San Francisco unionists fight against deportations

Militant/Betsey Stone

SAN FRANCISCO — The fight against the threatened deportation of construction workers Rodrigo Nuñez and Hugo Mejia got union backing at a rally in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center here June 5. Over two dozen members of Mejia’s union, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, joined the demonstration of over 150. Members of Drywall Lathers Local 68L, that Nuñez belongs to, also participated.

Above, Sandy Valenciano, a member of California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, leads the protesters in chants calling for their freedom.

Mejia and Nuñez were arrested by ICE May 3 when they checked in for a construction job at the Travis Air Force Base. Since then a growing number of groups and individuals have joined the fight against their deportation.

“These are fathers, unionists and workers,” Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, told the crowd. “We are going to keep fighting to stop their deportation.”

— BETSEY STONE