Oppose the Attack on Immigrants

Arizona legislators have taken a page from Hitler’s textbook. They passed a law that legally demonizes and outlaws people who are either from Mexico or Latin America, or look like they may be from Mexico or Latin America, or indeed any other country from which immigrants come. The law requires police and other law enforcement personnel to demand proof of legal residency of anyone who they suspect could be an undocumented immigrant. The passage of this law followed by just one week the largest ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raid ever on immigrant neighborhoods in Phoenix and Tucson.

The New York Times on April 18 said bluntly that this law means “if you are brown-skinned and leave home without a wallet, you are in trouble.” But it’s worse than that—this new law means that if you are brown-skinned you can be and will be stopped in the streets of Arizona, and subjected to verbal abuse, made to “kiss the pavement,” perhaps tased or beaten, and even thrown into jail—because this is all too often what happens when police stop minority people “just to check,” here in the “land of the free.” This law brings back the Jim Crow segregationist South, when there was open and unchecked white supremacist terror against Black people, and sticks it into modern-day Arizona. And it means that as other areas adopt this same sort of thing, the outrages will spread to African and African-American people (because cops will not draw a distinction), to Arabs, to Asians… to everyone who is not white or who speaks with an accent. This is a major reassertion and heightening of white supremacy and ugly Anglo chauvinism in America—and it must be opposed with vigor and determination.

We must say NO!—HELL NO!!!—to this outrage. People are righteously resisting this, and this resistance must grow in strength and breadth, and find echoes all across this country and into other countries besides. WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS!! WE WILL NOT ACCEPT SLAVERY IN ANY FORM!! IMMIGRANTS MUST HAVE FULL AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS!!!

In addition to supporting the demonstrations and outpourings against the fascist new law, the RCP,USA calls on all people to wear armbands and stickers saying simply that “WE ARE ALL ILLEGALS” in a show of defiance and solidarity. These armbands must go out leading up to and then especially on May 1 itself, at all manifestations and events in which the Party is participating—both events that are largely initiated by the Party marking revolutionary May 1, as well as manifestations on that day that demand rights for immigrants and an end to the attacks.

Some influential voices are telling people to raise the American flag, to tone down the demands and militancy. First of all, this is not about being good citizens or hard workers and hoping that racists will accept you on that basis. They will NOT. It is about standing up for fundamental rights and for the humanity of those who have been driven here, often in a desperate search for work. Understand: the white supremacy and Anglo chauvinism that fuels this onslaught has to be called out for what it is and taken head-on, not conciliated with.

As for raising the American flag, this is sheer poison. This flag flew over the troops that invaded Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and other countries in the 1800s, and the 1900s, on up to 1965. This flag was sewn on the shoulders of the “military advisers” that carried out horrible crimes in Chile, Guatemala, Argentina, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Brazil and El Salvador in the 1970s and ‘80s. This is the flag that today continues to preside over terrible crimes in the name of the war on drugs. And it is the flag that flies over the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, as they carry out massacres of civilians. This is the flag that is also on the uniforms of the ICE raiders who today terrorize immigrants (and note well, it is the federal government which orchestrated the ICE raids in Arizona before the passage of this bill). Immigrants have a unique ability to let people who were born here know the real truth about this flag—they should not be led to cooperate in whitewashing that truth in the name of relating to the mainstream and they should NOT go along with the efforts of those who do. The mainstream needs waking up to the real truth of what has driven people here, and what happens to them when they come—the truth, and nothing less than the truth, is what is badly needed right now.

There are also calls to support the new “comprehensive immigration reform” law put forth by the senators Schumer and Graham, and supported by Obama. This law will strengthen the repressive apparatus (requiring biometric ID, giving more money for Border Patrol, etc.); create a new class of temporary, easily-monitored workers who can be “used once and thrown away” (i.e., sent back to the country they came from when the job is over); and claim to offer those who are now here a path to citizenship if they admit to being criminal and paying fines and doing “community service” to make amends. This law is a trap and should NOT be supported.

But the main thing now is this: support and spread the outpourings against this bill, support and strengthen the spirit of defiance against this immoral and unconstitutional law, and assist and inspire people to cast their eyes to the horizon of revolution, when such outrages will be done away with, as part of emancipating all of humanity.

• • •

In the Revolution Talk online, “Revolution: Why It’s Necessary, Why It’s Possible, What It’s All About,” Bob Avakian is asked the question: “If this country is so terrible, why do people come here from all over the world? Why are so many people trying to get in, not to get out?” And Avakian answers: “Why? I’ll tell you why. Because you have fucked up the rest of the world even worse than what you have done in this country. You have made it impossible for many people to live in their own countries as part of gaining your riches and power.” (Watch the entire film and selected clips at revolutiontalk.net. Clips also available at youtube.com/revolutiontalk. Order the DVD from RCP Publications, P.O. Box 3486, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 60654-0486. $20 plus $3 shipping.)

Show your defiance of the new fascist anti-immigrant law!

Show your solidarity with immigrants who are under attack!

The Revolutionary Communist Party calls on everyone to wear armbands and stickers that say:

“We Are ALL Illegals!”

Get these armbands and stickers out all over before May 1, at revolutionary May Day actions, and at May 1 marches for immigrant rights.

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