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WHERE AS plastic bags consume massive amounts of energy in their production, and are made up of substances derived from petroleum that can take up to 1000 years to decompose. Furthermore, they decompose into toxic particles that become part of the soil and water and have been linked to endocrine disruption which leads to cancers, birth defects, immune system suppression and developmental problems in children; and
WHERE AS there is no limit on the discarding of plastic bags, contributing to the contamination and pollution in cities, land and ocean ecosystems, threatening numerous plant and animal species, and our water supplies; and
WHERE AS each year 500 billion plastic bags are used in the world, of which a tiny fraction of them are recycled. The United States and the European Union consume 80% of the worlds production of plastic bags, with California consuming 19 billion bags a year; and
WHERE AS bills passed like Assembly bill 2449 in California, which requires large retail stores to provide recycling bins to help consumers recycle plastic, are not enough to halt the damaging use of plastic bags in our communities; and
WHERE AS it is a basic human right that Latino communities learn the toxic effects of plastic bag use, as it is often marginalized communities that are the most effected by environmental damage;
1. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the organizations represented by delegates at the National Latino Congress endorse and promote reusable, harmless and biodegradable bag use instead of plastic bag use in the Latino community; and
2. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the ALIADI will begin the campaign in 2010 by linking with environmental groups on the local, national and international level, as the Latino community is often left out of the environmental movement and awareness.
No olvides la Bolsa del Mandado!
El Mundo te lo Agradecerá!
Que es el Movimiento Azul?
El movimiento azul nace como una alternativa para detener el impacto residual genera a traves del uso de bolsas plasticas y del cual gran cantidad se concentra en los oceanos, como una muestra podemos ver las imagenes que este sitio web nos ofrece en diferentes estudios y articulos que analizan este problema y ofrece graficas y fotos:
http://www.algalita.org/Algalita-in-the-News-2008.html
El Movimiento Azul busca la reversion del daño que se ha causado a los ecosistemas y a la salud publica deteniendo el uso de bolsas plásticas entre la comunidad latina en los Estados Unidos.
Es un derecho humano básico que nuestras comunidades tengan información sobre los efectos tóxicos de las bolsas plásticas en la salud.
Mas razones de porqué debemos detener el uso de bolsas plásticas?
La producción de bolsas de plástico consume grandes cantidades de energía.
Se calcula que el tiempo de vida de una bolsa plástica es de 8 minutos.
Cada año se usan y desechan 500 billones de bolsas plásticas en el mundo, de esta cantidad solo una pequeña fracción es reciclada.
Los Estados Unidos y Europa consumen el 80 por ciento de la producción mundial de bolsas de plástico.
Algunas de las substancias derivadas del petróleo tardan hasta 1000 años en descomponerse, dejando sus partículas toxicas mezclarse con la tierra y el agua, lo cual ha sido relacionado con enfermedades que afectan a los seres humanos como cáncer, defectos en recién nacidos, afectaciones en el sistema endocrinológico, depresión del sistema inmunológico y problemas en el desarrollo de los niño, entre otros.
No hay un limite ni control en el desecho de bolsas plásticas en el medio ambiente y eso ocasiona que la mayoría terminen en los bosques o los océanos donde millones de animales, entre ellos aves, delfines, tortugas, pingüinos y otras especies, corran el riesgo de tragarlas y morir asfixiados.
Que podemos hacer?
Obtener una bolsa hecha de materiales biodegradables, la cual pueda ser utilizada una y otra vez cuando se va de compras.
Preguntarle a las personas de la tienda donde usted hace sus compras si tienen bolsas biodegradables. (El papel puede ser mejor)
Educar a sus hijos, amigos, vecinos, compañeros de trabajo.
Invitarnos a hacer una presentación, nosotros vamos a donde guste.
Y recuerde que los bosques, los océanos, sus hijos y pricipalmene su salud, se lo agradecerán.
Infórmese mas en nuestro sitio Web: aliadi.org
Nosotros somos el futuro!
Por un mundo sin fronteras!
Miguel Robles
415 3681576
http://www.aliadi.org
http://balasc.org
“We have waited patiently for a workable solution to our immigration crisis to be taken up by this Congress and our President. The time for waiting is over,” stated Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) upon introducing the first comprehensive immigration reform bill in over 2 years. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act (CIR ASAP) and its 90+ sponsors represent a commitment to move immigration reform forward. SIREN will be analyzing the bill thoroughly and discussing the six titles with the community for input.
Below is a brief summary of the major components of the bill:
Legalization: The bill would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a 6-year conditional non-immigrant visa, providing them with a valis social security number, work authorization, and the right to travel outside the country. They must register with the government, pass a criminal background check, pay a $500 fine, show they’ve paid their taxes, and learn English and U.S. civics. After six years, once the backlog clears, they could apply for lawful permanent residence (LPR) with a path to U.S. citizenship. AgJobs and the DREAM Act are included in the bill so tht farmworkers and students would be able to apply for LPR status before the 6-year wait.
Visa Backlog Reduction: Unused visas from the labor and family-based preference system from 1992 to 2008 would be used to reduce the current backlog. The 322,000 spouses and children of LPRs would be treated the same as the spouses and children of citizens, exempting them from the annual immigration cap and allowing them to apply for a green card immediately.
Strengthening U.S. Economy and Workforce: A Commission on Labor Markets and Immigration would be created to set employment-based immigration policies and study immigration impacts. Employment-based visas would be increased. Some skilled temporary immigrants will be able to adjust regardless of visa availability and low-skilled immigrants for whom there have been no legal visas available would get up to 100,000 visas per year for the first three years, allocated through a lottery system. After that time, the labor commission will make its recommendations regarding employment-based immigration admissions. There would be greater protections for H1B and H2B workers.
Enforcement: The bill would focus more resources at border ports of entry to combat the smuggling of arms, drugs, and people. It contains provisions to increase the accountability of border enforcement. It also includes local involvement in border enforcement planning.
The bill includes standards for detention, such as access to medical care and telephones, a complaint process, and transfers. It promotes greater use of alternatives to detention and offers more protection for asylum seekers and other vulnerable populations including families.
Among other things, the bill would repeal INA section 287(g), a provision of immigration law relating to cooperation between state and local enforcement agencies and ICE, a provision misused by some local agencies such as in Arizona. It makes clear that the federal government is responsible for enforcing immigration laws, and the federal responsibility pre-empts state and local laws that have been passed to enforce immigration laws. An Ombudsman’s office would be established within ICE. The bill would end the one-year deadline for applying for asylum.
Electronic Employment Verification: The bill will make an Electronic Employment Verification System mandatory, but it would be rolled out over three years, conditioned upon the system’s accuracy and ability to protect the privacy of individuals. Employers would face stiffer penalties for evading or misusing the system, and there would be due process protections for workers denied work due to erroneous records. It prohibits the creation of a national ID card.
Integration and Citizenship: The bill provides for an $80 million grants program for organizations that help immigrants with outreach, civics, English, and citizenship application assistance. It waives the English and civics naturalization requirements for permanent residents who have graduated from a U.S. high school, and for certain older persons.
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La Lucha: SEIU Local 1877 Statewide Elections 2009
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SEIU Local 1877’s Statewide Elections: A Look Into Local Union Politics
November 26, 2009 by sharale
During the summer of 2009, I spent two months working with labor unions in the industrial sector in Nicaragua. As an international intern for United Students Against Sweatshops, I lived with a family of union organizers, shadowing them to training workshops and planning meetings, compiled extensive research about specific cases of labor rights violations, and interviewed workers and organizers in the labor rights movement from the local to national level. I had already been active with the Stanford Labor Action Coalition (SLAC), a campus group that organizes with workers at Stanford to protect their rights, but my experience in Nicaragua gave me a far greater conceptual understanding of the logic and politics of labor rights organizing, as a necessity for workers who are suffering daily but also as a site for structural change in a society that systemically oppresses its working class.
After returning to school from Nicaragua, I became increasingly interested in understanding union politics locally. Over the past three months, I spent time with workers active in their union. I attended meetings with them on campus with Stanford workers, with union members employed by other companies in the area, joined the protests organized by SEIU, observed the elections in late October, and most importantly, got to know the workers and organizers. This is a collection of glimpses into the importance of union representation to workers as well as the challenges they face in voicing their needs and exercising control within their own union.
In the San Jose SEIU Local 1877 office.
The majority of the janitors who clean and maintain Stanford University are represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1877. 18 million janitors in California as well as another 5 million workers in other sectors such as airport maintenance and security make up SEIU Local 1877 statewide.
“Nosotros los janitors sí necesitamos una unión, sí queremos estar organizados, sí queremos estar unidos, sí queremos luchar por mejorar nuestros salarios, nuestros beneficios, y condiciones.“
-Trabajador en Stanford
“We the janitors do need a union, we do want to be organized, we do want to be united, we do want to fight for better salaries, benefits, and conditions.”
-Stanford worker
Mural at the SEIU Local 1877 office in San Jose
Fighting for Workers
During the late summer and fall of 2009, workers at Colony Landscaping, one of the subcontractors hired by Stanford to hire workers to maintain the campus premises and work on construction, came forward to SEIU and to SLAC about abuses they were experiencing. Colony Landscaping had not been paying many of their workers the living wage, a violation of Stanford contractor rules. They had not been giving their employees adequate health care coverage, any paid vacation days or sick leave. Colony was not allowing workers to use protective gear when spraying poison chemicals because, Colony management reportedly stated, “it would scare the students.” Workers at Colony were not allowed to organize a union to bargain for better treatment, and the company actively intimidated workers with demands to produce proof of legal status.
The union successfully intervened to demand a living wage and back pay for those workers who had not been paid a living wage for the past several years. Finally, on October 9th, 2009, three of these workers were fired in what the union believed to be retaliation for standing up for these workers’ rights.
SEIU Local 1877 organized protests at Colony’s headquarters several times throughout the the fall to deliver the message to Colony that they must end these injustices and pay a living wage. Though SLAC has met with Stanford administrative officials, Stanford has been slow to act on these violations of its policy. Colony’s contract with Stanford will expire soon.
SEIU 1877 organizer Diana Aventura tells Colony, “Si no hay unión, no hay paz” (“No union, no peace”) at a rally on December 4th, 2009
Flyer by the Stanford Labor Action Coalition for a rally against Colony Landscaping’s labor rights violations
“Colony: Respeta el proceso para organizarnos” (“Colony respect our right to organize”)
Diana Aventura and Frankie Preciado, organizers with SEIU Local 1877 tell Colony managers about the concerns the workers had raised about labor rights violations at Colony headquarters during a rally on November 6, 2009.
A colony worker looks on during a rally and delegation to tell Stanford to pick a responsible contractor after Colony’s contract expires.
Workers after a rally at Colony headquarters.
The Struggle Inside
Though the work of the union in protecting workers’ rights is recognized and appreciated, many workers are gravely concerned about their treatment within the union’s structure. Namely, they feel, the bureaucracy of SEIU is increasingly anti-democratic. The current president of Local 1877, Mike García, has been in power for over twenty years. Workers feel that his administration is not concerned with fighting for their needs, while he receives an upper class salary for work that is meant to represent janitors, some of the lowest paid workers in the country.
Part of the problem is the lack of democratic systems within the union’s functioning. There is little discussion between representatives and the larger union membership. However, there are also charges of additional financial corruption. Precisely because the type of work exemplified by what SEIU Local 1877 organizers have done around rectifying Colony Landscaping’s abuses is so crucial, some workers are starting to organize themselves to reform the union and ensure that such campaigns are frequent and democratically run. On October 29th, SEIU Local 1877 held statewide elections for president, vice president, and executive board positions. Many of these workers organized a slate to challenge the administraiton of incumbent Mike García.
Doroteo García, candidate for vicepresident and leader in the campaign to make the union more democratic.
Doroteo García’s platform
The challenging slate was very active during the months before the election. They talked to SEIU workers on day shifts and night shifts in cities and towns from Sacramento to Los Angeles, driving hours just to talk to a group of ten workers for one. As an observer, it was apparent to me that this campaigning was in itself an accomplishment. Most workers were reluctant to participate in any discussion or listen to any speech about the union, responding at first with comments like “the union just steals our money, they don’t care what we think.” But Doroteo and others explained that this is exactly the problem, that it was time to retake the union and place decision-making power back into the hands of the membership at large, rather than a small group of administrators.
Nicolas Rivas, candidate for the executive board running with Doroteo García’s slate, campaigns in Salinas, CA.
Notes from a meeting of the slate challenging the incumbents to plan campaigning on election day.
Two workers during a discussion Doroteo leads about corruption in SEIU Local 1877.
Comparison
Almost all the janitors represented by Local 1877 are immigrants from Latin America. Several of those who are pushing for more democracy within the union remarked to me about the differences they saw between union politics in the United States and in their home countries in Central America. Some said that it is the hyper-bureaucratization of unions that is the main difference. The institutionalized nature of many big nationwide unions in the U.S. is in their opinion the reason there is such a disconnect between the regional administration’s actions and the workers’ needs and opinions. There is an absence of dialogue and more and more workers feel that they lack control and a voice in their union. During my time in Nicaragua, I too noticed this contrast. A look at how union leadership is chosen might be a metaphor for the comparison, a window into the constantly returning question of whether to prioritize democracy or efficiency?
Workers vote for the board of directors of their union at a factory near Managua, Nicaragua. There is a lot of discussion, sometimes heated, in which concerns are raised and considered before the voting begins
Workers at a national conference of a union confederation vote for their board of directors. With so many people, the process is tricky.
Ballots during the SEIU 1877 election.
Voting booths on election day for SEIU 1877
Inside of the SEIU 1877 San Jose Office
The Campaign
Though originally 23 people were running against Mike García’s slate in the election for statewide offices with SEIU 1877, the García administration allowed only 5 to run, justifying the disqualifications as consequences for the candidates’ petty technical flaws in the process to join the election, allegations that seem to be bogus.
Flyer distributed to workers listing the candidates challenging the incumbent administration. Only those candidates that have been circled in pen were not disqualified by the current administration.
Doroteo explains how the ballot works to an SEIU member during last-minute campaigning on election day.
Entering the polling location on election day
Inmar Laborio, active in the union, acts as observer on election day.
On election day two union members hold a sign that says, “Retake your union. Vote for Doroteo García, Laura Plumer, Jose La Serna.”
When there is water in the moon….
The incumbents won the election. A great deal of fraud is suspected by the challenging slate from using resources paid for by the union to campaign for the incumbent Mike García to allegations of mailing in filled out ballots in the name of workers who did not vote themselves.
One evening soon after the election results became known, Doroteo texted me the following:
“Si hay agua en la luna puede haber democracia en mi unión”
“When there is water in the moon there will be democracy in my union.”
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U.S. Immigration Policy
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act for America’s Security and Prosperity Act (CIR ASAP) of 2009 was introduced in the House of Representatives today.
For full text of the bill, click here. For a summary of the bill, click here. According to projections from the Census Bureau, white Americans will no longer be the majority by 2050.
State/Local
Police in Pennsylvania were charged today with “the cover-up of the fatal beating of a Mexican immigrant
by altering evidence or lying to the FBI in a case against two white high school football players.”A new regulation in Frederick County, MD “requires contractors to certify that they or their subcontractors
did not knowingly employ illegal immigrants” or face losing their contract.Patients of a dialysis clinic in Atlanta, GA lost their case today that would force the clinic, which provides free treatment to patients, many of whom are undocumented immigrants,
to stay open.“The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that the authorities violated the constitutional and privacy rights of people suspected of being [undocumented] immigrants when they used tax returns to try to build hundreds of identity-theft cases against them.”
The Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas is challenging a state law that allows undocumented immigrants to attend colleges and universities at in-state tuition rates.
Refugees/Asylum Seekers
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director John Morton said today that starting January 4, 2010 ICE will “stop detaining asylum seekers who have a credible fear of persecution in their home countries.
“Faith and Migration
The growing population of Latino Catholics in the U.S. both challenges the Church and provides enrichment and energy
for the larger Church community.
(english below)
Conferencia Regional sobre Decomiso de Autos
Sabado 21 de noviembre 2009
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Valencia 474 San Francisco
(Auditorio del Centro del Pueblo)
Dentro de la campaña para detener el Decomiso de Autos en contra de conductors sin licencia. En algunas ciudades se han logrado triunfos politicos significantes, pero no suficientes dada la magnitud del problema y su caracter inconstitucional.
Para revertir este problema consideramos necesario utilizar otras tacticas entre las cuales estan la legal, y la presion a nivel estatal.
Dentro del escenario legal, hemos advertido la falta de interes de parte de abogados para monitorear posibles casos ya sea individuales o colectivos y de este modo hacer demandas.
De antemano sabemos que en algunos casos los abogados interesados en este tipo de casos tienen bastante trabajo o hay abogados que no se involucran por falta de materiales en los cuales puedan basar sus litigios.
Estamos organizando la conferenica del 21 de Noviembre precisamente para proveer a esos abogados de los materiales y los testimonios necesarios para trabajar con el apoyo de las diferentes organizaciones que luchamos para detener el Decomiso de Autos en contra de conductores sin licencia. en areas del Norte de California.
Asimismo hemos tenido contacto con personal de la oficina del Senador Gil Cedillo para lanzar una campaña estatal que incluye reuniones con el Jefe del CHP y otros oficiales electos a nivel estatal, municipal y local.
El formato de la conferencia sera el siguiente:
Conferencia Regional sobre Decomiso de Autos
Sabado 21 de Noviembre 2009 San Francisco CA
10:00 am
Desayuno
10:30 am
Registro de participantes
11:00 am
Panel
Miembros de la comunidad, abogados y oficiales electos
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Talleres
1- Organizacion comuntaria.
- Testimonios
- Experiancias organizativas
- Estrategias.
2- Defensa legal.
- Bases Juridicas
- Intercambio de Experiencias
- Estrategias Legales
2:00 pm
Lanzamiento de Campaña de Unidad para Detener el Decomiso Ilegal de Autos en California.
3:00 pm
Clausura
(Regional Conference to Stop Car Impoundments
Saturday November 21st 2009
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
474 Valencia San Francisco
Centro del Pueblo (Auditorium)
This campaign is an effort to stop car impoundments against unlicensed drivers.
In several cities with progressive authorities, we have reached significant political achievements, but this is not enough, considering the size of the problem and its unconstitutional character.
To reverse the problem we consider it necessary to use additional tactics within the legal realm as well statewide pressure.
Within the legal aspect we have faced the lack of interest on the part of lawyers to monitor possible class action lawsuits or individual demands.
We know that some attorneys are interested in these kinds of cases but are too busy. Alternatively, there are attorneys who do not get involved for lack of information that they could use as the base of their demands.
Our goal in organizing the conference on November 21st is to provide lawyers with information and testimonies that they need in order to work with different organizations that are struggling to stop the car impoundments against unlicensed drivers in Northern California.
We also have been in contact with the office of Senator Gil Cedillo and they have showed interest in organize a meeting with the CHP Chief and other senators & assemblymen.
Below is the program:
Regional Conference to Stop Car Impoundment
10:00 am
Breakfast
10:30 am
Registration
11:00 am
Panel
Elected officials, Attorneys and Community Members
12:00 – 2:00 pm
Workshops
1- Community Organization
- Testimonies
- Organizational experiences
- Strategies
2- Legal Defense
- Laws
- Feedback of experiences
- Legal strategy
2:00 pm
Launching of Unity Campaign to Stop Car Impoundments in California.
3:00 pm
Closure
In case you have not seen the racist anti-immigrant commercials airing on local television, below are the links of lies and the links of facts.
All networks airing this racist hate speech should be called and emailed to demand the removal of these commercials attacking our immigrant community members.
We will have an action:
Contact: 415 3688481
When: November 3rd at 5:00 pm
Where: KRON 4 News, 1001 Van Ness, San Francisco
What: Stop Hate Speech on TV Against Immigrant Families
Here are the Myths:
http://www.capsweb.org/content.php
id=37&menu_id=8&menu_item_id=65#television
Here are the Facts:
http://www.aclu.org/immigrants/34870pub20080411.html
http://www.uschamber.com/NR/rdonlyres/e33skwh6fpcle6
afyoz44ysuqkmtjaq3wrlhszzufr2fyucjuaxk7dvtzuoin6bej7gje
7isy2yo6rmc5hb6n4kxdje/14484ImmigrationMythFacts.pdf
http://www.wcvi.org/intermestic_initiatives/FinalWCVIW
hitePaperLegalization.pdf
Don’t let them go farther or we will be overcome by fascism and hate. Ads like this can lead to violence against immigrants and even citizens of Latin American descent.
Senate Joint Resolution No. 19
Introduced by Senator Cedillo
September 3, 2009
Senate Joint Resolution No. 19-Relative to immigration.
legislative counsel’s digest SJR 19, as introduced, Cedillo.
Enforcement of immigration laws.
This measure would condemn specified policies and practices of federal
agencies regarding the enforcement of immigration laws, and would urge
Congress and the President of the United States to declare an
immediate moratorium on those policies and practices until a
comprehensive reform of immigration laws is enacted and implemented.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, The State of California values all of its residents, whether
they be citizens, legal residents, or undocumented immigrants, and
strives to enable all residents to work and live free from
discrimination, exploitation, and repressive federal immigration
enforcement; and
WHEREAS, In California, the population of which is expected to
increase to 54 million by 2040-including a Latino population of 27
million, a Caucasian population of 16 million, and an Asian population
of 7 million-immigrants are and will continue to be a critical
resource; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Census Bureau, 1 of every 8
people living in the United States is an immigrant and approximately
one-third of those immigrants are undocumented; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 8.1 million undocumented workers in
the United States economy comprising 15 percent of the national labor
force with an annual federal tax contribution of more than $30
billion; and
WHEREAS, There is clear evidence that undocumented workers are
currently making great contributions to the national economy; and
WHEREAS, In California alone, there are 8.9 million immigrants, making
up 26 percent of the total population and one-third of California’s
labor force, who figure prominently in agriculture, manufacturing,
construction, and service industries. Those immigrants pay
approximately $4.5 billion in state taxes each year, significantly
contributing to California’s economy; and
WHEREAS, In California, the average immigrant- headed household
contributes a net of $2,679 annually to social security, which is $539
more than the average household headed by a person born in the United
States; and
WHEREAS, Immigrants are among California’s most productive
entrepreneurs, and have created jobs for tens of thousands of
Californians. By 2000, immigrant owners of Silicon Valley companies
created 72,839 jobs and generated more than $19.5 billion in sales.
Google, Sun Microsystems, eBay, and Yahoo! are all companies that were
founded or cofounded by immigrants; and
WHEREAS, In the absence of comprehensive federal immigration reform,
the program initiated under the Bush administration known as
“Operation Return to Sender,” the federal Department of Homeland
Security, through the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE), conducted aggressive raids in homes and workplaces in efforts
to locate, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants; and
WHEREAS, The Obama administration, in order to take action and
implement some type of enforcement while federal comprehensive
immigration reform is considered, has shifted its focus to an
“enforcement only” policy in the form of aggressive unprecedented
enforcement against employers who hire immigrants; and
WHEREAS, In order to achieve better enforcement, the federal
Department of Homeland Security and the federal Social Security
Administration seek to require use of the E-Verify system, federal
employment verification, audits of profiled companies that hire
immigrants, and expansion of police-ICE collaboration. As a result,
employers may well engage in prohibited behavior, such as using
verification programs for purposes other than verifying employment
eligibility or to prescreen employment candidates, resulting in
discrimination against workers; and
WHEREAS, Latino workers are among the most vulnerable and have a
higher likelihood of being disproportionately affected by these
programs; and
WHEREAS, The employer audits and the mandatory use of the E-Verify
system would affect millions of workers, and there is a concern for
the broader and negative implications that an expansion of the use of
E-Verify by all other sectors will have on the United States workforce
during this difficult economic crisis; and
WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a mandatory E-
Verify employment verification program would decrease federal revenue
by $17.3 billion over 10 years because more workers would be paid “off
the books”; and
WHEREAS, In light of the economic crisis our country is currently
facing, excessive employer auditing and mandatory use of the E-Verify
system add an additional burden to businesses and employers as they
are being forced to lay off thousands of workers; and
WHEREAS, Companies such as Overhill Farms, American Apparel, Farmer
Johns, and Micro Solutions, among others, have been drastically
affected by the aggressive enforcement of immigration laws; and
WHEREAS, Raids, employer audits, and mandatory use of the E-Verify
system harm immigrants, their employers, their communities, and our
economy and are disruptive to communities where immigrants have
settled and contribute to the growth of local communities; and
WHEREAS, Trying to deport 10 million undocumented immigrants would
cost at least $206 billion over 5 years, according to a study by the
Center for American Progress; and
WHEREAS, If workers targeted by these enforcement efforts were removed
from the workforce, the effects would ripple through many industries
as they would face substantial shortages of workers; and
WHEREAS, We cannot speak of resolving the current economic crisis, or
important health or security concerns, without addressing the
interwoven issue of immigration; and
WHEREAS, The recent actions of ICE run counter to the principles of
this country, which was founded on immigration and where early Irish,
Italian, Asian, and African American families founded some of the
country’s most important institutions; and
WHEREAS, The increase and severity of ICE’s actions in our country
only underscores the absolute ineffectiveness of current federal
immigration policy and the urgent need for comprehensive immigration
reform; and
WHEREAS, Our current immigration system is broken and greatly in need
of reform. In order to create real, long- lasting reform, we must
create a pathway to legal status for the millions of undocumented
immigrants who have made lives for themselves and their families in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, After a meeting between President Barack Obama, Canadian
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon
in Guadalajara, Mexico, President Obama announced that immigration
reform legislation will have to wait until 2010; and
WHEREAS, If reform is not possible this year, relief in the form of a
moratorium on employer sanctions, raids, deportations, the use of E-
Verify, and prolonged detention for immigration-related offenses is
absolutely necessary to maintain stability in our communities and to
minimize economic disruption. A moratorium on the Obama enforcement
strategy will provide temporary relief from the policies and practices
that are tearing up the integrity and unity of our families and at the
same time provide the federal government the necessary time to
propose, debate, and enact comprehensive immigration reform; and
WHEREAS, Without a balanced approach on immigration and economic
recovery, security planning, public health, and the lives of 12 to 18
million people will remain in limbo; and WHEREAS, Former federal
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently announced that one of her
biggest regrets during her term of service for the Bush administration
was not achieving immigration reform. She also stated immigrants were
critical to the country’s financial health, and that reform was needed
to fuel the next round of economic growth, referring to immigrants as
“one of the strongest elements not only of our national wealth, but
also of our national soul”; and
WHEREAS, We are a nation of immigrants that continues to be a beacon
of hope and liberty, attracting the best and brightest from across the
globe who fight to start a better life in our country and take part in
the American dream; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and
the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature
hereby condemns the excessive employer audits, mandatory use of the E-
Verify system, immigration raids, arrests, detentions, and
deportations of undocumented immigrants conducted by the federal
Department of Homeland Security, through the Bureau of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature
urges Congress and the President of the United States to declare an
immediate moratorium on the aggressive, unprecedented enforcement of
employer sanctions, including excessive audits of profiled companies
that hire immigrants, the expanded use of the E-Verify system, the
federal system of employment verification, the expansion of police-ICE
collaboration, and immigration raids in the State of California, until
our nation can enact and implement a comprehensive and just reform of
our immigration laws with a comprehensive immigration program that
recognizes the broad contributions immigrants have made to the fabric
of the country; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the
Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and the
Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, and to each Senator and representative from
California in the Congress of the United States.
Come and support the Latin American Alliance for Immigrant Rights ALIADI, on it’s Annual Fundraising.
Mexico: Democracy, Migration
& Human Rights
(From Tlatelolco to Calderon)
Come and support the Latin American Alliance for Immigrant Rights, ALIADI, on it’s Annual Fundraising.
Contact: 415 3688481
Friday, October 2, 2009, from 6:30pm – 10:30pm
522 Valencia Street (Third floor Auditorium)
Discussion panel on Democracy Migration and Human Rights:
John Gibler
Journalist and author of: Mexico Unconquered (Chronicles of Power and Revolt)
Aida Cervantes
Professor on international relations, UNAM and El Colegio de Mexico, alumni
Miguel Robles
Activist Founder/coordinator of ALIADI
Learn about our educational campaigns on:
Implementation of City ID Cards
To stop the Car impounding
And the alternatives for social & economical Integration for immigrant workers and their families and the federal context on an Immigration Reform.
Mark Silverman
Immigration Legal Resource Center
Armida Sawan
ALIADI
Miguel Perez
ALIADI/MUA
Musical performance by: Valerie Orth Rupa Diana Gameros
Spoken word with Alfonso Texedor.
Cultural Activist, Editor of EL Tecolote News Paper.
ALIADI stands for the Alianza Latinoamericana por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes, a network of community members throughout California who share information and resources to uphold the rights and social integration of our immigrant community. www.aliadi.org
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