Which Side Are You On ?

  Which Side Are You On ?

The Border is Invading America.  August 29,2025.  NY Times. Opinion.  Jean Guerrero. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/opinion/immigration-border-politics.html?unlocked_article

 Press title. Americs's Border Politics Are Coming for Your Rights. 

This piece is a misinformed application of a series of bankrupt, unrealistic political  arguments. 

Each of what is said is relatively accurate.  But, what is not said, is far more important. Yes, the Democrats did not do enough on immigration during the last  two decade. But, the fascist currently in power not only are worse, their movement is organized to destroy U.S. democracy, not only to oppose more immigration.  Yes, the author notes the terror, but that terror is connected to a political project of taking over the nation.  It is not only terror against immigrants. 

So, take each of the points argued and listed as Democratic Party weakness. But, what is not said. Well, Obama tried to pass the Dream Act, when it failed he created the Dreamers where 640,000 achieved some legality. The Democrats failed to pass real immigration reform- in part because of the arguments like those in the piece.

Biden, on day 1, tried to pass comprehensive immigration reform. It would have covered about 13 million.  It failed. Others tried to pass the Farm Modernization Act, it would have covered 3 million plus.  It failed.  Biden dismantled the many horrendous practices of Trump 2016-2020;

Who has been admitted.- and not considered in the essay ?  By my count is 4,700,000 in H-1 B, H-2A, refugees, Temporary Protected Status, refugees, and more. I am not arguing each of these programs were good.  When claiming there is little difference between the Democrats and the MAGA Crowd, you do need to count. 

I am uncertain if the author’s purpose is the support the MAGA claim that the actions of the Democrats on immigration are not significantly different that the current  militarized terrorism in the streets. This is a dangerous false argument supporting the destruction of our democratic constitutional order.

Or is there some other purpose ? I don’t know.  

But, this is a perspective being promoted on line particularly in right wing circles. The argument is neither right nor left.  It is nihilist and based  ignoring substantial history of change in immigration policies during the last two decades and upon totally unrealistic political perspectives and how change is made in the U.S.  The argument has contributed to the 40 year failure to adopt realistic political reform. 

Dr. Duane Campbell.  40 years engaged in the struggle for immigrants’ rights.

Author, Choosing Democracy – a practical guide to multicultural education.  1996- 2010.  Allyn and Bacon. 

 

 

California Resources for Immigrant Protection

 

https://www.cta.org/our-advocacy/immigration/daca-resources

A union doing its job., 

H-1B ("16 tons" song parody) Immigrants Exploitation

Brought to you by Elon Musk. Formerly and illegal alien.  Now a MAGA Oligarch. 

Defend Immigrants' Rights

 

Immigrants. Know Your Rights

Access to information in English and Spanish.

LULAC. League of United Latin American Citizens.

https://lulac.org/know_your_rights/ 

 

Resources for 2025 North Star Caucus of DSA.
Defeat Fascism / Fight for Democracy: 
Action Opportunities: Including Defense of Immigrants. 

 

Similar to our 2024 hub, this site is for finding opportunities to take actions which make a difference.  It is not a site for opinion essays. 

The hub is here. Feel free to share with others. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cRIJsSJwtF72ckJ8QLQu5cDCGnoeh5OIIjwqRkDKdBg/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.es6myhajhn20

Election is Over. Cosecha

 

Just like you, I woke up today to the terrible news that Donald Trump is the President-Elect of the United States. A cloud of uncertainty hovers over our lives as undocumented immigrant workers. Fear, felt across the country. Among my family and friends. But here's one thing bringing me hope: Movimiento Cosecha has been fighting for the immigrant community since Trump’s first term.  The last time he was president, undocumented organizers in my state of New Jersey mobilized at historic levels to win driver's licenses for all and state-funded aid for workers affected by the pandemic. Cosecha is movement run by undocumented workers, mostly single women, who day by day organize their communities, lead mutual aid hubs, join campaign calls, and fight back to protect their families. Trump promised to carry out a mass deportation against immigrants. He promised to tear families apart, to put children in cages, and to set up horrific concentration camps for immigrant families along the southern border. We promise you that we will not be moved. We recommit to protecting and fighting for our communities at any cost. Movimiento Cosecha won’t allow Trump’s plans to be successful. We’re fighting for a better world for everyone - a world where everyone can live without fear and with respect and dignity, regardless of their immigration status. With only two months left before his presidency, build with us and help us fight back. Become a monthly sustainer or make a one-time donation now to support our work:

The Reality Check: WHAT TRUMP CAN AND CAN'T DO TO IMMIGRANTS

The Reality Check: WHAT TRUMP CAN AND CAN'T DO TO IMMIGRANTS: WHAT TRUMP CAN AND CAN'T DO TO IMMIGRANTS By David Bacon Dollars and Sense | January/February 2017 https://dollarsandsense.org/archives/...

This is a valuable summary from 2017.  Many things have changed since then.

Anti-Immigrant Campaigns in California

 The Immigration fight in this election is real. We should not assume all will be well.

 

In “liberal” California in 1994. Then Governor Pete Wilson ( Republican)was far behind in his election campaign.

A proposed ballot initiative Save Our State was placed on the ballot by anti immigrant forces. It had numerous anti- immigrant clauses, mass deportations, mass arrests, etc. It included provisions to deny immigrant children access to public schools ( they cost money). It would have required teachers to turn in students that they thought were undocumented. 

Anti-immigrant and Anti Mexican reached a level not seen since Operation Wetback in 1953-1954. Voters in California passed the Prop. 187 by a margin of 62 % to 38%. Governor Wilson focused his re-election campaign on Prop. 187 and won re-election easily. 

Subsequent.

All but one of Pro.187 provisions were blocked from enforcement by federal courts based upon the U.S. constitution.

In later years, the political mobilization in the Latino community in response to Prop.187 led to a turn around in California politics and the election of numerous Latino leaders. 

DSA in California worked night and day to defeat Prop.187, and we lost. 

 

The current  focus of the Trump campaign on immigration is using similar scapegoating, false narratives, altered images, and this week the scandal in Springfield, Ohio.

Please be aware. There is an available, hidden anti-immigrant vote in many states. Arizona, Texas and Florida have passed and are enforcing harsh bills.

The action in Texas at the border, a state with a large Mexican-American population, illustrates how these campaigns can be used to promote proto fascists governments. 

 

Capital and Main is a Los Angeles based news outlet with strong union ties.

As Election Nears, Republicans Pour Millions Into Anti-Immigrant Ad Campaign

Candidates and their supporters have spent $117 million to portray the situation at the border as an invasion.

 

https://capitalandmain.com/as-election-nears-republicans-pour-millions-into-anti-immigrant-ad-campaign

 

It would be foolish to ignore the potential of these campaigns. 

 

Duane Campbell

Sacramento.

Former member of the DSA Immigrants Rights Working Group. 

 

See, “The Blue-ing” of California.  Harold Meyerson. New Labor Forum.   CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. Jan. 2020. 

Mijente campaign of voter mobilization

 

There are 66 days left until the election, and we’re putting in every effort to mobilize voters on the frontlines of demographic change against Trump and the MAGA movement. At Mijente, the majority of our members, hub organizations, audiences and staff come from family histories and countries with civil unrest, economic inequality, and mass exploitation. And we come from peoples who have organized countermovements in resistance to authoritarian rule.   This is the energy we’re leaning into this fall, as we make sure to turn back Trump from a second term – and we need your support to reach voters in new and innovative ways. That’s exactly why we’ve been hitting key cities across the country with our Chisme 2024 tour. The tour is bringing more people into the conversation by using music, art, and culture to have meaningful discussions about the threat of another Trump presidency, the hope that we see in our local organizing, and how we build the future we want for our families.

We will not stand on the sidelines and clear a path to victory for Trump and the party that seeks to advance a disastrous agenda. Mijente Political Director Tania Unzueta shares it best saying: “In order to be able to expand the people that are involved in what’s happening in the country at the moment, we need to use different strategies. That’s the idea even behind the name of chisme, the idea that politics can look very different ways.”

First They Came for the Immigrants

 

New post on our blog.

https://www.dsanorthstar.org/blog/first-they-came-for-the-immigrants

First They Came For the Immigrants

Max Elbaum, 

 

Today’s hatemongering reflects a deeply rooted problem: a global “crisis of the right to stay home” due largely to Washington’s role in structuring the world’s economics and politics.

It Is Happening Here

Yes, a large number of migrants are trying to reach the US via crossing the US-Mexico border. But this is not at root a “border crisis.” The underlying problem is that tens of millions of people across the globe face a crisis of their right to stay at home. Migration has been a basic part of the human experience throughout history, and the right to migrate should be defended. But what the world faces today is forced migration, where millions who would prefer to stay in their homelands safely cannot do so:

“The movement of people from country to country, displaced by war, insecurity, and neoliberal economic policies, is enormous and growing… Nothing can stop this global movement, short of a radical reordering of the world’s economy and politics.” —David Bacon, Dignity or Exploitation: What Future for Farmworker Families in the United States, The Oakland Institute, 2021

As of 2020, the number of international migrants—people living outside their home country—was 281 million. This is 3.5% of the global population, compared to 2.8% in 2000 and 2.3% in 1980. And US policies are a big part of the reason for this steady increase: “neoliberal strictures, [US] support for oligarchs, and the War on Drugs have impoverished millions and destabilized Latin America.” Additionally, US militarism and failure to deal decisively with climate change are major contributors to forced migration globally.

Immigration policy in whose interests?

 

https://convergencemag.com/articles/first-they-came-for-the-immigrants/

 

Photo by David Bacon

 

  

Policy on the Migrant "Crisis"

 Immigration has been all over the news lately, and a lot of people are wondering why. Fixing our broken immigration system is an issue I care deeply about – so I figured I would explain directly.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere can’t be ignored. Asylum seekers fleeing desperate conditions and violence are coming to our border looking for safety, work, and family. 

But instead of working with Democrats to help asylum seekers, and to ensure our system is orderly, legal, and humane, Republican officials have used this humanitarian crisis to fearmonger — all to score political points against President Biden. 

Instead of recognizing the humanity of families and children seeking asylum in our country, these top Republicans choose to incite hate and use words like “invasion.” In Texas, Greg Abbott has used the crisis to attack immigrants and border communities. He signed blatantly unconstitutional “show me your papers” legislation, weaponized state law enforcement to terrorize border communities, and wasted BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars on his failed “Operation Lone Star.”

What happened to, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”? 

In Washington, Republicans are demanding sweeping policy changes to remake our immigration system in Donald Trump’s image. Reforming our broken immigration system should be a top priority, but Trump-era policy like separating families and ending asylum is not right, and it does not work to solve the problem. In fact, such policies only empower criminal organizations, endanger migrant families, and create disorder.

Here’s the truth: Republican officials want our immigration system to be broken. Instead of adding more immigration judges and administrative staff, or setting up safe, orderly pathways to migration, they would rather stoke fear and make the situation worse.

What Republican officials have floated wouldn’t even improve conditions at the border. Policies like Title 42, Remain in Mexico, mandatory detention, and mass deportations won’t fix the underlying problems. In fact, they’ll make them much, much more chaotic and dysfunctional. We know this because they’ve been tried before. It’s just more soundbites for FOX News.

We cannot allow immigrants to be the scapegoat in right wing legislators’ political games. We cannot abandon our nation’s long commitment to asylum. And we cannot pass legislation that would empower a future Trump presidency with unlimited power to inflict harm on immigrants and asylum seekers.

Immigrants make our country better. That’s always been and will always be true. All families deserve to live dignified lives free from fear of being separated, deported, or discriminated against. 

You can rest assured that I’ll keep fighting for real immigration reform that lives up to our nation’s values. If you want to support Team Casar in that fight, consider chipping in here to support our work.

Chip In »

Thank you,

-Greg

Greg Casar
Congressman 
Texas Congressional District 35

LULAC Condemns Trump and Republican Plan

 

LULAC SLAMS DONALD TRUMP'S RACIST AND EXTREME ANTI-IMMIGRANT PLANS AS INHUMANE AND UNCHRISTIAN  Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Demands Total Rejection by Faith-Based Groups and Self-Described American Patriots

 

"LULAC rejects in the strongest possible language the detestable and sick plans Trump is using in his fear-mongering quest for the White House," says Domingo Garcia, LULAC national president. "His vitriolic hate-filled speeches only inflame the deepest, most deranged hatred against immigrant Latinos and people of color. LULAC calls upon every American who believes we are a nation of immigrants and diversity to turn away from Trump's race-baiting tribal politics as dangerous. We have seen in history what happened when race-baiting, anti-Semitic, immigrant scapegoating are left unchallenged by good men and women." The 2024 election holds ominous implications for the Latino community as Trump seeks to reimplement policies from his first term, including the so-called Muslim ban and the utilization of Title 42 to reject asylum seekers. Trump intends to deport millions of immigrants, many of whom have been here for over twenty years. He says he will detain them in large concentration camps while awaiting expulsion. This image is a stark reminder of the inhumane policies that marked his previous tenure and now make up his core promise for the future. LULAC opposes any campaigning that attacks the Latino community. "We challenge candidates to stand on issues and stop the dog whistles that play to the worst stereotypes of millions of hard-working, law-abiding men, women, and children," adds Garcia. "The alarming rhetoric from the Republican field, advocating bombing Mexico and using deadly force against migrants, is a dangerous shift away from rational discourse and humane solutions." LULAC supports securing the border, reforming our immigration system to allow more legal immigration, and going after cartels and human traffickers. LULAC will be organizing large-scale Latino voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives in swing states to deliver un voto de castigo or punishment vote against the politics of hate and racism. LULAC calls upon faith-based groups and self-described American patriots to reject Trump's inhumane and un-Christian plans. The organization urges Americans to embrace a discourse centered on issues rather than divisive tactics perpetuating harmful stereotypes. As the nation's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization, LULAC remains steadfast in its commitment to defending the rights and dignity of all, irrespective of their background or immigration status.

 

 About LULAC

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.

Investigation; Prison Services for Immigrants

Our friends at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are investigating the California prison system’s treatment of people who were born in other countries or who the prison system believes were born in other countries. Specifically, the ACLU is investigating the way the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation places potential immigration/ICE holds on people and then denies programming based on a potential or active ICE hold. If you, a family member, or a friend have ever had a potential ICE hold and need assistance or wish to share your story about this please reach out to them using the information below to request a confidential legal call. They will attempt to set up a call with everyone who reaches out to them, but their ability to do so will depend on the number of people who reach out.   Maricela Sánchez ACLU of Northern California 39 Drumm Street San Francisco, CA 94111 (559) 214-0164

May Day Fairness to Freedom Act

 

We Need Humane Immigration Policies.

The Fairness to Freedom Act of 2023,  introduced by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker and Reps. Norma Torres, Pramila Jayapal and Grace Meng and co-sponsored by Sens. Alex Padilla, Ed Markey, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, would establish the right to federally funded, full-scope legal representation, require the government to facilitate access to counsel for people in its custody, and establish the Office of Immigration Representation to oversee a new national system of representation and work with existing state and locally funded removal defense programs. Please reach out to your Congressional members and ask them to cosponsor the Fairness to Freedom Act using this template email language. Here is a Social Media Toolkit to help amplify messaging on this as well. NPNA: Fairness to Freedom Act Now!

Pathway to Citizenship Proposed

 A California lawmaker is trying to create a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of undocumented farmworkers. On Monday, Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, introduced Senate Bill 831 — the Agricultural Worker Permanent Residency Program. The bill would authorize the California governor to work with the federal government to establish a pilot program allowing agricultural workers to start a process toward legal status. The legislation is an attempt to stabilize California’s agricultural workforce, a feat the federal government has tried to accomplish on a national level for decades. Last year, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed twice in the House but never came to a vote in the Senate. 

 

“Creating a pathway to permanent residency status allows our undocumented friends, family and neighbors to come out of the shadows, to live lives free of fear and allow them to qualify for the safety net programs that they deserve and pay into,” said Caballero in a statement. Between one-third to half of all farmworkers in the United States reside in California, which would include about 500,000 to 800,000 people, according to the Center for Farmworker Families. About 75% of California farmworkers are undocumented, according to the UC Merced Community and Labor Center. OTHER STATE PROPOSALS FAILED Under the bill, undocumented farmworkers who have lived in California and worked in agriculture for five years would qualify. Federal standards for citizenship would apply including a criminal history background check, national security check and fees. Application fees for permanent resident status vary but are generally $1,225 for individuals aged 14 to 78. Similar, less aggressive, legislation has failed in the past. In 2018, Caballero and Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella authored AB 1885, which died in the Assembly Labor Committee. The proposed legislation would have formed a group of state representatives to create a state guest worker program.

 

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article273923780.html#storylink=cpy

DSA Members are urged to sign the Defense of Immigrants and Refugees Resolution.

 

The resolution on the Defense of Immigrants and Refugees was written by members of the national Immigrants' Rights Working Group. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to building with working-class communities of color currently outside of DSA. The proposal is intended to prioritize this crucial work with action and calls for a modest budgetary allocation. 

 

 

https://www.dsanorthstar.org/blog/defend-immigrant-rights-at-the-convention-sign-one-more-resolution

 

There is a different form for each proposal. 

• Unite Against the Ultra Right: https://tinyurl.com/dsa23UR
• On the Defense of Immigrants and Refugees: https://forms.gle/mjT8X8SEAtt4VUkd8  
• Big Tent amendment: https://tinyurl.com/dsa23BT

Defend Immigrants Rights & Fight the anti immigrant Right

 Dear friend,

Whether you are a DSA member of not, you may find North Star's anti ultra-right work deserving of your attention.  We are preparing for DSA's 2023 convention by drafting a resolution about confronting the ultra-right. 

We propose to form a broad front against the US ultra-right which includes MAGA. neo confederates, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, ALEC, militias, too many Republicans, and numerous reactionary super PACs, foundations, and think tanks.  The resolution also proposes improving cooperation among DSA and its sister organizations that is necessary in order to organize the broad front.a-right.

This is the proposed resolution. If you are a DSA member please sign it..
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSQ3iEV2vljCf-Veh3bMDBni_S7_Vowr5TejBQ5fBpxox6ZIJcA1f5hqt2Qhi9C5Mn7rgZpHGRFc-N-/pub

I am reaching out to ask for your support for 3 proposals to this years 2023 DSA Convention.

1.    Unite Against the Ultra Right

2.    On the Defense of Immigrants and Refugees

3.    Big Tent amendment to bylaws

The first resolution is about confronting the ultra-right. It calls to form a broad front against the US ultra-right which includes MAGA, neo confederates, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, ALEC, militias, too many Republicans, and numerous reactionary super PACs, foundations, and think tanks.  

The second resolution I co-authored along with several members of the Immigrants' Rights Working Group on the Defense of Immigrants and Refugees.

The final proposal is an amendment to the DSA bylaws. To damp down the urge to purge, substituting "principles and policies" with DSA Constitution Article II Purpose.

 

More information

 

https://www.dsanorthstar.org/blog/sign-the-resolution-unite-against-the-right

 

 

Texas Republicans At It Again

 

This month, Texas Republican legislators introduced a bill to create a new vigilante force (armed with immunity from prosecution) that will supposedly be tasked with hunting down immigrants. This same bill includes new penalties against asylum seekers: including life in prison sentences for some immigrant families. This is unacceptable and we’ll do everything we can to fight back.

We know history is on the side of human rights. I’ll continue to advocate for an efficient and just immigration system that upholds our values as Americans. I would love to have your help in that fight.

 For far too long, politicians have used immigrants and asylum seekers as pawns in a political game. They’ve put in place cruel policies and targeted families seeking a better life—and done nothing to fix the underlying problem for decades.

Thank you,

Asylum Ban

 ‘Trump’s Asylum Ban Under A Different Name’: Democrats, Immigration Groups Slam Biden Proposal

Article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-administration-asylum-proposal_n_63f658a9e4b0616708df00e5?    

War on Immigrants is a War on Poor People

 

THE WAR ON IMMIGRANTS IS A WAR ON ALL POOR AND LOW-INCOME AMERICANS

If low-income voters stick together, they can stop politicians from turning a humanitarian crisis into political theater.

By Shailly Gupta Barnes | October 19, 2022

In states across the country, cynical politicians are turning a humanitarian crisis into political theater.

New Hampshire Governor John Sununu recently announced that he was deploying the state National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, joining around two-dozen mostly GOP-led states. Meanwhile Florida, Texas, and Arizona have been busing migrants to blue states and cities, often under fraudulent circumstances.

Immigration is not a crisis — but the political, economic, and environmental factors that push people out of their homes are. So is the inhumane treatment these displaced people receive.

Republicans are most brazenly exploiting these conditions, but its origins cross party lines.

When President Clinton enacted the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, he made more people eligible for deportation and made it easier to deport them. This drove up the undocumented population by making it riskier to seek documentation. And it laid the groundwork for a massive infrastructure to detain people.

Every administration since has expanded that infrastructure.

Under President George W. Bush, immigration enforcement moved to the new Department of Homeland Security, transforming a justice and labor issue into one of national security. Deportations started climbing, reaching more than 5 million under President Obama, despite his introduction of DACA to protect undocumented children.

President Trump escalated this trend, spreading dangerous lies about immigrants as violent criminals and invoking emergency powers to fund a southern border wall. Although President Biden reversed that move, our immigration system has not fundamentally changed.

A Day Without Immigrants

 

National Day of Action

Join a grassroots day of action for immigration reform - A Day Without Immigrants - Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 14.

From call: Valentine's Day is one of the highest-spending days in the United States. But if it weren't for immigrants, this very commercial day would not be possible, since immigrants sustain the economy of this country. Still, the government refuses to recognize our contributions and grant immigration reform to help us.

So in protest, this year on Valentine's Day we immigrants are going to make our absence felt. ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES We're not going to work. We are not going to school. We are not going to spend. Instead, we will take to the streets peacefully to raise our voices.

For the government to see that it is time for immigration reform!

If we all unite, we can achieve it... 

The FB page, where you can find actions in different locations under the events tab, has gathered over 69k followers in a few days. Comrade Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke in support.