PRESS RELEASE: Executive Order about the Southern Border Wall

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release: Thursday, January 26, 2017
Contact: El Comité, ph: 206.465.5511, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #DumpTrump.

Border Wall Executive Order signed on 1/25/16 is a poorly thought-out, costly, xenophobic blunder.

SEATTLE – Yesterday morning, the current presidential administration made due on its vitriolic, anti-immigrant promise to augment the border wall at our southern boundary and repeal federal funding from major cities that have come out in support of immigrants through their Sanctuary City designations. El Comité vehemently opposes the racist, xenophobic executive order and will focus its resources on resisting the administration’s attacks on members of our communities. As History, can attest, border walls don’t work at keeping people out. Rather, they make it more difficult for people to leave.

Immigration policy in the mid-1990s aided in the construction of border walls near the major entry points of San Diego, California and El Paso, Texas through such efforts as Operation Gatekeeper and Operation Hold the Line. These walls did little to deter migration and only made the northward trek incredibly more hazardous. Since 1993, and estimated 7,000 people have died in their attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

In addition to pushing policy dubious for its failure over the last two decades, the executive order also resorts to using old racist tropes in implying that migration is principally a phenomenon at the southern border. Likewise, the rationale incorporates much of the Trump campaign’s anti-Mexican vitriol by noting that “transnational criminal organizations operate sophisticated networks…contributing to a significant increase in violent crime and United States Deaths from dangerous drugs.” Furthermore, the order continues its xenophobic fear-mongering by claiming, “Among those who illegally enter are those who seek to harm Americans through acts of terror or criminal conduct.”

The executive order uses racist caricature to pander to the general public’s fears and encroaches on local communities by strong-arming city governments with threats of removing federal funding for essential programs. Likewise, the executive order also dubiously requests funding for the physical construction and upkeep of a border wall that will syphon money away from more desperately deserving infrastructure projects throughout the country. The optics are also very deliberate as we share two extensive borders to the north and south. One border is heavily militarized while the other literary features a “peace arch” at one of its points of entry.

This administration has made it abundantly clear that it will attempt to codify its racist, sexist, homophobic and xenophobic campaign rhetoric into policy. We have seen this occur as not even a full week in office, Trump has signed executive orders around pushing the XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, has signed an order to remove federal funding for reproductive health providers, has signed an executive order about building a border wall, and has created a chilling effect for scientists who focus on climate change.

It is for these aforementioned reasons that we need continue to organize and resist these authoritarian policies. We are all impacted by legislation that poison our land, air and water. We are all impacted by restricted access to reproductive health and family planning. We are all impacted by racist and xenophobic policies aimed at our friends, families, neighbors, and co-workers. And of course, we are all impacted by diminished protections in the work place. Now more than ever, we need to be present for our sisters and brothers in the struggle for a dignified existence.

EDUCATE, ORGANIZE, MOBILIZE.

For more information, contact the following: El Comité, ph:206.465.5511, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #DumpTrump.

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Immigrant Rights Activists will take to the streets of Seattle to protest Trump.

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Contact: El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition,

ph: 206.465.5511, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #DumpTrump.

Immigrant Rights Activists will take to the streets of Seattle to protest the incoming Presidential Administration.
“All United, None Divided” March will be one of many events throughout the city and country to resist the incoming Trump Presidency.

SEATTLE – El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition, and the Church Council of Greater Seattle will protest the incoming Trump Administration with a march from Judkins Park to Westlake Park in Downtown Seattle. After our event at Westlake Park, we will join the “Resist Trump: Occupy Inauguration – Seattle!” event. In the spirit of unity and solidarity with communities across the country who will bear the brunt of the Trump Administration’s Racist, Sexist, Homophobic and Xenophobic policies, organizers will continue with the central themes of justice for immigrant workers, Preservation of the DACA Program, opposition to a National Registry for refugees, an end to the killing and disproportionate incarceration of people of color, Respect for Native Treaty Rights, as well as justice for social and economically marginalized communities at the local, national, and international levels. Event details are as follows:

What: “All United, None Divided” March

Who: Immigrant rights supporters, workers, community members, social justice advocates.

When: Friday January 20th, 2017. A preliminary program will begin at Judkins Park at 1:00 p.m. The march will depart from the starting point at 2:30 p.m. There will be a Rally at Westlake Park at 4:00 p.m. and the contingent will join the “Resist Trump: Occupy Inauguration – Seattle!” event, promptly at 5:00 p.m.

Where: The march will begin near St. Mary’s Church (at the intersection of South Weller St and 20^th Ave South) and will end at Westlake Park in Downtown Seattle (401 Pine St., Seattle, WA 98101)

Background

The march is one of many events locally and nationally that will take place on inauguration day.  The effect of the 2016 Electoral Campaign, and specifically, the Trump candidacy has led to an uptick in harassment, xenophobia, and violence. It is also clear that this administration has shown a predilection toward Neo-Fascist policy and has shown favor for hard Right adherents, such as Jeff Sessions, among others. As workers, as community members, we invite all our sisters and brothers in labor, faith, and social justice to join us once again. We continue to work toward justice. We were out in the streets to counter the Bush Administration over a decade ago, and continued fighting the Deportation machine that was left in place through bipartisan institutional neglect. This is no different in the present day as we will fight for the workers and the members of our communities on the social and economic margins that struggle every day for a more dignified existence.

EDUCATE, ORGANIZE, MOBILIZE.

For more information, contact the following: El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition, ph:206.465.5511, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #DumpTrump.

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PRESS RELEASE: Thousands take to the streets of Seattle for the Annual May Day March

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 1, 2015

Contact: El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition,

ph: 206.650.2106 and 206.696.1348, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #May1stSea, #MayDayPNW.

Thousands take to the streets of Seattle for the Annual May Day March and Rally for Immigrant and Workers Rights.

SEATTLE – An estimated 4,500 -5,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Seattle to participate in the 2015 May Day March for Workers and Immigrant Right. The events began at Judkins Park at 2:00 p.m., with a brief program that included music, speeches, and logistical announcements for the march. Participants then filed westbound, on Lane Street to start the March at 3:00 pm. At around 3:30, the march departed from St. Mary’s Church, with Danza Ce Atl Tonalli, setting the tone.

The march swelled, with contingents joining along the way on Jackson Street and 20th Avenue, along Boren Avenue, as well as on several street corners along First Hill, and Downtown Seattle. Included among these groups, were contingents for organized labor as well as participants who opted to join the march as it made its way through middle of the city. In all, over 50 organizations and community groups endorsed the 2015 march and provided the resources to mobilize their own members, in addition to others in the community. Organizations involved with direct mobilization for the march were Students for Farm Worker Justice, MEChA, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, and parishioners from St. Mary’s Church, the Mexica Danza Group Ce Atl Tonalli, and Community Alliance for Global Justice, among many more.

The march ended at the U.S. District Courthouse in Downtown Seattle. The selection of the site was very deliberate, as organizers made note to demonstrate in opposition to the U.S. District 5 Court’s challenge to the DACA/DAPA program, which if implemented by the Obama administration, would have provided relief and a temporary deferral of deportation for many undocumented students and their parents.  Likewise, also of note in this year’s March was the focus on police brutality with the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner as well as the most recent slaying of Antonio Zambrano Montes at the hands of police in Pasco, Washington.

“It’s important to acknowledge these shared struggles,” noted Anna Hackman, an organizer for the May 1^st Action Coalition. “Many immigrants experience not only discrimination based on their documented status, but are also relegated to the social and economic margins. Many are forced into low paying jobs, and have interactions with law enforcement that closely resemble the interactions that native born people of color experience with police.” Many in attendance echoed the same concerns, especially in recent days, as evidenced in the City of Baltimore where institutional neglect and police violence created a sense of animosity and distrust that boiled over into riots with the killing of Freddie Gray.

According to organizer Jorge Quiroga, the march was a great collaborative effort, even with a slightly smaller turnout for 2015. Mr. Quiroga attributed the decline in participation to the proliferation of news reports about possible “infiltration” of the afternoon march. “We’ve had this march since 1999. Over 16 years, we’ve always been organized and nothing bad has ever occurred. My concern with the stories that the Seattle Police Department are spreading, is that it is creating a chilling effect on participation.” Quiroga further noted, “It is very deceptive, very unprofessional, and amounts to little more than fear mongering.” “It is an attempt to silence and mute our organizational efforts.” It is not known to what degree the effect of SPD media outreach is intentional, but one thing all organizers did agree on, is that there is a very real need to continue organizing in spite of hurdles or impediments. There is little room for error as organizers take it upon themselves to be responsible for helping better social conditions to ensure that future generations are able to live a dignified existence.

EDUCATE, ORGANIZE, MOBILIZE.

For more information, contact the following: El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition, ph:206.650.2106 and 206.696.1348, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #May1stSea, MayDayPNW.

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List of Organizations Endorsing the 2015 May Day March.

Endorsing Organizations for 2015 May Day March for Workers and Immigrant Rights (List updated: April 30, 2015)

PRESS RELEASE: Thousands expected in Seattle for the Annual May Day March and Rally for Immigrant and Workers Rights

MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Contact: El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition,

ph: 206.650.2106 and 206.696.1348, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #May1stSea, #MayDayPNW.

Thousands expected to take to the streets of Seattle for the Annual May Day March and Rally for Immigrant and Workers Rights.

SEATTLE – Thousands of demonstrators are expected to take to the streets of Seattle on Friday, May 1, 2015 for the Annual May Day March and Rally for Workers and Immigrant Rights. In the spirit of unity and solidarity with communities across the country, organizers in Seattle will continue with the central theme of justice for immigrant workers, as well as justice for marginalized communities at the local, national, and international levels. Event details are as follows:

What: Annual May Day March and Rally for Workers and Immigrant Rights

Who: Thousands of workers and immigrant rights supporters. We’ll hear testimonials from community members, and will be joined by allies from the labor, social justice, and faith based communities.

When: Friday May 1st, 2015. A preliminary program will begin at 2:00 p.m. The march will depart from the starting point at 3:00 p.m.

Where: The march will begin at St. Mary’s Church (611 20^th Ave South, Seattle, WA 98144) and will end with a rally at the Federal Courthouse in Downtown Seattle (700 Stewart St., Seattle, WA 98101)

Background

The theme of the 2015 march will center on justice for all workers and a community-based framework for dialogue on Workers and Immigrant Rights. Among our concerns are the use of institutional violence against poor people of color, whether in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, or recently, Pasco, Washington. Likewise, the disappearances of student teachers in Ayotzinapa, Mexico also impact our communities since it is our tax money and foreign policy that is being used as carte blanche for corrupt politicians to suppress and violate the human rights of communities advocating for their rights. With regard to immigration policy, we are also concerned with persistent institutional neglect of the immigrant community. As of late, the blocking of administrative relief for immigrants via expansion of the DACA/DAPA programs, by conservative courts further demonstrates the need to continue mobilizing. We see these struggles as inextricably linked together and will acknowledge them on International Workers Day (May 1, 2015). We will continue to organize at the grassroots level to ensure that families are not forcibly separated and to ensure that our communities are able to live and work without fear and deprivation of basic human rights.

EDUCATE, ORGANIZE, MOBILIZE.

For more information, contact the following: El Comité and the May 1st Action Coalition, ph:206.650.2106 and 206.696.1348, em:  info@elcomitewa.org, Twitter Tag: #May1stSea, MayDayPNW.

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Peacekeeper Training (Saturday, April 25, 2015)