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News :: Human Rights |
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The Day That Destroyed The Immigrant Family |
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by Shuya Ohno, MIRA
Email: sohno (nospam) miracoalition.org (unverified!) |
08 Mar 2007
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Boston, Mass. - Yesterday, a humanitarian crisis emerged from the aftermath of the March 6, 2007 raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Michael Bianco Inc. factory in New Bedford. Throughout New Bedford, children were left at day care centers, babies with babysitters and elders without caregivers. Throughout the day and evening, hundreds descended upon Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. James Church looking for loved ones.
Corinn Williams, Executive Director of the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) in New Bedford, expressed the urgent need they have for help, "Families are in desperate need of basics like diapers, baby food, and formula. This is like a natural disaster created by our federal government." |
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Yesterday and today, at Our Lady of Guadalupe (233 County Street) local leaders and families gathered to respond to the crisis. "Our community has been destroyed," said Anibal Lucas of Maya Kiche. "At this factory we made the safety vests that our soldiers wear in Iraq. By tearing apart our families, and rounding up these workers, what is this saying about the priorities of our country? The Mayan community is very scared; many are in thier homes with fear of leaving. We are scared and very sad. Many are looking for lawyers and support. Many don't know what to do."
"People are now in need of medical attention. Babies who have not been able to feed are being taken to hospitals. Young fathers are desperate, trying to find ways to take care of their children while trying not to lose their jobs," said Rene Moreno.
Corinn Williams of CEDC said, "It seems like a real cynical manueuver by ICE to point to an investigation of an abusive employer, and then victimize and cause far more suffering for the workers and their families. This is unjustifiable."
In Boston, at noon, a delegation delivered a letter signed by 120 to U.S. ICE officials calling for the immediate release of all detained workers, provision of legal representation to workers and their families, and a moratorium on all such raids.
Maria Elena Letona of Centro Presente stated, "The workers who are detained are victims of the employers and the broken immigration system. It is the unscrupulous employers who need to be held accountable. The workers need their rights protected, and the children need their parents back."
Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the MIRA Coalition stated, "This raid destroyed families and disrupted the entire community. Dozens of young children were separated from their loving parents, stranded at schools and nurseries. Both documented and undocumented families are now living in fear. The impact of this raid is reverberating not only throughout the community but also across the local economy." |
See also:
http://www.miracoalition.org/
http://www.cpresente.org/
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Related stories on this site:
ICE Gestapo kidnappings in New Bedford: Mobilize labor's power to free them now!
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This work licensed under a
Creative Commons license. |
Comments
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How To Help... |
by yo
(No verified email address) |
08 Mar 2007
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There are many ways you can help:
1. Call your Congressman and ask him to call Secretary Chertoff of DHS to tell him to Stop the Planes, and Release the Moms.
2. Volunteer your time. We are in need of Spanish speakers, psychologists, and social workers. Please contact Cynthia or call (617) 350-5480 ext 212 for more information.
3. Donate funds. We have set up an isolated account to receive donations that will go to community organizations and their direct assistance efforts in the affected community. Please go to http://www.communityroom.net and choose 'MIRA'. Please make sure to specify that your donation is for the "New Bedford Immigrant Families". If you want to send a check please make the check out to MIRA and write "New Bedford Immigrant Families" on the memo line. Please send the check to our office at 105 Chancy St #901, Boston, MA 02111.
4. TRANSLATORS NEEDED: MIRA is looking for volunteers to help with Spanish/english translation at the church in New Bedford. If you know of anyone who could go, please put them in contact with Michele Rudy (MIRA) at 857-919-3574. |
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NEW BEDFORD MIGRANT WORKERS ARE NOT THE ENEMY |
by Boston May Day Coalition
(No verified email address) |
08 Mar 2007
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Massachusetts, March 7, 2007. An army of 300 federal immigration agents
from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has
conducted yet another military style raid on migrant workers in the
country. This time it was the turn for an East Coast location, New Bedford,
Massachusetts where scores of workers were taken away. ICE, a branch of
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security explains that their objective
is "to more effectively enforce our immigration and customs laws and to
protect the U.S. against terrorist attacks. ICE does this by targeting
illegal immigrants: the people, the money and materials that support
terrorism and other criminal activities." (From their website "About us"
section).
The terms "terrorism" and "illegal immigrants" are deliberately used
under the same breath by ICE officials to sow confusion in the minds of
the public. We need to ask them exactly what those 'terrorist acts' are
that these hard working New Bedford leather workers were accused of in
that horrific military operation this morning.
Most of the workers in the Michael Bianco Textile plant are women. Many
in desperation ran into the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A
Coast Guard helicopter however hovered overhead to give information to land
troops about the location of the "enemy". While the federal and state
governments fail so miserably in providing resources for the overall
health, education, transportation, and other vital needs for millions of
tax paying residents, our tax dollars are used to terrorize decent hard
working people who only wish to provide for their families.
This raid should outrage all people of good will. The Boston May Day
Coalition stands firmly in solidarity with the victims of this
overwhelming, military-style attack on migrant workers.
We call on all who support justice to demand the immediate release of
all victims of this raid and an end to the raids, arrests, and
deportations being carried out throughout the country. Release all who are being
held without criminal charge NOW! These people are not criminals.
We call on all who support justice to participate in all actions being
called this Spring demanding an end to the raids and for full,
immediate, unconditional, and non-revocable legal residence for all
undocumented migrant workers. We must prepare now for the large mobilizations
being organized for May Day 2007 in defense of the rights of migrant
workers and working people in general.
Politicians and enforcement officials must be made aware that the whole
world is watching. The world will mobilize on May Day to demand that no
human being should ever be considered illegal anywhere in the world.
Boston May Day Coalition
www.bostonmayday.org
email: info [at] bostonmayday.org
617-290-5614 |
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ICE Conducts A Similar Raid In Carthage, Missouri |
by Manyhats
manyhats (nospam) riseup.net (unverified) |
09 Mar 2007
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On March 2, a similar raid took place in Carthage, Missouri. Those under attack called the N.W. Arkansas affiliate of the Spanish-language TV network Univisión, wondering why there was no press coverage of the event. The publication, "The Carthage Press" did dedicate a story to the raid but only gave the government line.
Upon hearing about what happened, my friend and a co-worker, who both work for Universión, traveled the ninety or so miles up to Carthage. Apparently, immigrant residents there are terrified. They are afraid to go to work and are keeping their children out of school.
In this ordinarily quiet SW Missouri town, the ICE people allegedly kicked down doors on private homes and arrested 2/3 of the work force at a local plant. One report tells of a quadraplegic person being forced to stand up. Unable to do so, he or she falls to the ground and ICE then forces the person to get up again. Immigrants here are wondering why they are being treated so roughly. Univisión called both the local sherrif's department and ICE but supposedly, both refused comment.
Arkansas IMC is doing an investigation into last week's military assault upon working people just a bit to the north of us. |
See also:
http://arkansas.indymedia.org/
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Oops! |
by Manyhats
(No verified email address) |
09 Mar 2007
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The raids in Carthage appear to have been made only at private homes. My confusion comes from reading about a raid that was made at a plant in the area last year. The police claim, in the Carthage Press, that they and ICE were executing warrants for crime suspects. Other so-called "illegals" simply got caught up in the net. |
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Illegal Immigrants |
by Keegan: Rodent Warrior
(No verified email address) |
10 Mar 2007
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There were not "immigrant families" who were rounded up, they are ILLEGAL immigrants. Therefore, they are criminals.
If you do not believe this, or believe that the words "Illegal Immigrant (Alien)" are nothing more than a vast right wing, bigoted conspiracy, let me know where you live so I can move into your residence and you can support me. Yeah, I'll clean up your place once and awhile, but you can pay for my food, medical care, and my college tuition. |
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Families are never rounded up |
by No Justice No Peace
(No verified email address) |
10 Mar 2007
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Point 1: They ARE immigrant families, we're supposed to have due process in this country or at least we used to pretend we did. Thus until their cases are heard they are presumed innocent.
Point 2: There are degrees of force and degrees of "illegal". Running a red light is illegal and potentially deadly, but you don't get shipped to a detention facility 2000 miles away for it abandoning your kids at school while waiting years for your initial hearing. May be you disagree with the level of seriousness I assign to this "crime", but your casual illegal is criminal bullshit is bullshit. A parking violation is not the same as shoplifting is not the same as assault is not the same as insurance fraud is not the same as murder.
It's *never* "people" or "families" that are rounded up, it's "illegal immigrants", or "terrorists", or "communists", or "japs", or "gypsies", or "jews", but never ever people. |
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Re: The Day That Destroyed The Immigrant Family |
by Manyhats
manyhats (nospam) riseup.net (verified) |
16 Mar 2007
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Keegan said, "There were not "immigrant families" who were rounded up, they are ILLEGAL immigrants. Therefore, they are criminals."
And what about the corporations that are moving into their country, paying off corrupt politicians, and then forcing these people off their own land where they have lived for centuries? What about the maquiladoras (sweat factories) that pay them next to nothing when they have no other place to go, and that violate any type of worker-safety and environmental guidelines, thus polluting the hell out of their living spaces? I suppose these are the good guys, right?
I suggest that you try living as these people have been forced to with no hope for a better future. Then, let's see if you wouldn't cross the border for something better. |
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