In Santa Fe, we have supported both Somos and SF Dreamers. Santa Fe has created one of the strongest sanctuary policies in the nation, but East NM is not Santa Fe and our partner Somos Un Pueblo Unido has been fighting to resist ICE operations at traffic roadblocks in Eastern NM, details provided & what you can do.
First Canvassing Launch. 4pm TODAY at 1420 Cerrillos. You will receive brief training, a chance to ask questions, and an easy to follow script. You do NOT have to be an expert on any issues, just willing to ask questions and listen, chiming in as you can. You start on your own block.We’ve now piloted the script for 3 weeks and people are being welcomed and having great conversations. Click here to find out why we are canvassing and more on how it works. To RSVP just write to volunteer4retake@gmail.com. It will help us organize the right number of packets. And if you can bring a friend to work with you that will make it all the more fun. This is how we identify new allies, build a stronger base and create change to which we aspire. Join us, today!. Can’t join us today? Launches will occur every Wednesday and Sunday at 4pm.
This Is Why We Need A Sanctuary State
Somos Un Pueblo Unido is a valued partner. We stood behind them when they pressed the Santa Fe City Council to pass a Sanctuary City resolution. Not all of NM is as progressive as Santa Fe and in Eastern NM ICE and our State Police are collaborating shamelessly. From a press release distributed by Somos Un Pueblo Unido the following report and then after this report, some concrete steps you can do. First the report:
On the heels of a new wave of deportation raids in eastern New Mexico that terrorized many immigrant families last week, federal immigration agents joined the New Mexico State Police today [Thursday] at a driver’s license and insurance checkpoint on U.S. Highway 70 between Clovis and Portales.
“By inviting ICE to these checkpoints, the state police is helping the administration hurt New Mexico’s immigrant children and families,” said Marina Piña, a community organizer with Somos Un Pueblo Unido. “It also places a heavy toll on the the social and economic fabric of eastern New Mexico. How will immigrant workers feel safe driving to work, going to the grocery store, or taking their children to school or extracurricular activities? We will continue defending our community and fighting back in places like Clovis where immigrant families are essential to the economy.”
According to New Mexico’s bias-based policing law, local police cannot change the scope of an investigation based on race, national origin, or language. They also do not have the authority to enforce federal civil immigration laws. Moreover, ICE agents do not have the authority to randomly stop motorists without cause, but sometimes take advantage of the police’s authority to set up roadblocks.
“This is a shameful operation and an ICE tactic we haven’t seen in years,” said Marcela Díaz, Executive Director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido. “Although we haven’t heard reports of immigration arrests yet, this kind of collusion between state police and ICE is meant to generate panic and fear in the community. It also creates a situation ripe for civil rights violations. The Governor should not allow this assault on our communities.”
Last week, field agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrived at dozens of homes banging loudly on doors and asking residents about their immigration status. At least eight residents, many of them long-time dairy workers and residents of Clovis, were detained and separated from their families. Dozens of immigrant workers, their families, and allies protested in front of the federal courthouse in Roswell that now houses a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, condemning the wave of deportations.
What Can You Do? Glad You Asked
Bekah Wolf, immigration rights attorney, speaks with attendees at Barbara Schroder’s Open House Activism Party
Retake volunteer, Barbara Schroder hosted an Activist House Party earlier this week with staff from the Dreamers Project and Somos Un Pueblo Unido on hand. They shared information about the scope and scale of ICE activity in NM and the impact it is having on the immigrant community They also had the following suggestions for what you can do:
- Donate money to pay for legal representation for immigrants to Somos and the SF Dreamers, click here to find our Tithe Page with info on both Dreamers and Somos—this may be one of the easiest and most important things you can do;
- When you go to the Dreamers or Somos page to donate, sign up for these organizations email updates–when you make your donation click the box for more updates;
- Patronize businesses in town owned by immigrants, such as restaurants and stores- Retake will work with the Dreamers and Somos to develop a list;
- Get to know the immigrants in our community;
- Respond – when you can – to rapid response requests from Somos and SF Dreamers – for example there was a recent call for people to come to Roswell to protest the new ICE office that has been installed there;
- Hold candidates in upcoming elections accountable for their policies on immigration, and tell them that you expect them to support Santa Fe’s sanctuary city policies; trust that Retake will be keeping track of who is with us and who is against us;
- Push for NM to be a sanctuary state– Retake will be making this part of our statewide advocacy;
- Support policies that help working people such as the Living Wage, affordable housing, education, all of which are part of our support for Chainbreaker’s Equity Summer.
One more interesting suggestion emerged at the Open House Activism Party: Get a Driver Authorization Card from the NM MVD, rather than a Real ID drivers’ license. You can do this either when you renew your license, or at any time if you need a replacement license. These are proper drivers’ licenses, but in the future will not be valid ID for traveling by plane (so if you do this make sure your passport is up to date). The Governor is trying to use Driver Authorization Cards to discriminate against undocumented immigrants, but if more people request them, then immigrants will no longer be singled out by these documents
All these dots are connected; women’s rights, immigrants rights, a living wage, affordable housing, universal pre-K, but the powers that be want to divide us. We need intersectional alliances that say yes to justice and no to oppression in all forms.
Thank you, Barbara for hosting the open house. This is precisely the kind of personal actions that people can take to engage, educate and activate.There are more opportunities for all of you to be activeKeep informed, but also be active. Passivity in crisis is not going to solve much my friends. Sorry to be constantly hectoring you for more donations, more involvement, but in truth the house is engulfed and we are the only ones with the power to put out the flames and create the world many of us have longed for ….for a very long time.
We have a new feature to our website to make it easier for you to get involved. We have one page that features what is going on in the coming week: Click here to review our New This Week’s Events & Opportunities page as it is full of ways in which you can take personal action. We also have a new page that describes ways you can be involved in ongoing Retake strategies. Click here to explore our page that describes ongoing opportunities to be involved in Retake strategies.
In solidarity,
Roxanne & Paul
Categories: Immigrant Rights
Hi Paul – Link to Aug 3 still going to July 30
Sent from my iPhone
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