advocacy alert

Today is International Workers Day or May Day! May 1st is recognized internationally as a day to a celebrate the economic and social achievements of the international labor movement.

Around the world, in Europe and most of the rest of the world on May Day, hundreds of thousands of working people and their unions hold large events to mark the day!

May 1st, 2006 was chosen by immigrant rights groups in the U.S. as the date of a large strike by immigrant workers to protest the House of Representatives bill 4437 (The Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005) which passed in the House but not the Senate.

It was also known as the "Sensenbrenner Bill," for its sponsor in the House of Representatives, Wisconsin Republican Jim Sensenbrenner. 

This year, look out for immigration rallies across the U.S. in celebration of May Day. As of today comprehensive immigration reform that supports families and workers and provides a pathway to citizenship has not passed.

Join the Chorus for Equal Treatment  Policy for Haitians!
Immigrant Women's Information Exchange voices its concern about unequal treatment.

Many have been concerned about the plight of the 101 Haitians currently in detention that landed on Hallandale Beach in March. More voices need to be heard! Take action today to support their release from detention by writing a letter to the editor. Below is a sample letter you can send to the Miami Herald editors:

Dear Editor,

Last Monday, April 23, 2007, columnist Fred Grimm stated in "Migrants from Haiti going against tide" that "a special exception for Haitian boat people seem a little wistful." As a concerned community member who has long seen discrepancies in the application of immigration laws, I do not believe that releasing any of these individuals on bond while pending the processing of their asylum cases is wistful.

As Miami Catholic Archbishop John Favalora has stated in his own request for the release of these Haitian arrivals our current legal double-standard of not applying the "wet foot, dry foot" rule to Haitians is, sadly, like that of an apartheid situation with the primary difference between Haitians and other groups being the color of their skin. This is not simply a matter of “wet foot, dry foot” in reference to the law benefiting Cuban immigrants who arrive on U.S. soil but is also a reference to the non-issuance of Temporary Protected Status to Haitians who are from a violence-prone country that has experienced numerous natural disasters in recent years.

I hope that other concerned community members in Miami will continue to express themselves so that these individuals are not subjected to arbitrary detention based on the color of their skin.

Sincerely,

[Your Name, address, phone number]

Click to send your letter: HeraldEd@MiamiHerald.com