Immigrant Unity Press Conference, San Francisco

Today at noon, while so many thousands marched in other cities, the Deporten La Migra Coalition invited the press to 24th and Mission, the heart of immigrant San Francisco. Our march is tonight, after work. Meanwhile, the folks who led the immigrant hunger strike against HR4437 had a message: UNITY.

• Unity in opposition to any partial legalization legislation that would create different tiers of rights for immigrants.

• Unity in demanding a path to citizenship for all who want it and the same rights and protections enjoyed by anyone else in the country.

• Unity between the various communities of immigrants.

The various communities were certainly represented.






The need for unity is great. N.C. Aizenman wrote a perceptive article in the Sunday Washington Post on the emerging immigrant civil rights movement that raised some important issues:

They face the challenge of appealing to a population that is divided economically, racially and by national origin, a fact that has perplexed marketing and political strategists alike....

[Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum] said activism could be undermined if legislation similar to the Senate proposal ever finds its way into law. "I suspect a lot people will start busying themselves with getting on the path to legal permanent residence, and that could take the political momentum out of [the movement]." ...

"Without a Dr. King-like figure, we lack the capacity to create that personal connection, not just within our own community but with folks on the outside," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president of policy for National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group. "Someone with that kind of visibility is really useful in terms of educating people."...

Although there is no identifiable leader to reconcile the inevitable fractures that have emerged as so many groups try to harmonize their activities, [Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles] said the decentralized nature of the movement also has an advantage.

"There's no one leader who could disappear and affect the movement," she said. "Instead, you have all these local communities with their own independent local leaders."

Today's press conference certainly showcased the local leadership and diversity of local Bay Area immigrant communities. The speakers pictured above were Latino, Filipino, Palestinian, African-descended, and European (Dutch).

U.S. citizens who have been here awhile can forget what newcomers bring with them: the ones who come are tough survivors. They are often quite sophisticated members of their home societies. Many have experience of hard, dangerous political struggle under authoritarian regimes. We are enriched, over and over, by their determination and moral clarity.

And as the speakers today reminded any who could hear: the young people of these communities are our future.