Struggle for Immigrant Rights Continues

This week Karina García, the political chair of the Chicano Caucus at Columbia University, is on a West Coast speaking tour. On October 4, she helped lead a large protest against Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the anti-immigrant Minuteman project. She and other students went onstage with anti-racist banners while Gilchrist was speaking and were attacked by Minutemen thugs. Faced with overwhelming opposition Gilchrist terminated his speech.

Days later, Karina Garcia and Gilchrist squared off on a nationally broadcast debate on Democracy Now. Gilchrist took off his microphone and stormed out of the studio in the first minutes of the debate. Although they were physically attacked by Minutemen on October 4, it is the anti-racist protesters who have been targeted by the media, university officials, and NYC Mayor Bloomberg. Karina Garcia in an effort to continue the struggle for immigrant rights, is telling the story of the anti-Minutemen protestors and the struggle against fascism and racism. She has been speaking to students and communities and in the mass media. All over the country people are learning about this struggle and showing their support for the students at Columbia University.

2006 has been witness to a historical awakening of a mass movement demanding amnesty for all immigrants in the United States. On March 10th organizers and activists were stunned to see hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets of Chicago in response to HR4437, a racist anti-immigrant bill that criminalized millions of undocumented workers. The overwhelming power of this action led to the organization of the March 25 demonstration in LA, an action that drew millions of militant individuals culminating into the largest demonstration in the history of the United States.
The energy behind the growing movement against HR4437 inspired the people to expand their demands to full amnesty for all immigrants. Following March 25th the nation witnessed countless student walkouts in cities large and small from Universities all the way to elementary schools. May 1st 2006 the National Boycott was called, reinvigorating the working class struggle in the United States by reclaiming a very important day for working class people all over the world, May Day. The May Day demonstrations of 2006 marked the largest national protests in the history of this country and ultimately brought about a political strike.

As the movement continued to gain momentum the ruling class in their classical tradition implemented a fierce and decisive backlash just as was done during the civil rights movement. The wealthiest and most powerful in this country threw their weight behind a racist, fascist, hate organization to divide the working class in the United States. During the Civil Rights movement it was the KKK and this time they’ve changed their name to The Minuteman. The discourse is different the hateful message is still the same. The ruling class would like us to believe our economic woes are consequence of an “immigration crisis” when it is clear that the only crisis facing our country is the consolidation of our nations wealth in the pockets of few.

Reacting to the mass people’s movement the mainstream media, in a clear sign of unity, pushed the image of The Minutemen as a patriotic group advocating for the rights of the working class. The barrage of positive minutemen coverage was paired with “news analysis” on the crisis facing the everyday working class Americans implying their economic struggle and their lack of employment is a result of an influx of immigration. This ludicrous scapegoating was meant to distract the American people away from the exploitative nature of the ruling class.

Today the drive for racist xenophobia by the minutemen and their allies in the ruling class continues. The struggle at Columbia University marks an important victory for the Immigrant Rights Movement. Columbia University an ivy-league institution with clear ties to the ruling class offered Gilchrist a twenty thousand dollar honorarium to speak to the students legitimizing the racist hate group’s message. The determination and success of the students who took the stage on October 4 exemplifies the force of this movement, the message of the ruling class is no longer welcomed in its coveted institutions. The students of Columbia University and the millions of people who have participated in actions around the country have set the stage for change. They have shown that when the people to take to the streets and bravely confront the racist anti-immigrant propaganda it forces the ruling class to make concessions as was seen by the defeat of HR4437, therefore it is absolutely necessary that we continue on in the struggle. We must demand amnesty for all and continue to confront the racist divisive tactics of the ruling class in whatever form they take. Down with the Minutemen!!!


Karina Garcia will be visiting the Central Coast on Thursday November 16:
• UCSC at 5:30 pm in the Guzman rm at Oakes College
• Watsonville at 7:30 in the Brown Berets Office, 406 Main St., Suite 408A
She will also be hitting the Central Coast Airwaves:
• Listen to an interview with her on Los Mariposas on FRSC 101.1, Wednesday November 15th at 6pm
• Live in Studio on University Grapevine with Bruce Bratton on KZSC 88.1 at 4:30 on Thursday November 16th


Her visit to the Central Coast is sponsored by:
Youth and Student ANSWER
The Brown Berets
The Santa Cruz Anti-Imperialist League

For more information please contact the ANSWER Coalition:
415-821-6545
http://www.actionsf.org
answer [at] actionsf.org