Members agree on response to redadas
Over the last three weeks, LUPE organizers have received more than 30 reports of Border Patrol activity in colonias from Pharr all the way to Mercedes. As reported previously, colonia residents fear for their families and livelihoods and many don’t want to leave their homes. Area businesses have been left deserted. Many have not even wanted to risk going to the area clinic or pharmacy.
In response to this general fear felt by LUPE members, we called for an emergency meeting between LUPE leaders and lawyer Celestino Gallegos of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid to come up with a plan of action.
In order to stress the importance of publicizing the heartbreaking stories and collecting information on potential abuses of power, the meeting started out with reports from members about incidents they’ve witnessed.
Member says she was afraid to enter clinic with her daughter
Over last weekend Border Patrol made arrests at the San Juan Pulga. One member said, “The Border Patrol raided the flea market last week–so I don’t know where to shop.” The day after the raid the flea market was empty.
Near the corner of 1015 and Mile 12 there are many businesses. One member reported going to get his hair cut with his son. There were various Border Patrol agents going around in that area picking up people. The agents were stopped outside of businesses waiting to pick people up as they exited. Pretty soon the area was empty, no one going in and out of businesses like usual. He said that in the past, the Border Patrol has been in the area but there haven’t been problems since residents know the agents are searching for the bad guys, the drug smugglers and human traffickers. They’ve eaten at the same table in restaurants and it’s been fine. But since about a month ago when they started picking up families and workers up until now they don’t have any confidence in them.
Member Jose reported that he receives calls almost daily about people getting picked up. In one story the Border Patrol came to the door of a family’s house. They were so scared of being separated that they hid in the closet. After the Border Patrol wouldn’t leave the front of the house they exited the back and hid in an empty trailer. The Border Patrol entered the house and when they didn’t see anyone in the house they left.
Celestino Gallegos tells members their rights when confronted by immigration agents
When in the home and an agent of immigration comes to the door, it is important that the person not open the door. If the principal door of the home is not open, an agent must have a search warrant signed by a federal judge with the name of a person living at that residence to enter. Even then, the agents can only inquire about the person indicated on the search warrant. It is important to not open the door to the agents. An open door will be interpreted as consent to a search. If the agent has a search warrant, ask them to slip it under the door.
One of the biggest outrages was the Border Patrol’s presence around the homes of some of the poorest residents of the RGV. Colonia residents’ household income is often far below the poverty line. “People that live in the rich neighborhoods in Sharyland or the Cimarron come here with money and buy houses,” said Celestino. “And many of them don’t have papers either but they don’t have to suffer raids.” The Border Patrol are profiling based on class. Whether they think of it that way or not, this is an attack on working people and families.
The final and most urgent part of the meeting was a discussion of what steps we can take together to fight the round ups. A number of people at the meeting stressed the fact that there is strength in numbers. Indeed, without the protection of a sane immigration system or dignified federal immigration reform, the only defense we have is how strong, creatively and effectively we organize ourselves.
Martha Sanchez holds up a form that members can use to document abuses by immigration agents
Together, members and organizers decided on a plan of action. Starting now, we will advance a major “Know Your Rights” educational campaign that will educate immigrants throughout the colonias on what to do when confronted by immigration officials. Additionally, we will educate each other on how best to document abuses using written testimonials and picture and video when possible. After having clear documentation we will visit the local heads of the Border Patrol and ICE with the documentation. Also with this documentation in hand, we will visit the Institute of Mexicans in the Exterior and talk to representatives of Hidalgo County. In the mean time, we will begin forming neighborhood watches in each colonia to alert the community of raids so that we can keep each other safe, document abuses, and those of us with documents can denounce the raids.
This plan of action will be presented to the all of the membership at tonight’s general membership meeting, where we will be able to get additional input and ideas.
Join the movement
Reform Immigration for America!
La Unión del Pueblo Entero 
First things first- If you are an undocumented alien, an illegal alien, or someone who has over stayed the time allowed on your visa–you have no rights in the United States. If you are undocumented, you are not allowed to be in this country legally. If you over stayed your visa, you are not allowed to be in this country. If you are an illegal alien, you broke the law entering this country and are not allowed to be in this country.
Rights that are afforded U.S. citizens by the U.S. Constitution or the U.S. Supreme Court are the rights of U.S. Citizens alone. Miranda rights which are afforded through a U.S. Supreme Court decision give the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney to U.S. Citizens. The only right illegal aliens have is the right to contact their homeland consulate.
Go back to mexico or where ever u came from and enter the USA LEGALLY! Otherwise, u broke the law entering my country ILLEGALLY and should be deported. Many people wait years to become a USA citizen so STOP CHEATING and wait in line like everyone else. Why don’t u people fix your own country instead of coming to mine? The free ride is OVER and americans are sick and tired of this illegal immigration bankrupting our hospitals and social welfare. VIVA sb1070 and secure the border!!!:)
Rob, thank you for sharing your views. You are completely wrong, however, when it comes to the rights of immigrants. Immigrants and all people residing in the US, whether citizen or non-citizen, documented or not, have the same rights under the Bill of Rights. I invite you to read it and notice that the word citizen is not mentioned even once. The US Supreme Court has defined that immigrants have a different system of exercising their rights than citizens, but has maintained that the Bill of Rights pertains to them nonetheless.
Aside from the constitutional rights afforded immigrants, people of conscience also fight for the human rights of all people, which no law can take away. I again invite you to read a monumental document, as important to individuals’ rights as the Bill of Rights: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are humans and have inherent dignity. And people of conscience will not cease to fight for that dignity no mater how hard or disconcerting the fight because many of our lives depend on it.
Mr. Smith, I’m sorry that frustration and misinformation has caused so much confusion around the issue of legal immigration. The legal routs to immigration from poor and people of color countries are long, convoluted, and often dead-end. This illustration published in Reason Magazine is useful in understanding that. http://www.houstonimmigrationreform.org/img/whatpartoflegal.jpg
When the alternative for many hundreds of thousands of people is the slow death of starvation for them and their family in their country of origin, migrating to the US is a necessity and crossing illegally is the only option. Many immigrants are active in fixing their own country while here. They send remittances, support community organizing and development projects, and educate US citizens about Mexican and US corruption that negatively affects Mexican prosperity. Many of them also are active in fixing our country, most notably in their contribution to the workers’ movement, teaching us better ways to organize for higher pay, better working conditions and respect and democracy on the job. Most would love to stay with their families and be able to work on their issues in their home countries. However, the US and other western countries have consistently worked with the Mexican and Latin American elite to thwart the gains made by Latin American civil society. Through neoliberal agreements like NAFTA and Plan Puebla Panama, the US and Mexican government and business elite have destroyed many local economies, pushed campesinos and indigenous people off their land, replaced local businesses with mega-corporations that only the most wealthy can afford, encouraged paramilitary activity that is used against civil society, and destroyed the rights of workers to decent pay and safe working conditions. Latin American people’s movements continue to surge forward in response to such bad government, creating with every action, forum, or meeting the hope for a free Latin America with dignity and respect for all. The US, however, continues to collaborate with the corrupt Latin American elite in their neoliberal agenda instead of pressuring them to implement reform that respects the needs and rights of their own citizens.
lupergv, when I no longer see Mexican flags on American soil taking the place of American flags, I might listen to you.
When Mexicans no longer suck up welfare and send what they make back to Mexico and don’t put back into America, I might listen.
When my wife gets the same health care for NOTHING that your compadres get for free, I might listen to you.
Until then, illegal immigrants from any nation need to be taken out of our country so that REAL Americans can enjoy what we have spent our entire lives building. We didn’t do it so that Jose can have everything for free.
you broke the law entering my country ILLEGALLY and should be deported. Many people wait years to become a USA citizen so STOP CHEATING and wait in line like everyone else.