'Amnesty for immigrants'
20,000 march in Washington
By Teresa Gutierrez
Washington
They were defiant. They were emboldened. They represented
virtually all Latin American countries. Asian and Caribbean
groups were present.
From throughout the East Coast and from as far away as
Texas, California and Florida, immigrant workers and their
supporters converged on Washington Oct. 16 to demand amnesty
for undocu ment ed workers.
Called by the National Coalition for Dignity and Amnesty of
Undocumented Immigrants, the demonstration was endorsed by over
100 organizations.
Some 20,000 people marched through the streets chanting,
"Here we are and here we will stay!"
The response from people in cars and from the community as
the march wove its way through the streets was tremendous.
African American, Latino and white passersby--including many
tourists--honked, waved and cheered their support to the
marchers.
Hondurans from Maryland, New York and Florida chanted:
"Clinton, listen! We are in the struggle for good!" Colombians,
Haitians and Peruvians, demanded residency and fair
treatment.
Ecuadorians called for support for bilingual education. One
worker carried a homemade sign that read "Raids undermine
worker organizing."
Labor groups and trade unionists came out like never before
on this issue. A number of locals from the construction and
building trades unions such as the Laborers union's Asbestos,
Lead and Hazardous Material locals, were represented--including
U.S.-born workers, many of them white.
1199 Health and Hospital Workers/service Employees Union
sent a large delegation. So did the United Farm Workers and the
Farm Labor Organizing Committee.
The Bangledesh Society of New York, as well as the Committee
Against Anti-Asian Violence, were represented, along with
groups from many African nations.
Mexicans, the largest group in the march by far, carried
banners that read "Immigrants build this country" and "We are
the ones who pick the crops and put food on the tables."
One Mexican organization alone--Asociacion Tepeyac from New
York--had organized 23 buses.
Throughout the length of the march, contingents supported
the demands of the rally: respect and amnesty for immigrants,
an end to Immigration and Naturalization Service raids and
deportations, and fair wages for all workers.
`Our labor is worthy'
The mood on Oct. 16 could be described this way: It is a new
day for immigrants. It is time to fight back. If we are
deported today, we will come back tomorrow. Our labor is worthy
so we demand our rights.
From the many diverse signs and the militant chants, the
Oct. 16 March on Washington to demand amnesty reflected an
important awareness: a deep sense of how valuable these
immigrant workers are.
This is no small thing, because the bosses and the
government often portray the labor of immigrants as marginal,
even non-essential. In reality, immigrant labor is not only
vital--it is decisive to the capitalist economy.
Without the labor of immigrants in this country, the economy
would come to a virtual standstill.
This is why the demonstration on Oct. 16 was so
important.
The call for amnesty is a demand that should be raised by
not only immigrants and their supporters, but by the entire
progressive movement.
It should be the rallying cry of the labor movement. It
should be heard throughout this land and across every
border.
Because a victory for immigrant workers in their fight for
amnesty would be a victory for all the working class.
It would be a big blow to the ruling class--the only class
that profits from the exploitation of immigrant workers.
Rep. Lincoln Diaz Ballar, a Cuban-American, has introduced
legislation in Congress that would give amnesty to Colombians
and Peruvians. Diaz Ballar, who is vehemently against the Cuban
Revolution, introduced the legislation under the premise that
these workers were fleeing violence in their perspective
countries.
The organizers made clear on Oct. 16 that general and
unconditional amnesty was needed for all immigrants, not just
one or two sectors. They also stated that to single out two
countries could be seen as divisive, pitting one immigrant
against another.
This is exactly what the powers that be will attempt: to
divide in order to conquer.
But the sea of flags in Washington on Oct. 16 from
throughout this hemisphere as well as from Asia and Africa is a
sign of things to come. The ruling class will not win this
one.
The march reflects a significant change in the class
struggle in this country. It signals that there is a genuine
movement of the most oppressed sector of the working class. The
militancy of the participants indicates that immigrants,
despite brutal living conditions and the fear of deportation
and repression, are fighting back.
This will have tremendous ramifications for the struggle
here in this country. Immigrant workers are central to the
efforts to rebuild the labor movement. They are a key component
of the new work force, concentrated in low-wage, non-union
jobs.
They are therefore ripe for organizing. This is the message
from the Oct. 16 demonstration that left the bosses and the
rich trembling.
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
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