[Editor's note: The following declaration was approved by El Paso County Commissioners Court Monday. A KVIA Channel 7 news story can be found here for background.]

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Declaration of Border Communities
“Rights and Justice for Immigrant Workers”
May 1st 2008
El Paso-Southern New Mexico

In recent times our border communities and immigrant communities throughout the country have been subjected to an aggressive anti-immigrant campaign that has undermined the right and well-being of border families, immigrant workers and residents. These aggressions have come in the form of ill-conceived politics and practices that have created a climate of fear, persecution, prejudice and intolerance, where the enemies are artificially created and immigrants, along with border residents, have become the ideal scapegoats for the failed economic and security strategies of the current administration.

While our current government criticizes the status of human rights in other countries, more than 400 immigrant workers die every year in our border due to U.S. immigration policies. When poor and middle class families experience the effects of recession and inflation, DHS stubbornly continues to spend millions of dollars to build an absurd border wall, even if in the process more than 30 laws and provisions are blatantly violated.

While the few and precious resources of our local enforcement agencies are needed to fight criminals and protect our communities, some agencies have decided to use those resources to go after immigrant families. When the current administration continuously cuts funding for education and health care at the same time offers well-finance programs such as “No Pass” and “Streamline” to criminally prosecute immigrant workers crossing the border.

While big corporations are getting wealthier by the bloody commodities given by the war in Iraq and the high oil and gas prices, some employers are using ill-conceived employer-sanctions regulations to keep low wages and to undermine unionizing efforts of immigrant workers.

When our administration pushes for trade agreements and economic integration around the globe, U.S. immigration enforcement policies ignore historical regional integration of communities in both sides of the US/Mexico border and separate working families through international raids.

For us, the undersigned individuals and organizations, it is imperative to reflect on what kind of society these actions and policies are leading us to. Instead of rejection and hatred, we should all be working toward making our border communities and our U.S. society more hospitable and humane.

Moreover, we ought recognize the positive contributions of immigrants to our communities and understand that enforcement-only approaches to this complex issue are not being effective, let alone desirable.

Therefore, on this May 1st 2008, we call for realistic and sensible solutions starting with

• Ceasing the construction of the Border Wall, launching a board consultation with border communities on this issue and carrying out independent impact studies (economic, environmental, constitutional etc….) on border fencing projects already built at the US/Mexico Border

• Putting a “Moratorium” on the immigration raids that have deeply divided families until US Congress seriously legislate on a Comprehensive Immigration Reform that would recognize immigrants as a key ingredient of our shared prosperity and that seeks to maximize their economic, social and cultural contributions ton the well-being of our society

• Recognizing that turning state and local law enforcement agents and public service providers into federal immigration law enforcement agents would be counterproductive, costly and that would undermine our public safety and alienate immigrant families.

• Eliminating “employer sanctions” and the no-match letters” since these not only enhance work related discriminatory practices but it also lead to retaliation to a worker by contacting ICE when that worker has exercised their working rights.

• Strengthening the labor rights of all workers and ensuring that enforcement of labor laws, employment rights, and civil protection statues are conducted regardless of immigration status.

• Ending the efforts and programs that further criminalize immigrants, specifically those being implemented at the border under the stigma of “no tolerance operations” that deviate resources and the attention to go after criminals and real threats.

And finally, as the calling of border communities and immigration families goes for their inclusion in shaping better border and immigration policies,

“We Are Not the Enemy; We Are Part of the Solution”

Declaration Endorsed by:

Organizations:
Border Network for Human Rights, El Paso ACORN, Las Americas immigrant Advocacy center, Annunciation House, Centro de Mujeres de la Esperanza, LULAC District IV, Border Women Group, Border Peace Presence, Centro de Trabajadores Fronterizos, Earlham College Border Studies program

Individuals:
Guillermina Gina Nunez PhD, Josiah Heyman, Neil Harvey, Mary L. Gourdox, Robert J. Gourdox, Bill Guerra-Addington, Gloria Guerra-Addington, Sister Maureen Jerkowski SSSF, Rita Specht RSM, Judy LaPointe, Mariana Chew, Pricila Bravo-Chew, Ximena Bravo-Chew, Pedro Chew-Barraza, Alejandra Bremirer, Rodrigo Mercado, Noli Chew, Selfa Chew-Smithart, Martha Chew, Jesus Galvan, Alejandra Galvan, Heather McMurray