Statement of Solidarity With Migrants

on the United Nations’ International Day of Solidarity with Migrants, December 18, 2001

prepared by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

 

 

Today, to observe the second United Nations International Day of Solidarity with Migrants, we stand together to call upon the U.S. government to uphold the rights of all immigrants and refugees. In the wake of heightened attacks against immigrant communities since September 11, 2001, we call for an immigration policy built on the principles of dignity, justice, and equality that uphold the civil and human rights of all people, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, immigration or citizenship status.


During the past three months, we have witnessed the devastating effects of fear, racism, and xenophobia on our communities. Immigrants have become the specific targets of law enforcement and public scapegoating in the name of national security. Law enforcement uses immigration procedure as a criminal punishment, targeting immigrant communities in the name of anti-terrorism, denying the most basic of civil and human rights protections to non-citizens. Legislation passed hastily with little to no public dialogue, scrutiny, and participation continues to have disastrous effects for our communities, targeting immigrant workers, students, and families.


The use of military tribunals and secret evidence, the conditions under which over 1200 individuals have been detained and the additional “voluntary” questioning of over 5,000 individuals of Middle Eastern descent violates the most basic due process and equal protection rights. Hate violence and racial profiling against immigrant communities, including people of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent, Latinos and others who are alleged to be Arab, have resulted in fear, serious injuries, violence and even the death of at least three individuals. Increased militarization along the U.S.-Mexico border has exacerbated harassment, abuse, and racial discrimination in the region. Intensified employer discrimination, combined with an economic downturn for the service economy, has forced our communities into economic hardship. In the midst of humanitarian crises around the world, refugees to the United States and other wealthy nations now face increased barriers to their entry. We also emphasize the U.S. government’s accountability for the displacement and the creation of new migrant and refugee communities through its military actions in Afghanistan.


The U.S. must fulfill its commitment to uphold the human rights of all members of our country and globe. Security for all means ending the policies, laws, and practices of racial profiling and illegal detentions targeting immigrants, especially people of or alleged to be of Middle Eastern descent. We urge for the safety and protection of all communities to live free of fear, racism, and xenophobia.


In light of new legislative and executive policies, we call upon the U.S. government to:


  • End the secrecy of the identity and location of those held in “anti-terror” sweeps, and stop the racial profiling and the illegal detentions of Arabs, Muslims, and other people of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent.
  • Respect the due process and equal protection rights of all non-citizens and immigrants in detention, and refrain from holding individuals in indefinite detention.
  • Uphold the civil liberties and human rights of all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, nationality, ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, gender, social class, or color of their skin.
  • Recognize the contribution of immigrant workers, students, and families, and end discriminatory policies passed on the basis of legal status in the wake of September 11.
  • Guarantee and provide relief to the loved ones of the victims and those unemployed in the World Trade Center attacks, regardless of immigration status, without intimidation or threat of deportation.
  • End harassment of immigrant communities fueled by the collaboration between local law enforcement and INS, FBI, and CIA in border and non-border areas.
  • Enact strong federal and state hate crime laws as a public policy statement that does not tolerate discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, migration or citizenship status.
  • Enact a broad legalization program to help ensure civil liberties and other fundamental protections for all immigrants.
  • Reaffirm the commitment to and comply with the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Protection of Refugees.
  • Ratify the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrants and Members of Their Families and adopt the Plan of Action from the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance. The Convention, adopted on December 18, 1990, establishes a comprehensive framework to uphold the rights of migrants. The Plan of Action includes over 45 paragraphs specifically addressing the rights of migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons.

 

We support the Statement of Solidarity with Migrants (as of December 17, 2001):

 

ASATA: Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, San Francisco Bay Area, California

American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia, PA

Asian Immigrant Women Advocates, Oakland, CA

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Washington DC

Asian Pacific Environmental Network

Bill Balderston (Oakland Education Association and California Teachers Association)

Brigada 21 de Marzo, San Jose CA

Robin Bronen (Catholic Social Services, Anchorage, AK)

Jean Pauline and Tom Brown, Oakland, CA

CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, New York, NY

Eduardo Canales (Rocky Mountain Council, United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Denver, CO)

CAUSA, Salem, OR

Sister Pietrina Raccuglia, Cabrini Immigrant Services, New York, NY

California Prison Focus, San Francisco, CA

Casa de Proyecto Libertad, Harlingen, TX

CATA – Farmworker Support Committee, Glasboro, NJ

Center for Immigrant Families, New York, NY

Hae Jung Cho (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Los Angeles, CA)

Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants, New York, NY

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Marcos R. Contreras, LULAC Immediate Past State Director (California League of United Latin-American Citizens)

María Dino (Cabrini Immigrant Services, New York, NY)

Farmworker Health and Safety Institute

Filipino Civil Rights Advocates, Oakland, CA

Filipinos for Affirmative Action, Oakland, CA

Global Exchange, San Francisco, CA

Fred Hirsch (Vice President, Plumbers and Fitters Local 393)

Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees, International Union, Local 17, Minneapolis, MN

Immigrant Legal Resource Center, San Francisco, CA

INS Watch, San Francisco, CA

Institute for MultiRacial Justice, San Francisco, CA

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, San Francisco, CA

Korean Solidarity Committee, Oakland, CA

Reporteros de La Onda Bajita, San Jose, CA

La Raza Centro Legal, San Francisco, CA

Latinos Contra La Guerra, San Francisco Bay Area, California

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, San Francisco, CA

Stan Mark (Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, New York, NY)

Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights, Greensville, MS

National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, Washington, DC

National Center for Human Rights Education, Atlanta, GA

National Council of La Raza, Washington, DC

National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Boston, MA

National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Oakland, CA

Northern California Citizenship Project, San Francisco, CA

Political Research Associates, Somerville, MA

Refugee Women’s Network, Inc., Atlanta, GA

Michael-David Sasson (President, Coalition of University Employees Local #3; Labor Committee for Peace and Justice)

Elizabeth Seja Min, United to End Racism, U.S. NGO Coordinating Committee for the UNWCAR

San Francisco Day Laborer Program, San Francisco, CA

Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN), San Jose, CA

South Asian Network

Women of Color Resource Center, Berkeley, CA

Youth Law Center, San Francisco, CA

 

 

If your organization would like to endorse this statement, fill out this endorsement form, and email to echo@nnirr.org

 

The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights issued a press release for the events of December 18.

 

The UN and international migrant rights’ NGOs have released statements for the International Day of Solidarity with Migrants, December 18, 2001.



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