Immigrant Rights

Immigrant Rights Resolution passed by the 2006 National Convention and Amended by the National Council in October 2006.

As of the 2000 U.S. Census there were seven million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Since then the number has undoubtedly grown and will continue to grow. These immigrants, predominantly from Mexico, are here to find a better life, but end up doing the jobs that most citizens are unwilling to do. They work mainly in agricultural industries or in low-paying jobs in the hotel and restaurant industry.

The threats to human lives on the U.S./Mexico border have increased in the recent years. It is the great indifference of the two nations, the U.S. in particular, which bred these conditions. The governments on both sides feel it is up to the other to prevent these deaths, when both are to blame.

Doroteo Garcia works the night shift cleaning classrooms at Stanford University, one of the largest employers in California’s Silicon Valley. As a steward for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1877, Doroteo has been active in his union’s efforts to lift janitors out of poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area, as part of SEIU’s national Justice for Janitors campaign. He is also involved as a community leader, organizing for amnesty and immigrants rights.

The Immigrant Worker Freedom Ride is an important opportunity to learn from and honor civil rights movement history in the U.S. The 1961 Freedom Rides were incredibly courageous acts of resistance led by many women and men, who still to this day, are leaders in the struggle for civil rights and racial justice. What follows is a short bibliography of excerpts and resources to educate yourself and others about the legacy of the Freedom Rides.