from everyone to continue working together as a group. So thanks everyone. AND… There’s a lot of work to do to keep the momentum building, so please call or e-mail (info@thepeopleunited.org) to let us know if you can: 1. Work on a flier 2. Start or join a local group 3. Work on organizing lobby days or the next gathering 4. Work on educational material 5. Help with translating, fund-raising, or anything else … Solidaridad, Sue Frankel-Streit
One guy even takes up the above challenge, after ranting about undocumented workers driving down wages (though I don’t know of any undocumented workers in corporate offices), he says, “Let’s make Latin America a better place, I’ll go down there to protest with you.” I wonder if anti-immigrant sentiment could be harnessed to dismantle NAFTA and 
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