The following statement was issued May 8 by Socialist Workers candidates James Harris for U.S. president and Laura Garza for vice-president.

The Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress are joining forces to deal a blow against workers rights with the new anti- immigrant legislation they are preparing. The proposals passed by the Senate would codify a second-class status for a layer of the population, denying them access to basic social services, almost doubling the number of immigration cops who hunt down human beings, and introducing something close to a national identification system allowing "Big Brother" to code in information about any worker a boss might want to check up on.

These measures are a threat to every worker. We urge all working people - unionists, youth, those with or without documents, English- or Spanish-speaking - to speak out now and join the debate at union meetings, in the community, on campuses, and in the press to present a working-class point of view and answer the lies of the bosses and the politicians they own.

The first lie is that this move is aimed at "protecting jobs," and that the loss of jobs can be blamed on immigration. But downsizing, layoffs, wage and benefit cuts, and the insecurity that goes with all that is caused by decisions and actions taken by the capitalist class - the owners of factories, agribusiness, and real estate barons. Their economic system is in trouble and they aren't making the profits they want, so they sometimes cut production and look for ways to lower their costs, pay us less, and eliminate their competition.

The bosses foster racist and sexist prejudices to justify paying women less than men Blacks less than whites. They use workers' status as documented or undocumented the same way. The immigration laws are designed to aid the employers in their quest for profits by maintaining a second-class layer of the workforce that can be intimidated with threats of deportation and denial of rights.

Working people, especially unionists, have nothing to gain from these divisions. We can only build a labor movement capable of fighting and winning if it defends the interests of the broad masses of workers - beginning with the most exploited layers - not just those who still currently have jobs and benefits. That's why the labor movement needs to lead a fight to raise the minimum wage, end mandatory overtime, and shorten the workweek with no cut in pay in order to create jobs for all.

Assault on social gains of all workers
Another lie is that the U.S. borders have to be defended - mainly against Mexicans - because there's not enough to go around. The wealthy rulers claim social services, health care, and education can only be guaranteed for people in the United States if the government can stop others from entering. What's really happening, though, is a bipartisan assault on health care, education, and social services for all working people. The representatives of the capitalist rulers, Democrats and Republicans alike, have the goal of deep cuts in Medicare and Social Security and eliminating social protections like unemployment benefits and welfare. All their debates have been fundamentally over how far they can push in this assault, and how fast.

The recent federal budget agreement, which contained few of the measures initially demanded by the Republican freshmen in their much-touted "revolution," reflects the fact that the rulers fear getting too sharp a response from broad layers of working people and others. The employers are nervous about initial signs of working-class resistance - an indication to our class that the bosses are not strong and that fighting them does make a difference. But they will continue their assaults on social gains. Part of how they do this is proposals to deny services to the most vulnerable, those they hope are least likely to get solidarity.

Creating a category of workers who can be denied social services is simply a first step; if immigrants can be denied basic rights, other working people will be next. We know abundant resources do exist to provide adequate education and health care for all, but they go first and foremost to fill the coffers of the profit takers, and to fund their war moves around the world, from interventions in Yugoslavia and Liberia to threats against Cuba. The socialist campaign demands the military budget be eliminated, and the money used to launch a massive public works program to provide jobs by building the housing, hospitals, schools, and roads we need.

`Raza sí, migra no'
The socialist campaign also calls for dismantling the Border Patrol. Wider use of border cops means more inroads against protection from being stopped, questioned, and searched at will by the police. In much of the Southwest, more and more workers are subjected to such arbitrary violations of their rights, with Mexicans and Chicanos (la raza) being special targets. Beefing up the immigration cops (la migra) who are known for meting out thuggish treatment to Latinos and other immigrants, is part of a campaign to make more acceptable police terror - as well as use of the military - against working people within the borders of the United States and abroad. Striking workers and people protesting police brutality or government policy have reason to fear the more widespread use of such methods, and we should speak out against them. Our campaign stands with those who say Raza Sí, Migra No.

Another part of the package capitalist politicians are pushing is the move toward a national identification system. This is a dangerous threat to all workers and should be steadfastly opposed. Employers could use a government database to check who is "eligible" to work and, if the system is successful in a few test states, it could be extended nationwide. It's not hard to imagine the information that bosses and the government will claim to need, from police records to employment history. The immigration bill now being worked out heads toward requiring people to carry a national ID card. Our campaign rejects this and will join actions opposing these attacks on democratic rights.

The bosses and their spokesmen are trying to line up weapons on their side - harsher laws, more restrictions on democratic rights - to aid them in their drive to force us to accept worse and worse conditions. The immigration bill is part of an ideological campaign to convince workers to scapegoat a section of our own class for the social and economic crisis we face.

But the working class can line up even more powerful forces on our side, all the workers and farmers, who outnumber the bosses here and elsewhere. Our side is strengthened by including Mexican, Central American, Asian, and other immigrant workers in strikes and organizing drives, as well as fights to demand a raise in the minimum wage to union scale, to oppose cuts in Social Security, and other battles. Our class could use more immigrants, more fighters, not fewer.

In Detroit, striking newspaper workers got a boost when Arab- Americans who had protested the Israeli bombing of Lebanon joined the boycott of the two papers trying to break the unions. The same newspaper bosses had refused an ad protesting the bombings. Truckers at the port of Los Angeles, mostly Chicanos and mexicanos, have been waging an important struggle for decent pay and work conditions. We welcome these workers from Mexico and elsewhere who bring their experiences in fighting and organizing to the side of the working class in this country.

We encourage everyone to join protests planned for August 12 at the Republican convention in San Diego and October 12 in Washington, D.C., to oppose the attacks on immigrant workers. We can answer these attacks by mobilizing to demand:

Equal rights for immigrants!

Health care and education for all is a right!

Jobs for all, shorten the workweek!

For a massive public works program!  
 
 
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