The entire labor movement should stand behind demands for equal rights for immigrants; to end INS raids, jailings, and deportations; against moves by the government to implement a national ID card; and to limit visitors’ visas to the United States.

The assaults by the Bush administration over the past six months build on the course carved out under the Clinton administration. These include indefinite detentions of immigrants rounded up by INS cops, pushing forward plans to establish a national ID card, FBI questioning of thousands of immigrants from the Middle East, snooping on students and others in the United States on legal visas, and plans to beef up the INS.

The actions in cities around the country by supporters of the rights of immigrant workers on May 1, which raised demands for the legalization of all undocumented workers and their families, the right to unionize, equal protection under the law, and equal access to social services are in the best traditions of solidarity that can be celebrated on International Workers Day.

By joining actions like those in Washington May 1, working people can become part of the battle to unite the working class in face of the bipartisan assault at home. The superwealthy ruling class seeks through divide-and-conquer tactics to defend their power and make workers and farmers bear the brunt of the world capitalist economic crisis.

In pursuing their anti–labor drive, the U.S. ruling class keeps running into the growing combativity of vanguard layers of immigrant workers who refuse to be silent and accept the second-class status the employers and their government hope to foist onto them.

Instead of allowing themselves to be relegated to a superexploited layer without legal protection and rights, immigrant workers are taking the moral high ground in defense of workers’ rights and social entitlements won by through massive struggles.

At a recent demonstration in New York the message was clear. "Bloomberg. We demand equality," said demonstrators to the city’s billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, as they demanded equal access to social services and jobs. These struggles can only strengthen other labor battles resisting the assault on wages and working conditions by the city government.

Under the guise of "national security" concerns and the "war on terror," the Bush administration, with bipartisan support, is seeking to "improve" the effectiveness of its immigration enforcement agency by doubling the number of border patrol cops and developing a tracking system of noncitizens entering the United States.

Workers and farmers in this country can join with others in the demand to end all raids and deportations of airport workers and others aimed at intimidating workers born abroad.

The demand for equal rights for all workers--regardless of their legal status--helps to point the road forward to overcome the divisions promoted by the capitalist rulers. It opens up the chance to see our brothers and sisters from other countries as part of the working class and as indispensable allies in a common struggle.
 
 
Related articles:
Congress proposes new agencies to deepen assault on immigrant workers
May Day actions in U.S. demand equal rights for immigrants  
 
 
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