ISR Issue 48, July–August 2006

Declaration on immigrant rights

Statement of the immigrant movement

Issue May 20, 2006, Chicago

The following political statement was issued by the Regional Midwest Conference on Immigrant Rights, which was held in Chicago on May 20, 2006. Members of the March 10th Movement in Chicago originally formulated and debated the statement. The goal was to establish demands and proposals for actions for the movement that had organized the mass marches for immigrant rights in the city on March 10 and on May 1. This statement was then democratically discussed, debated and revised by immigrant rights activists from around the Midwest at the May 20th conference. The majority voted to approve the statement as a tool for guiding all of us in the movement who support full legalization, in opposition to current legislation proposed by the U.S. Senate and House.

IMMIGRANT ORGANIZATIONS, unions, student organizations, peace and justice groups, and other social groups of civil society declare our unity in the fight for human rights, civil rights, and labor rights for all immigrants, workers, and other minorities or oppressed groups.

In the same spirit, we reject the current bills and “negotiated” deals on immigration policy reform that have been presented so far in the U.S. Senate by the Republican and Democratic parties.

In these past months, at a national level, civic organizations have clearly called for political alternatives that allow the 12 million undocumented immigrants to lead a life of dignity, to be recognized as an integral part of the social fabric that contributes to the economy of this country.

On May 1, 2006, mobilizations succeeded in breaking the barriers of the border. Other countries, like Mexico, El Salvador, and Poland joined the movement of immigrant workers in the United States. Thus it became a worldwide movement for justice for international workers.

The U.S. government is now seeking a “bipartisan deal” on immigration legislation during an electoral year. We consider this pact to be none other than a new version of HR 4437 approved in the House of Representatives at the end of 2005. These proposals continue to divide our community, and they all leave millions of undocumented immigrants without alternatives.

While there has been a lack of proposals with serious long-term solutions to the issue of immigration, either documented or undocumented, in the United States, at the same time the government has initiated acts of intimidation, such as selective raids against the immigrant community, to sow fear and to stop the mass mobilizations that are demanding real solutions.

Considering the aforementioned, the signatory organizations have met in Chicago to create this Statement of the Immigrant Movement 2006.

We immigrants are not a “problem.” We are the answer to an expanding economy that requires more workers than it produces in the United States.

The problem is that the judicial system has not advanced at the same pace as the economic expansion. The judicial system does not offer, in a timely and orderly way, the visas and work permits it demands of millions of foreign workers.

The process of migration, especially in the last two decades, has taken on greater dynamism as a product of the reorganization of capital. Capital moves beyond borders, but not its workforce. The role of lowering labor costs to benefit the economy has been reserved for the immigrant workforce. The undocumented worker is situated on a most flexible and precarious edge, giving rise to extreme forms of labor exploitation.

Therefore, to solve the situation of millions of undocumented workers,

WE CALL FOR:

1. The legalization of all immigrants

We demand permanent legal residence, with the option of citizenship, for those who want it, within the period of four years as indicated in the last changes to the immigration law. This permanent legal residence should be offered to all undocumented immigrants living in this country at the time the law is passed.

Permanent legal residence should be extended not only to those “who work and pay taxes,” but also to family members living in the United States. At the same time, previous pending visa applications should be immediately processed.

Likewise, permanent legal residence should be extended to those who are unable to work and pay taxes due to physical or mental disability. The right to permanent legal residence must be non-discriminatory, and therefore extended to all immigrants regardless of race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

Any legislation that tends to liberalize border controls for trade but seeks to limit the movement of the workforce, including attempts to militarize the border, is doomed to fail.

Permanent legal residence for current undocumented immigrants should be granted within a maximum period of six months after the law is passed.

2. Residence with civil and labor rights

Permanent legal residence is the only solution to guarantee civil and labor rights for international workers.

We demand labor rights be guaranteed to all workers, present and future, without discrimination based on nationality or national origin, gender, sexual preference, language, or religion. This includes wage parity, the right to organize unions, the right to strike, and other forms of struggle to improve labor conditions.

In general, we demand that the United States, as part of the international economic community, subscribe and comply with the terms laid out in the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, issued by the United Nations.

The rights of all workers in the United States should include social security and health benefits, seniority for wage increases, and retirement pensions.

We reject the so-called Patriot Act, a law that limits the civil liberties of certain segments of the population, specifically among them immigrants. This Act limits and contradicts the rights guaranteed in the precepts of the U.S. Constitution, which extends protection to all residents of the United States, discriminating on the basis of immigration status.

Protection of civil liberties and labor rights for immigrants must be permanent, now and in the future.

3. Stop the deportations

In the face of mass mobilizations on behalf of immigrants at the national level, the government has used deportations as a way of menacing this first movement for civil rights of the twenty-first century. We denounce these selective raids as a violent tactic that has no place in the debate on immigration reform.

It is absurd to arrest and deport immigrants who could be eligible for permanent legal residence within a few weeks or months. The current raids are a mistaken response with the aim of silencing the extensive non-violent participation of civil society on behalf of immigrants' rights.

We oppose giving local police the authority to exercise the duties of federal authorities. We reject state laws that regulate immigration issues.

We demand the immediate suspension of deportations until the debate is finished and there is a comprehensive immigration reform that solves the issue of undocumented immigration.

4. Liberty and justice for all

The current proposals divide immigrants into different categories, creating a less democratic society lacking liberty and rights, and marginalizing millions of immigrant families in our communities. Legalization for all immigrants requires that their rights to liberty and justice be assured.

WE OPPOSE:

1. A guest-worker program

The concept of “guest worker” arises from a tacit denial of the civil, human, and labor rights of international workers. By its very nature, a guest-worker program creates a second class of workers. It permits the institutionalization of low wages and weakens social movements and unions by preventing the organization of these workers. The current proposals in the Senate allow migrant workers to work for a limited time, after which they must leave the country or compete for a permanent visa.

In general, these proposals are designed to manage future migration over the long term by attending solely to the needs of the market but not to those of workers themselves. Guest workers would be nothing more than the institutionalization of a flexible workforce, without rights, and without the possibility of integration into society as a whole. Guest-worker programs would divide the community, especially families, and destroy legal standards for wages and benefits.

We oppose the concept of guest workers and consider it a form of modern slavery. For each new job that the United States needs a new immigrant worker to fill, it should create a visa for permanent legal residency, with the option for social and economic integration with citizenship, if so desired. The worker should have the option to decide if he/she stays permanently or if he/she returns to the country of origin if faced with the possibility of better employment and social opportunities. He/she should unite with the family on any side of the border.

2. The militarization of the borders

The increase in special security and surveillance forces over the years has not reduced immigration into this country. Militarization and the recent killings on the border reveal a de facto wall in response to warlike impulses, without any sensitivity to human rights for immigrants.

After September 11, the borders became a focus of the “war on terrorism.” Its modernization has contributed to the perception of immigrants as “possible terrorists,” although entry of terrorists has never been detected, and “security of the borders” has not been justified.

The extreme border security between Mexico and United States has only benefited international military arms companies and corporations. They have transformed this area into a territory of arms testing which subsequently have been used in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the other hand, the business of human trafficking has benefited. The border militarization has created a flourishing industry that does not benefit immigrants, the economy, or societies on either side of the border.

Immigration is a product of the international re-organization of capital, of work, and of production. In countries that export workers, social, political, and economic instability are the sources of the migratory process, and the offer of jobs in the United States is its complement.

Since 1994, when the so-called Operation Gatekeeper was put into effect, the balance has been negative. The massive militarization of the border with Mexico has only resulted in continuous human rights violations and loss of lives in that region. On the other hand, we call for the achievement of international agreements ensuring immigrants' rights will be respected.

We demand an end to wasting resources on increased border militarization. Just the opposite-we believe that the $1.9 billion the government and Congress wish to spend on this enterprise should be invested in creating or expanding immigration offices. The slow process of applying for residence and citizenship can be speeded up in this way.

Finally, militarization of the border is a response to manipulation for electoral and economic ends. It feeds into the racist and xenophobic character into which the immigration debate has degenerated.

Our commitments:

Our commitment is to consolidate and maintain a permanent, independent movement with unity at the national level. We must serve the immigrant community to fight to improve living conditions in all aspects-human, economic, and social.

Our commitment is to present clear legislative proposals as alternatives to the Democratic and Republican bipartisan initiatives, which do not offer just alternatives to immigrants and their families.

Our commitment is to educate the community about the proposals before Congress today, and about alternatives that truly would be satisfactory to immigrants and would not divide families and communities.

Our commitment as a movement is education of people about political, labor, and civil rights. This allows for the creation of a long-term movement that does not end with legislative proposals.

Our commitment is to not accept proposals for immigration reform laws that divide families, that divide immigrants by assigning preference for nationality, and that do not legalize all undocumented immigrants.

Our commitment is to seek unity of the community at the regional and national levels, by establishing clear political alternatives that benefit immigrants, creating coalitions, holding conferences, and organizing joint mobilizations in solidarity with one another.

Our commitment is to continue mobilizing and organizing in workplaces, in schools, and in communities. We will form hundreds of brigades for discussion and dissemination of our movement's legal and political alternatives.

Our commitment is to take up a national and international campaign to lead the United States to sign the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, issued by the United Nations.

Proposals and actions

We propose to hold open meetings in the communities to explain the current (and future) proposals and bills, the advisability or complications of the bills for families, as well as discussions about health care, education, and about the rights of immigrants in general.

We propose holding a National Conference of Immigrants in Chicago, in July of 2006, to consolidate the discussion on legislation and on grassroots actions, and to consolidate the movement as an alternative to traditional agencies, which are created to provide services, not to struggle.

We propose immediately calling for an international conference on immigration in 2007.