Vol. 73/No. 18      May 11, 2009

Some 100 students attended the daylong event, which included a second panel discussion on "The Politics of Immigration." Sponsors included the Office of Campus Activities, Amnesty International, Latinos del Mundo Club, Women’s Club, Campus Library, and several academic departments.

“I was out here last November to join 2,000 others in protesting the killing of Marcelo Lucero,” Fein said, referring to the vigil in nearby Patchogue demanding justice for Lucero, an Ecuadoran immigrant who was stabbed to death in a racist anti-immigrant attack by a gang of youth.

“I am a garment worker,” continued Fein, “and I see firsthand how the employers benefit from immigrant labor. They keep workers divided so they can pay less than the minimum wage; pay no unemployment compensation and no workers compensation when we get injured on the job.  
 
'Join common fight for jobs'
“We need to join in a common fight for jobs, health care, and education for all workers. There’s no such thing as an American job. Every worker needs a job,” Fein stated. "I’m glad when a worker gets medical care. I don’t care where they come from. We need to see ourselves as part of an international working class.”

Valenzuela said the Long Island Immigrant Alliance was formed in response to the attempted murder of two Mexican day laborers who in 2000 were lured to an isolated site near Farmingville and brutally beaten. “It is a myth that immigrant workers are bankrupting our schools, our hospitals, our jails,” Valenzuela said. “You hear some people say, ‘Why didn’t they get on line?’ Well, there is no line. It’s a nightmare. People have been on line 20, 30 years.”

He reminded the audience that “thanks to immigrant workers we have the eight-hour day.” He also said he thought “things look better for immigrant rights under the Obama administration.”

Einhorn said the immigrant population on Long Island has doubled over the last 30 years from 8 percent in the 1980s to 16 percent today. She urged students to support “comprehensive immigration reform” and to turn out for the Long Island May 1 march and rally in Hempstead.

“We must call for legalization now,” Fein responded. He explained that the Obama administration’s “reforms” call for strengthening patrols on the border and put a series of obstacles in front of immigrant workers before they can obtain legal residency or citizenship.

“Legalization would mean that all workers would have the same status and can unite together against this capitalist system that exploits workers," said Fein. "The only way out is to fight to take power—to put working people in the drivers seat. The corporations go all over the world to make more profit. But when workers go from point A to point B they say something is wrong.”

He also urged everyone to “be part of history and join with the vanguard and others who have been protesting raids and deportations and who will be marching in cities around the country on May 1.”

Ana Menendez, a Spanish teacher who encouraged her class to attend the discussion, told of the hurdles immigrants are forced to go through. Even though she came to the United States on a student visa, got her PhD, and applied for a green card, because of a misspelling of her name by immigration authorities she was threatened with deportation and had to pay more than $5,000 in legal costs.

“This meeting was important,” 19-year-old Eugenia Castillo told the Militant, “because it didn’t say immigrants are taking away from native U.S. citizens. It is saying the capitalists want money from all the workers and so we need legalization to help raise the wages for everyone.”

"I'm definitely for legalization!" said Jasmine Huancayo, 20. She recalled the hardships faced by her father's family in trying to obtain legal residency.
 
 
Related articles:
A fight in interests of all workers!
Women immigrants to U.S. forced to take new vaccine
Iowa high school student wins fight to defend Lao heritage
Chicago march to call for end to raids, deportations
Immigrant rights and debate over ‘free trade’ pacts  
 
 
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