Undocumented immigrants around the nation are organizing marches demanding a stop to deportation and asking for immigration reform inclusive of all 11 million undocumented people in the U.S.
Raul Alcaraz Ochoa, organizer of the local march, said the Tucson community will also request that Tucson Police Department use the loopholes they have available to not fully enforce SB1070, as calling Border Patrol is left up to the officer’s discretion.
“There’s loopholes that they can use to not have to call Border Patrol,” Alcaraz Ochoa said. “We’ve had over 20 workers in the last year be taken where police calls Border Patrol and then they’re separated from their families.”
Because undocumented immigrants can’t vote or run for office and directly change the discussion on illegal immigration, they are using other methods such as rallies, political protests, marches and civil disobedience to pressure politicians to talk about and vote on immigration reform that takes into account all members of a family affected by the reform.
“So we’re bringing attention to all these issues at a local, at a statewide and at a national level,” Alcaraz Ochoa said.
After seeing that relying on others to make those changes didn’t solve anything, undocumented immigrants have decided to come out of the shadows in a nationwide campaign called Ni Una Deportacion Mas (Not One More Deportation). Alcaraz Ochoa said undocumented people in the U.S. are realizing they need to find ways to stand up for themselves, since they’re the ones being directly affected by anti-immigration laws, in order to truly see a change in immigration reform.
“If we don’t do things for ourselves nothing is going to save us,” Alcaraz Ochoa said. “We’ve tried everything else. We’ve called politicians, we do letter writing, we do rallies, we do protests, we do marches and we’re still getting people deported at the biggest levels we’ve seen in the history of this country.”
The marches across the U.S., according to Alcaraz Ochoa, show how serious undocumented immigrants are about immigration reform and about putting a stop to deportations which separates families. A recent video of an 11-year-old in Phoenix went viral, serving as an example to the effects of anti-immigration laws and drawing attention to the issue.
Despite anti immigration laws directly affecting those who are undocumented, Alcaraz Ochoa emphasized that an entire community is affected when some of the people in it are deprived of human rights. Those marching in Tucson will ask TPD to change their enforcement policies and ask Tucson to truly become the the immigrant-welcoming city it declared last August.
The march will start at the Southside Presbyterian Church at 317 W. 23rd Street at noon and ends at the TPD downtown station at 270 S. Stone Ave.
This article appears in Mar 14-20, 2013.
Why weren’t these same people as committed to change the system in Mexico that drove them to illegally enter this country?
Undocumented immigrant is just a euphemism for: “I didn’t feel like waiting around for an invitation, so I jumped the fence and cut in line in front of everyone else. Then I proceeded to obtain counterfeit identification and work illegally, while never paying a dime in taxes.”
A turd by any other name would smell as foul.
Being illegal is breaking the law. It is their fault if they get deported. If you don’t want to be separated from family start the process of becoming a citizen. Don’t come here to our country making all these outrageous demands for welfare, medical, food stamp and housing when it was suppose to be for the American citizens that needed it. If they get deported take the family with you. We are tired of the waving of Mexican flags and demands by undocumented (illegal) people.
It utterly amazes me when people such as this protest. Against what? Breaking the law? Soooo.. if you want a nice euphemism for illegal (undocumented)… What else can we have.. ‘undocumented’ speeding? ‘undocumented’ murder’ too?
Until I double-checked which website I was on, I thought, for a moment, that I’d clicked on The Onion. So who’s the bright light who concluded that a Spanish name for an American “nationwide campaign” would be a good idea – considering that English is, and will continue to remain, our national language? Has that genius begun counting how many millions of friends and supporters that their “nationwide campaign” will not make because of it? And is there a better way to announce to the rest of the United States, in using that name, that you really don’t want to be here and that, more importantly, you really don’t belong here?
I’m shocked at these comments. I thought this was an alternative (as in anything other than the corporate news) weekly?? For at least 200 years, the dynamic of modern economic history has been colonial powers designating poorer regions as their source of raw materials and cheap labor. It is the reason Africa is rich in resources and minerals but at the bottom in every index of standard of living. In 1823, President Monroe declared Latin America inside the U.S. “sphere of influence”. In 1846, using the border skirmish between Texas and Mexico as a pretext, President Polk took half of Mexico (now the southwestern U.S…. uh, with all the Spanish place-names….) Ever since then, Mexico has been the periphery to our economic engine—the fertile ground for foreign investment, raw materials and cheap labor, enriching Mexico’s elite at the expense of the general population. Timber, oil, silver… now where Americans’ ilegal drugs are produced. Even long before NAFTA, Mexico’s poor has migrated to El Norte to find work—to build the railroads, grow the produce, etc. Since 2008’s recession, everyone stopped looking the other way and cries of deporting all the “illegals” erupted.
“…the fertile ground for foreign investment, raw materials and cheap labor, enriching Mexico’s elite at the expense of the general population. Timber, oil, silver… “
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What you have just described is the formula for a nation to grow it’s wealth and build it’s infrastructure thus enriching it’s citizens … simultaneously pointing out that the exploitation of the Mexicans is really a Mexican problem in Mexico- “enriching Mexico’s elite”!! Yet you do not address that.
Where is the breast beating tearful tearing of shirts directed at the Mexican government, the gut wrenching testimony before the United Nations… with endless tv coverage and demonstrations demanding Mexico – spread the wealth!! That is an human rights issue right?
You then refer to …”President Polk took half of Mexico …” hummmm – there is not enough space to refute that lame claim so I’ll compress it for you -BS!! So having said that let me ask you this: what is the REAL issue here:repatriating “stolen lands” or finding work in the United States? If the latter then what is to prevent the LEGAL entry of Mexicans in to the US???
How is applying for a visa a violation of human rights?
The issue of illegal aliens wanting to stay and not be deported for their illegal trip over our borders. Lets see, so if break into someone’s house…I should be able to stay? Lets call it what it is. A group of people, mostly Mexican or some other south of the border country’s citizens coming here uninvited, or over stayed their visa, having children here to obtain citizenship for their children, to gain hand outs from the Government to raise their children, free schooling, free medical by way of using our emergency rooms, and the list goes on. Then there is the anti-American mentality, flying their flag, refusing to learn English, and expecting a translator, and false documents and stealing American citizens Social Securing numbers to work, or open bank accounts at our expense or our own children being the victims of their crimes. I’ve experience first hand the effects of a stolen SSN, and first hand the Mexicans that steal your card number and try to wire money back to their homeland. I’ve had it with their “better life” crap at my expense. I say DEPORT every single one of them, including their entire family. I have no problem saving what is left of this Country from the illegal aliens and their agenda. It’s not about human rights…they are here illegally and expect the American people to continue to smile on their criminal behavior. If they want rights, go back to where they came from, and hold their rallies! As far as I am concerned they have no rights here, no right to being funded by tax payer dollars and shouldn’t even have a right to sue any American citizen. SEND THEM BACK. THANKS to the Border Patrol and TPD for up holding SB1070…it’s the law! Get over it illegals or get the hell out!
How about my march for justice? Justice for my country which is being invaded by people who use and abuse our system! Justice for being all the crimes they commit once here by an illegals; and how about justice for those who have had their Identity stolen by such people. How about justice for tax payers who is footing the bills for these people who come here and have children to live off of the system. The biggest Justice is to up hold our immigration laws, and deport those who are violation of our laws.
All I see is a bunch of people who came here illegally, have gotten away with it, and now act like spoiled brat children and make demands. Go back to Mexico, South America or where ever you came from and make demands to your people.
Undocumented immigrant = illegal = criminal = immediate deportation = go to the back of the line of legal people in line for immigration.
They aren’t immigrants they are criminals period!
matthew, undocumented aliens do pay their share of taxes, even though the ssn is falsified. The U.S. gov’t and the state of Arizona still take their portion regardless. Undocumented aliens will never be able to claim any of the money invested in medicare, and social security during their employment in the country. I don’t support illegal immigration into this country, neither do I support lies and half truths in relations to the subject.
In response to Dave D…you mentioned “even though the SSN is falsified”…So is this ok with you? I am on the side that these people who just pick a SSN out of a hat and use it….it can turn up to be someone’s SSN! It is a felony in this state to use someone’s Social Security Number…
Correction: “I am not on the side” of these people. Who gives a darn that they may pay taxes…they use people’s Social Security numbers for their own criminal activity.
Our gov’t has been looking the other way for decades. And we let them. We’ve been screaming about our elected officials, yet, we re-elect the same imbeciles over and over.
We need a revolution – on Capitol Hill. Why do you think JC Watts of Okla left? Couldn’t get a thing done. FIRE the sobs. Irony of it all? Obama (man of the people) has deported more Mexicans than ANYBODY before him. I wonder if the Nov election were held TODAY, everyone in the Hispanic Community knowing that, would he be re-elected? Hmm. Facts are facts. Crossing our border w/o docs is illegal. What would happen if it was reverse and you demanded the same down there? You know what the inside of a Mexican jail looks like? Ask the Marine that Bill O’Reilly spring out of that hell hole.