Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and the Legacy

When we are really  honest with ourselves, we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us.  So it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of people we are. ..I am convinced that the truest act of courage..is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for justice.

Cesar Chavez (1927-1993)

by Duane Campbell

On March 31, 2017, Eleven states and numerous cities will hold holidays celebrating labor and Latino leader Cesar Chavez.
Conferences, marches and celebrations will occur in numerous cities and particularly in rural areas of the nation. A recent film Cesar Chavez: An American Hero, starring Michael Peña as Cesar Chavez and Rosario Dawson as Dolores Huerta presents important parts of this union story.  With the work of the Chicano/Mexican American Digital History Project their story of union organizing will begin to be covered in all public school history texts in California this year,
The current UFW leadership, as well as former UFW leaders and current DSA Honorary Chairs Eliseo Medina and Dolores Huerta are recognized leaders in the ongoing efforts to achieve comprehensive immigration reform in the nation.
UFW President Arturo Rodriquez says, “We urge Republicans to abandon their political games that hurt millions of hard-working, taxpaying immigrants and their families, and help us finish the job by passing legislation such as the comprehensive reform bill that was approved by the Senate on a bipartisan vote in June 2013,” Rodriguez said. “The UFW will not rest until the President's deferred relief is enacted and a permanent immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants, is signed into law.” www.UFW.org

Mayor, Activists, Protest ICE Forum with Sheriff Jones

Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg took aim Monday at Sheriff Scott Jones’ decision to host a public forum with the nation’s top immigration enforcement official, calling the decision “cynical” and “mean.”

Steinberg said he will be joined by a large group of protesters before the Tuesday forum with Jones and acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan. Labor unions, faith leaders and pro-immigrant groups are expected at the vigil, while state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León is expected to attend the forum.

“This is the worst time for an elected official to organize such a forum to stoke the fears of people, people who are already afraid,” Steinberg said. “We’re going to make it clear that the people of Sacramento stand with those who are just trying to make a place for themselves in our great country and in our great state.”


Read more here: ht

tp://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article141063718.html#storylink=cpy

“We wanted to come here to send a very clear message: (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is not welcomed here,” said Salvador Sarmiento of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.

See more below

Community "Forum" with Sheriff Jones and ICE

New address: THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY (PROBATION)  YOUTH GYM

4000  Branch Center Road

Sacramento, CA  95827

5:OO P.M.

Trump Is Relocating Immigration Judges To Speed Deportations. It May Not Work. | The Huffington Post

Trump Is Relocating Immigration Judges To Speed Deportations. It May Not Work. | The Huffington Post

Campesinos de California realizaron la Marcha por la Justicia en honor a...

A Guide on the Protection of Immigrant Children From the Trump Enforcement Machine

 Tools and Resources to help protect immigrant youth and their families in case of ICE, immigration, raids and enforcement efforts.
Prepared by the American Federation of Teachers.
Excellent resources.
Downloadable copy  at aflcio.org/immigrationresources. 

Cesar Chavez March : A Working Class Hero

Trump Lies About Immigrants

President Trump has made up three tall tales to criminalize, criticize and reject immigrants in the United States. These stories are full of lies, but he’s repeated them so often that many Americans have started to believe them.

So let’s refute all three, one by one.

1. Undocumented immigrants are criminals.

This is Trump’s core story. When he launched his presidential bid in June 2015, he famously said that undocumented immigrants from Mexico are “bringing drugs; they’re bringing crime; they’re rapists.” And during his first speech before Congress recently, he again likened immigrants to “gang members, drug dealers and criminals.”

Here’s the truth about undocumented immigrants in the U.S.: A huge majority, 97% in fact, are good people. That number comes from a Migration Policy Institute study, which found that less than 3% of undocumented immigrants have committed a felony. It also found that American-born residents are twice as likely to commit a felony as immigrants are.

Crime statistics also demonstrate a correlation between having more undocumented immigrants and lower crime rates at the national level. Between 1990 and 2013, the number of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. tripled, from 3.5 million to 11.2 million. During that time, violent crime in America dropped by 48%, according to data from the FBI. Despite these facts, Trump insists on vilifying immigrants, and continues to push his “bad hombres” myth.

2. Immigrants are costly for the United States.

Another lie — and one that’s easy to refute by doing the math. Yes, it’s true that undocumented immigrants benefit from some social services and that their children get free public education all the way through high school. That costs money — but immigrants also contribute by paying taxes and creating jobs. The greatest irony is that undocumented workers also contribute part of their earnings to Social Security and Medicare, services from which they will never benefit.

Call your senators today SB 54, SB 6

Dear community partner, Last week, the California Values Act, SB 54 (de León), and the Due Process for All Act, SB 6 (Hueso), cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee and are now heading to a vote by the full Senate. The Due Process for All Act (SB 6) would provide access to qualified counsel to immigrants in deportation or removal proceedings, while the California Values Act (SB 54) would ensure that state and local resources are not used to fuel mass deportations, separate families, or spread fear throughout our communities. We need your help to pass these critical bills in the Senate! . CALL YOUR SENATORS to support both SB 54 and SB 6 TODAY: The following Senators need to hear from you! . Northern California  Senator Mike McGuire (Healdsburg): 916-651-4002 Senator Bill Dodd (Napa): 916-651-4003 Senator Cathleen Galgiani (Stockton): 916-651-4005 Senator Steve Glazer (Contra Costa): 916-651-4007 . Central Coast  Senator Hannah Beth Jackson (Santa Barbara): 916-651-4019 . Southern California Senator Ben Allen (Santa Monica): 916-651-4026 Senator Steven Bradford (Gardena): 916-651-4035 Senator Connie Leyva (Chino): 916-651-4020 Senator Tony Mendoza (Artesia): 916-651-4032 Senator Josh Newman (Fullerton): 916-651-4029 Senator Anthony Portantino (Pasadena): (916) 651-4025 Senator Richard Roth (Riverside):  916-651-4031 Senator Henry Stern (Canoga Park, Ventura): 916-651-4027 . Call-in Script: Hello, my name is _______ and I am calling from _______ (indicate city if you are a constituent) to ask Senator ________ to support an inclusive SB 6, the Due Process for All Act, and a strong SB 54, the California Values Act, which will both be voted on in the Senate floor next week. I urge the Senator be on the right side of history, not on the side of the California Sheriff's shameful collusion with Trump's anti-immigrant agenda. Will the Senator support SB 54 and SB 6? . PROTEST LA SHERIFF MCDONNELL As we call our Senators to stay committed to the immigrant community in California, we also need to hold Sheriffs accountable for their efforts to kill this bill. If you are in Los Angeles this Wednesday, come out to this community action against Sheriff McDonnell’s opposition to SB 54. . SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS As opposition mounts for proposals that aim to protect our communities, we need you to help lead the resistance. We cannot let Trump and his racist administration destroy our communities. Call the State Senators today, and share this email with others in your network. Together we can make these bills a reality!

Migrant Justice Organizers Arrested by ICE; Response Needed

Our family needs your help now more than ever.

On Friday, March 17th, Enrique “Kike” Balcaza and Zully Palacios were heading home after an organizational meeting when ICE agents arrested them and took them into custody. Kike and Zully are both leaders at Migrant Justice and Cosecher@s organizing towards “A Day Without Immigrants” in Vermont, and it’s clear that they were targeted because of their advocacy work.

Sign Migrant Justice's petition to #FreeKike and #FreeZully.

Earlier today Zully was finally allowed to see a lawyer after 24 hours and sent a message to all her supporters:

“To fight for our rights is nothing bad. It’s a right we all have. Thank you for your support and please don't be worried about me. That here inside I’m sending my energy to you to win our rights and keep fighting. Together we are more.”

This is the time for our movement to come out and support our family!

After you sign the petition, please share it along with a photo or video of yourself asking for Kike and Zully to be released.

We will not be silenced or cave into fear, we will continue to organize for the permanent protection, dignity, and respect of all undocumented immigrants in this country.

In Solidarity,

Brenda and the whole Cosecha family

Sacramento Marches Demand State Sanctuary Law

Duane Campbell
Over 1,500  marchers from around California descended on the Capitol on Wednesday  March 15,  seeking to pass SB 54: The California Values Act which would significantly prohibit local law enforcement from coordination with federal immigration agents.  While many cities and counties have sanctuary policies, this bill would  make it a state law and shield many immigrants from mass deportation efforts of the federal authorities. The bill is strongly opposed by the Association of County Sheriffs who manage county jails and receive federal funds for their cooperation.

  The massive demonstration on Wednesday was organized primarily by PICO of California and supported by immigrant rights organizations up and down the state.  The events began at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento in Sacramento, and then marchers proceeded to the Capitol to hear a rousing support speech from the President of the California Senate Kevin de León.

PICO is a structured multi racial organizing project with roughly equal participation and leadership from African American, Mexican, Latino, and Anglo religious traditions.

After singing civil rights songs in English and Spanish, and hearing speeches, the crowd entered to Capitol chanting One People: One Fight.  Delegations to legislative office insisted on the passage of SB 54, and SB 6 that would provide funds for legal defense of immigrants, as well as SB 31, the Religious Freedom Act which would prohibit any state agency from collecting information on religious affiliation and sharing that federal authorities – such as in creating a Muslim list.  

Major Immigration Demonstration - Wednesday - Sacramento

Note: Location of start of the demonstration. 

The Long History of Deportation Scare Tactics at the U.S.-Mexico Border | Portside

The Long History of Deportation Scare Tactics at the U.S.-Mexico Border | Portside

Sanctuary Cities and Federal Funds: How Will California Be Affected? - California Budget & Policy Center

Sanctuary Cities and Federal Funds: How Will California Be Affected? - California Budget & Policy Center

Las opciones si ICE toca a su puerta | Noticiero | Noticias Telemundo

Interview with Senator Kamala Harris

Excellent podcast on the life history of Senator Kamala Harris on the Axe files, with David Axelrod.
http://podcast.cnn.com/the-axe-files-david-axelrod/episode/all/1wYcAZTsIT7yl2/2muy1v.1-1.html

Stand With Immigrants

A Day Without A Woman

Stand With Us! State Capitol. March 15,

Trump Signs New Travel Ban order

Today President Trump signed a revised version of his executive order that would for the first time rewrite U.S.  immigration policy to bar migrants from predominantly Muslim nations, removing citizens of Iraq from the original travel embargo and scrapping a provision that explicitly protected religious minorities.

The new executive order says,

“Nationals from the countries previously identified under section 217(a)(12) of the INA warrant additional scrutiny in connection with our immigration policies because the conditions in these countries present heightened threats. Each of these countries is a state sponsor of terrorism, has been significantly compromised by terrorist organizations, or contains active conflict zones. Any of these circumstances diminishes the foreign government’s willingness or ability to share or validate important information about individuals seeking to travel to the United States. Moreover, the significant presence in each of these countries of terrorist organizations, their members, and others exposed to those organizations increases the chance that conditions will be exploited to enable terrorist operatives or sympathizers to travel to the United States. Finally, once foreign nationals from these countries are admitted to the United States, it is often difficult to remove them, because many of these countries typically delay issuing, or refuse to issue, travel documents.”

NYTimes. Glenn Thrush

The order, which comes about a month after federal judges blocked Mr. Trump’s haphazardly executed ban in January on residents from seven Middle Eastern and African countries, will not affect people who had previously been issued visas — a change that the administration hopes will avoid the chaos, protests and legal challenges that followed the first order….

Demián Bichir: What To Do If Immigration Agents Are At Your Door

Mensaje completo de la 'dreamer' mexicana a Trump