Vol. 71/No. 18      May 7, 2007

Such actions are an important part of responding to the U.S. rulers’ stepped-up war on working people. In recent months hardly a week has gone by without raids by immigration cops, who have rounded up workers by the dozens, and sometimes by the hundreds, in workplaces and neighborhoods.

Last year’s unprecedented street mobilizations by immigrant workers—numbering up to 2 million at their peak—and the May Day walkouts, the first nationwide political strike in U.S. history, surprised the capitalist class and its two parties. These working-class actions stopped a move by Congress to pass a reactionary law that would have criminalized some 12 million immigrants without papers.

Today, as the police raids increase, capitalist politicians are again debating various “immigration reform” bills. All varieties would restrict the rights of foreign-born workers and should be opposed. Both the proposal backed by the White House and the bipartisan Gutierrez-Flake bill would beef up the border police, decree thousands of dollars in penalties for applicants, impose numerous restrictions on eligibility for residency, and institute a new federal ID card singling out the undocumented. Both include a “guest worker” plan, under which workers’ legal status would be tied to the whims of their bosses.

The purpose of the Democrats’ and Republicans’ immigration policy—from police raids to restrictive immigration laws—is not to deport all those without papers. It is to maintain a permanent category of workers with fewer rights who are more vulnerable to superexploitation that the U.S. bosses profit from.

Last year’s mass mobilizations showed the increased confidence of foreign-born workers and the consequent strengthening and politicization of the entire working class. This can be seen, for example, in the April 17 protest by workers in Marshalltown, Iowa, against a plan to turn local cops into la migra.

Such actions—relying on the mobilization of working people, not on Congress—are the only effective way to push back these attacks and win expanded rights.

Let's build the May Day actions to demand from the government: Stop the raids and deportations! Legalization now, with no strings attached!
 
 
Related articles:
‘We’re workers, not criminals!’
At Iowa meeting, workers denounce plan to turn local cops into ‘la migra
May Day actions across U.S. to demand legalization of immigrants
Gutierrez-Flake bill: anti-immigrant, antilabor
May Day and U.S. fight for an eight-hour day  
 
 
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