Hands Off Our Brothers and Sisters!
La Resistencia calls on everyone with a basic sense of humanity to oppose the hunting down of unarmed immigrants by racist vigilantes in southern Arizona. The Barnett brothers, major owners of land on the Mexican border in Douglas, Arizona, boast of having hunted down and held hundreds of immigrants at gun point, turning them over to the Border Patrol. Roger Barnett, told USA Today that he is "prepared to kill Mexicans" if necessary.
In a further escalation, on May 12, two horse mounted ranchers armed with high powered rifles are reported to have and shot and critically wounded a Mexicano near Sasabe, Arizona. On May 13, an organizing meeting of anti-immigrant, racist organizations was held in Sierra Vista, near Douglas, with the aim of unifying the anti-immigrant movement around their murderous "hunting" plans. They are striking a pose as "heroes" who are stopping hordes of criminal aliens that are killing animals and destroying property.
Let's be real. These are people on their way to work in the fields, restaurants, construction sites and maintenance crews, whose labor swells the profits of corporate America.
The actions of the vigilantes are right in line with the US government murderous policy of border militarization. Operation Gatekeeper in California alone has claimed over 500 immigrant lives since October, 1994. The U.S./Mexican border has been turned into a war zone where the Border Patrol hunts down unarmed immigrants. Recent anti-immigrant laws as well as politicians' calls for protecting America's "endangered borders" have emboldened these vigilantes.
Now these racist Rambo types are adding their deadly force to the combined resources of the Border Patrol, US military, and various other police agencies which are carrying out the official US government policy of "deterrence". They are following the lead of the US Border Patrol which has itself shown by a rash of recent shootings in the San Diego/Tijuana area that immigrants crossing the border can be shot at and murdered as part of OEdiscouraging unauthorized border crossing.'
Anyone who thinks they should support a reign of vigilante or governmental terror against immigrants should ask themselves what makes you think they won't target you too ? And why anyone should stand up for you when they turn on you? The ranchers of San Diego's East County have found that out first hand. They called for the Border Patrol to clampdown on immigrants but then themselves became the target of Border Patrol harassment
Let's put the blame for the situation where it belongs, on the government, not the immigrants. It's NAFTA which has enriched the lives of a handful forcing millions more to leave their families in search for survival. And it's the various border Operations that force immigrants to enter the US in dangerous areas such as the deserts near Douglas.
We call on people to join together in defense of those immigrants crossing the border area on their way to seek work in the US. While the anti-immigrant racists and government agents call for snitching, kidnapping, and murder, we should find the ways to provide food, shelter, safety and protection for the people.
Join La Resistencia!
We Believe: 1) People are driven from their homelands and come to the U.S. to survive. 2) All people have a right to survive regardless of legal status. 3) Being an immigrant is not a crime. Human life is more important than laws. 4) People with legal status have the responsibility to defy and resist unjust laws, alongside our brothers and sisters who have been deemed "illegal", and protect them.
We call on all who agree with them to join us in building a movement of resistance that will enable us to defeat this heartless war on immigrants!
La Resistencia National Office
P.O. Box 2823
Houston, TX 77252-2823
phone: 713-521-3099
email: laresistencia@laresistencia.org
web: http://www.laresistencia.org
[posted 5/20/00]
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