BY TOM HEADLEY
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Some 200 people marched and rallied in
Unity Park in defense of immigrant rights and against INS
raids and harassment here October 10. "Alto a las redadas!"
(Stop the raids!), "Latino, escucha, unete a la lucha!"
(Latino, listen, join the struggle!), and "Aquí estamos y no
nos vamos y si nos echan, regresamos!" (We're here, we're not
leaving, and if they throw us out, we'll come back) were among
the slogans chanted by the demonstrators. The demonstrators,
most of them but not all Latino, were addressed by speakers,
musicians, and poets at the rally site in both Spanish and
English.
This was part of a national week of protests against INS raids, with actions taking place in nearly 30 cities, said Sasha Khokha, spokesperson for the National INS Raids Task Force of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Khokha said the Network also plans to present a report to Congress on October 14, which will document INS abuses, including how INS raids have been used to undermine labor organizing efforts.