National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
310 8th St. Suite 303 * Oakland, CA 94607 * (510)465-1984 * (510)465-1885 fax* www.nnirr.org

****NEWS RELEASE****

Immigrant and Refugee Rights Organizations Nationwide Protest Post-9/11 Immigration Policy on UN International Migrants Day

Groups Celebrate UN Migrants Convention’s Entry Into Force

December 18, 2001: Over sixty immigrant, civil, and human rights organizations around the U.S. denounced immigration policies passed in the wake of September 11’s attacks, stating that intensified immigration enforcement has endangered the rights of immigrants nationwide. “Immigrants and refugees continue to be the specific targets of intensified law enforcement and public scapegoating in the name of national security,” concluded the national statement released in celebration of UN International Migrants Day.

“Our country is fast-approaching a constitutional crisis that is being carried on the backs of immigrant and refugee communities. The deepening restrictions and violations of the basic rights of the foreign-born are corroding the rights of all who live in the United States, including citizens,” said Arnoldo Garcia of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, editor of a forthcoming report that examines the impact of national security-related policies and practices on community safety. The report, which highlights concerns such as racial profiling, detentions and deportations, will be released on January 30, 2003.

In activities around the country on December 18, immigrant rights organizations will also celebrate the UN Migrants Convention’s entry into force, the first international treaty that specifically protects the human rights of migrants. The Convention establishes binding standards on the human rights and treatment of documented and undocumented migrant workers. The Convention was brought into force with the ratification of Timor-Leste (East Timor) on December 10, 2002, bringing the total number of country ratifications to twenty. The Convention’s entry into force allows the UN to establish an office to monitor the Convention’s implementation, as well as an international treaty body to review countries’ adherence to the treaty.

Press conferences will be conducted in Oakland, CA, Tucson, AZ, and Phoenix, AZ. Local events in celebration of International Migrants Day will be held in thirteen cities in the U.S., including Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Santa Fe, NM; Immokalee, FL; Houston, TX; Atlanta, GA.

The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a national organization composed of local coalitions and immigrant, refugee, community, religious, civil rights and labor organizations and activists. The National Network works to promote a just immigration and refugee policy in the United States and to defend and expand the rights of all immigrants and refugees, regardless of immigration status.

For more information about U.S. based activities on International Migrants Day, visit www.nnirr.org.

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U.S. Events in Recognition of International Migrants Day, 2002:

Atlanta, GA: Young Women’s Leadership Training on Human Rights, December 18, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Refugee Women’s Network, Decatur, GA.
Contact: Mangala Sharma, Refugee Women’s Network, 404-299-8740

Chicago, IL: Posada and community forum on human rights, December 18, 6:00 PM.
Immaculate Conception Church, 2944 E. 88th St. Chicago, Il.
Contact: Rosa Perea, Centro Juan Diego (773-768-2100)

Houston, TX: Posada Inmigrante, December 19, 2002, 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
Harris County AFL-CIO Council, 2506 Sutherland, Houston, TX 77023
Contact: Adriana Cadena, SEIU (713-213-8849) and Pancho Arguelles, National Organizers Alliance (281-615-9759)

Immokalee, FL: International Migrants Day Worker’s Festival, December 15, 11:00 AM-6:00 PM.
Front of Coalition of Immokalee Workers Center, 215 F West Main St., Immokalee, FL.
Contact: Lucas Benitez, Coalition of Immokalee Workers (239-657-8311)

Los Angeles, CA: Rally and Action, December 18, 6:00-8:00 PM.
Corner of 8th St. and Oxford (in front of Oxford Palace Hotel and Assi Market), Los Angeles.
Immigrant workers from Forever 21’s garment shops and Assi Market’s supermarkets gather to demand their rights.
Contact: Kimi Lee, Garment Worker Cener-Forever 21 Boycott (213-748-5866)
Paul Lee, Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates-Assi Market Boycott (213-738-9050)

Press Conference, December 18, 10:30 AM-12:00 noon
UCLA Downtown Labor Center, 675 S. Park View Street, 1st Floor (btwn. 7th and Wilshire), Los Angeles
Release of the report: Voices from the Margins: Immigrant Workers’ Perceptions of Health and Safety in the Workplace
Contact: Neal Sacharow, UCLA Occupational Health and Safety Program (310-825-4950 office; 310-779-4557 mobile)

New York, NY:
Speaker’s Event, December 17, 2002, 6:30 PM
Community Service Society of New York, 105 East 22nd Street, Room 4A, Manhattan
Featuring Maryam Namazie, Director of Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR)
Contact: Lara Rabiee at (212) 614-5337

Immigrant Rights Outreach and Education at City Hall, December 18, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, New York City Hall, NY
Domestic workers speak to City Council members on two bills concerning immigrant and domestic worker rights.
Contact: Ai-Jen Poo, Domestic Workers United (718-220-7391), Nahar Alam, ANDOLAN (718-728-1768)

Letter Writing and Action Training, December 18, 2002, 6:00/7:30 PM
Community Service Society of NY. 105 E 22nd Street at Park Ave. Room 4A, Manhattan.
Letter-writing event and action training for campaign for Stop The Disappearances! Campaign
Contact: Eric Schwartz, ericschwartz11@hotmail.com

Video Screenings and Discussion, December 19, 2002, 7:00 PM
Brecht Forum 122 West 27th Street, 10th Fl., Manhattan.
Screenings of "Abandoned: The Betrayal of America's Immigrants" and "Lockdowns Up"
Fundraiser for DRUM: Desis Rising Up and Moving
Contact: DRUM at 718-205-3036

Oakland, CA: Press conference, December 18, 10:00-11:00 AM.
Community Occupational Health Project (COHP), 2647 International Blvd. #108, Oakland.
Release of national report tracing broad impacts of post-9/11 enforcement on immigrant communities; Bay Area immigrant workers testify on impacts of enforcement on their families
Contact: Warren Mar, CLRE, UC Berkeley (510-642-1851); Renee Saucedo, SF Day Laborers (415-252-5375); Lamoin Werlin-Jaen, HERE Local 2 (415-864-8770 x 734) or Arnoldo Garcia, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (510-465-1984x304)

Phoenix, AZ: Press conference, December 18, 12:00 noon
Office of AZ Attorney General, front steps. Unveiling of report “Hate or Heroism: Vigilantes on the Arizona-Mexico Border” presented to Governor-Elect Janet Napolitano.
Contact: Jennifer Allen, Border Action Network (520-623-4944)

San Francisco, CA: Posada in celebration of International Migrants Day, December 18, 5:00 PM.
St. Boniface Church, 123 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA.
Interfaith community celebration for immigrant rights. Sponsored by Santa Maria Lutheran Church, Santa Marta Lutheran Church, Mission Presbyterian Church, Mission Dolores, St. Boniface Church.
Contact: Betty Canton, Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (415-227-0388)

Santa Fe, NM: Art show and cultural performance, December 18, 6:00-9:00 PM.
El Museo Cultural, 1615 Paceo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM.
“Con el Corazon Partido,”art show of works by photographer Cecilia Portal and reception with cultural performances by choral group Wikaraame, of Cuahutemoc, Mexico.
Contact: Adda Garcia, Somos Un Pueblo Unido (505-424-7832)

Seattle, WA: Press Advisory, December 18
Contact: Cathy Lowenberg, APALA-Seattle (360-902-0398)

Tucson, AZ: Community forum and gathering, December 13, 2002, 5:00 PM
St. John’s Church, 602 W. Ajo Way, Tucson, AZ
Community forum on immigration, militarization, globalization, indigenous rights and homeland security and documentary screening of “Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy”
Contact: Jose Matus, Coalicion de Derechos Humanos and Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras (520-770-1373)

Press Conference, December 18, 2002, 12:00 noon
El Tiradito (shrine), 356 S. Main Ave. Tucson, AZ
Contact: Jose Matus, Coalicion de Derechos Humanos and Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras (520-770-1373)

Washington, DC: Vigil in Solidarity with Migrants at US-Mexico Border, December 10, 2002, 6:00 PM
Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol Street, Washington, DC
Contact: Rebecca Phares, Border Working Group (202-281-1608)

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