By GRACE MONTESI On June 23, the U.S. Supreme Court tied 4-4 regarding an immigration action taken by President Obama in 2014. The decision left in place a lower court’s ruling that had blocked implementation of the program. Officials in our so-called democratic system have once again disregarded the immigrant rights movement and let down … Continue reading Supreme Court dashes immigrants’ hopes
By MARK UGOLINI A spirited and determined group of about 150 current and former Nabisco bakery workers and their supporters demonstrated on May 18 at Mondelez International’s annual shareholder meeting in Lincolnshire, Ill. Workers protested the company’s decision to lay off 600 of the 1200 workers at its Southwest side Chicago plant. Mondelez International is … Continue reading Nabisco workers protest layoffs and downsizing
By ERNIE GOTTA In February, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected the appeal of Mohammed al-Qeeq, an imprisoned Palestinian journalist on his 85th day of hunger strike. Al-Qeeq had asked to be transferred to a Palestinian hospital in the West Bank. Directly following this decision, however, a partial victory was won in the case of Palestinian American activist Rasmea … Continue reading New developments in Palestine struggle
By KAREN SCHRAUFNAGEL Beginning in early January, Socialist Action joined with many other organizations for a series of conference calls on the need for united action to more effectively combat the rising tide of Islamophobia and anti-immigrant and anti-refugee hatred in this country. The ad-hoc coalition that was formed took the name Stand Together Against … Continue reading Stop persecution of Muslims & immigrants!
By CARL SACK — MADISON, Wis. — More than 20,000 Latin@s took off work and marched on the Wisconsin State Capitol on Feb. 18 to demand the state legislature drop a pair of bills designed to make life harder for undocumented workers. Immigrant rights groups who planned the protest on short notice dubbed it Un … Continue reading Wisconsin anti-immigrant bills protested
By LISA LUINENBURG A huge number of refugees have been flowing across European borders in the last year, and this great migration crisis has had reverberations in the United States as well, where over 100,000 migrants fleeing violence in Central America arrived in 2015. As of Dec. 21, more than a million refugees have crossed … Continue reading U.S. & Europe clamp down on refugees
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER In the space of less than two weeks, the world recently witnessed three massacres outside the home base of the Islamic State (ISIS) for which the jihadist group took credit. On Oct. 31, a homemade bomb brought down a Russian airliner over the Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. On Nov. … Continue reading Paris attack leads to crackdown on rights
By BARRY WEISLEDER Unprecedented numbers of people are desperate to migrate. Stories fill the media about the many who drown in the Mediterranean or die in desserts in a failed bid to escape horrible conditions. Stunning figures released on June 18 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees quantify the extent of the global … Continue reading Behind the Mass Exodus
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER On Nov. 20, rallies took place in Mexico and around the world protesting the disappearance of 43 students after a police attack in the state of Guerrero, and demanding that the Mexican government account for their fate. From Mexico City to Buenos Aires to London to New York City, chants rang out … Continue reading Mexico protests: Bring them home alive!
By JOHN ORLAND The Great Deporter’s new executive order for a “sweeping overhaul of the immigration system” deserves no praise. If there is anything “sweeping” about President Obama’s immigration policy, it is his six years of deporting 2.4 million immigrants, his repeated lies regarding his so-called legal incapacity to issue presidential executive orders to mitigate … Continue reading Obama’s Fake Immigration Reform
Rasmea Defense Committee statement — In a travesty of justice, Rasmea Odeh today was found guilty of one count of Unlawful Procurement of Naturalization. For over a year, Rasmea, her supporters, and her legal team have been battling this unjust government prosecution, saying from the start that the immigration charge was nothing but a pretext … Continue reading Rasmea Odeh found guilty
UPDATED REPORTS FROM THE TRIAL: Socialist Action has received the following on-the-scene reports from the Rasmea Defense Committee. We express our solidarity with Rasmea Odeh, who was arrested in October 2013 for allegedly falsifying papers she had filled out for immigration to the United States. Previously, she had been imprisoned by Israel, who accused her … Continue reading Justice for Rasmea Odeh!
The web newsletter, “Anticapitalisme et Revolution,” which represents a current in the French New Anticapitalist Party (NPA), recently interviewed Socialist Action member Ann Montague in regard to the growing movement in the United States for a minimum wage of $15.. The interview appears below. The French-language version can be found at: http://anticapitalisme-et-revolution.blogspot.fr/2014/09/nous-sommes-un-mouvement-maintenant.html Anticapitalisme et Revolution: … Continue reading Fast food strikers say: $15 and a union!
By LISA LUINENBURG Since October 2013, about 57,000 unaccompanied children from Central America have been apprehended crossing the border into the United States. This number jumped 159% between 2011 and 2013, and the total number of children caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border this year is expected to reach 74,000. Most of these children come from … Continue reading Children trapped at the border
By LISA LUINENBURG President Obama responded to reports of a recent influx into the U.S. of over 52,000 undocumented children from Central America by asking Congress for an additional $2 billion to speed up their deportation proceedings. While a law enacted under President George W. Bush classifies these children as refugees, and requires that they … Continue reading Obama to deport immigrant children
Political prisoner Dr. Sami Al-Arian is free! Al-Arian, a computer-engineering professor at the University of South Florida and nationally known as an activist in the struggle for civil liberties for the Muslim and Palestinian American community, has been jailed for over 11 years on spurious charges related to his support for the struggle for Palestinian … Continue reading Court releases Dr. Sami Al-Arian
By LISA LUINENBURG Dozens of protesters were injured in Istanbul, Turkey, this year on May 1 as they tried to reach Taksim Square. A week earlier, the Turkish Prime Minister had announced a ban on demonstrations in Taksim Square on the internationally recognized workers’ holiday. Police in Istanbul used tear gas and water cannons against … Continue reading Workers, immigrants march on May Day
By LISA LUINENBURG President Obama stated in a recent speech on immigration reform, “Real reform means stronger border security, and we can build on the progress my administration has already made, putting more boots on the southern border than at any time in our history and reducing illegal crossings to their lowest levels in 40 … Continue reading Immigrants say: Stop deportations!
By LISA LUINENBURG On Oct. 5, thousands of immigrants in 40 states marched in support of the comprehensive immigration reform bill that has been sitting stagnant in Congress since this spring. The marches were part of a National Day of Dignity and Respect, which was endorsed by religious groups, NGO-type groups such as Presente.org and … Continue reading Thousands march for immigrant rights
By LISA LUINENBURG International Workers’ Day, May 1, commemorates the anniversary of the Haymarket riots in Chicago. When workers struck for an eight-hour day in 1886, an unknown person (likely a police provocateur) threw a bomb into the peaceful crowd, killing several people and provoking a riot. Over 100 years later, with austerity measures and … Continue reading May Day celebrated around the world
By LISA LUINENBURG Millions of undocumented immigrants and their families, friends, and allies waited with bated breath for the unveiling of the new proposal for Comprehensive Immigration Reform on Tuesday, April 16. Despite high hopes, the new bill includes many draconian provisions, such as more militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, new guest-worker programs and biometric … Continue reading Immigrants need legalization without chains
By DANIEL ADAM HARTFORD—Josemaria Islas is facing deportation. A resident of New Haven, Conn., Islas was arrested last July 2 for attempted bicycle theft. There was absolutely no evidence for the charge. The accuser could not identify Islas, and never lost possession of his bike. Islas’ defense even produced evidence that he was at work and … Continue reading Local officials join crackdown on immigrants
Two major policy changes affecting undocumented immigrants and the struggle for immigrant rights have recently been announced. First, in a clear bid for Latino votes as the November presidential election approaches, President Obama announced on June 15 that the Department of Homeland Security will stop deporting certain “low priority” undocumented youth and will create a … Continue reading Obama ‘gives relief’ to immigrants; Court upholds AZ ‘papers’ law
On Dec. 12, John Morton, the director of Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE), which operates under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security, announced that the long-controversial 287(g) program is ending.The designation 287(g) refers to a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes ICE to enter into agreements with local law enforcement … Continue reading ICE expands immigrant deportation program despite growing outcry
On Dec. 15, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs and Enforcement announced they would be canceling Maricopa County’s 287(g) agreement and restricting the Arizona county’s access to the Secure Communities program. This decision was based on findings by the U.S. Department of Justice that the sheriff’s office had been engaging in unconstitutional … Continue reading U.S. Justice Dept. charges Arizona sheriff with discrimination against immigrants
