The day before President Obama’s first State of the Union speech on January 27, activists from Casa de Maryland, an immigrant rights organization, and their allies blocked streets and rallied in front of the Department of Homeland Security office in Washington. They denounced the Obama administration’s inaction in pursuing comprehensive immigration reform—meaning, at a minimum, regularizing the status of “illegal” immigrants and doing away with draconian enforcement practices.
“I want to tell President Obama that I voted for him,” said Rosario Hernández Cruz, a U.S. citizen originally from Mexico City, as she squatted in a busy intersection to block traffic. “It was the first time I voted in this country after becoming a citizen. I voted for him with the expectation that he would come back and provide us with just a little bit of justice, because justice means legalizing people. And I would like the president to understand that he has a commitment not only to the Americans, the white or African American North Americans, but also to us, because we are now citizens too and we are all building this country together.”
Hernández and the other protesters remind us that there are still committed activists who are willing to take risks to keep immigration reform on the national agenda. Such courage and initiative are necessary at this critical moment in the migrant struggle, especially given that during his speech, Obama barely mentioned the issue.
“We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system,” the president said, “to secure our borders, and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation. In the end, it’s our ideals, our values that built America, values that allowed us to forge a nation made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe, values that drive our citizens still.”
Although Obama dedicated only about 40 seconds to immigration, his words spoke volumes. By stating his commitment to “secure our borders” and “enforce our laws,” the president was signaling that immigration authorities will continue raiding private homes in search of “illegals,” forcing employers to turn over undocumented workers, and splitting up families with deportations.
It is possible that the president and the political parties could attempt to cut backroom deals on immigration reform. A reform package brokered in this way would likely incorporate and even intensify the enforcement demands of the Bush-era anti-immigrant right, while securing a highly exploitable workforce and pacifying potentially radical sectors of the immigrant rights movement with a few concessions.
But as the late Howard Zinn taught us, nothing brings about social justice like a people’s movement. Those of us in this struggle must recall that the Senate version of the Sensenbrenner bill—the most reactionary immigration legislation proposed in 100 years—was defeated because of the huge May Day marches of 2006. Everyday people defeated the bill, not the Democratic Party, Washington insiders, or the professional managers of the immigrant rights movement. A people’s movement provided the necessary leadership and base.
Activists are indeed pushing the debate forward. On New Year’s Day, a group of migrant workers and their allies in Naranja, Florida, began a 17-day hunger strike to bring national attention to the issue of immigration reform. Two weeks later, about 10,000 people marched in Phoenix, Arizona, calling for the removal of the notoriously anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio. And in February, undocumented youth marched from Miami to Washington in support of the Dream Act, which would allow them to attend college in the United States despite their immigration status.
All of these actions are being spearheaded by grassroots sectors of the immigrant rights movement. These are the people with day-to-day contact with day laborers, campesinos, domestic workers, and youth. They are letting all of us know that we can no longer wait for immigration reform to pass by the goodwill of the president and the Democrats.
Alfonso Gonzales teaches Latino studies at New York University. He is a member of the NACLA Editorial Committee.
