Laura Garcia, Tribuno del Pueblo, interviews Juan Garcia.
I am a Guatemalan, member of the Coordinadora 13. We are currently doing a “Crusade for Children.” We want to deliver the letters of these children to the White House and
Congress before May 1. We’re going to ask members of Congress to march this May 1st. But this crusade will continue. On May 1st we will ask those marching to sign the letters of these children. These letters have specific demands such as no deportations.
In terms of immigration reform, grassroots organizations here want comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship. Also, respect for workers’ rights who will migrate in the future. And that status doesn’t depend on people having a job. With the current economy many are out of work. This immigration reform cannot depend on whether people speak English. As we know, many immigrants do not know how to read or write in their own language.
I participated in conference calls with some Republicans like Collins of Texas, Rubio of Florida and now Ron Paul. My purpose for participating is to educate them. We know that Democrats are set. The problem is that many Republican lawmakers still are not convinced and have doubts about immigration reform. They need to be educated about why we came. It’s not just hunger and need, but what caused that hunger and need.
We need to see things historically. Guatemalans, for example, suffered the invasion of the Marines and the overthrow of Guzman.
Then followed military regimes that violated human rights and massacres. After that the country’s politics and economy were destabilized. People began to emigrate to the U.S. In Guatemala the economy is broken. The people began migrating due to economic and political insecurity caused by U.S. interventions and U.S. corporations. For years these companies have taken advantage of workers by paying them wages much cheaper than here.
In Guatemala we live a culture of exploitation and death.
