Ten years after the mega-marches

It is ten years since the mega-marches caused by the anti-immigrant “Sensenbrenner Bill” passed the U.S. House of Representatives in December, 2005. But today the situation of immigrants is significantly worse, especially of undocumented immigrants.

The massive mobilization by millions of undocumented on May 1, 2006, defeated the Sensenbrenner Bill in the Senate and began Congress’s discussion on legalizing the status of 11 million migrant workers and their families. Ultimately, legalization was not approved, and today it is no more than an election promise. But from the mobilizations, authentic, natural leaders emerged, rooted in community-based organizations, not the traditional Latino organizations. Now the movement coordinates actions that transcend national borders.

One of these actions was the May 1, 2006, “A Day Without Immigrants” — some called it a boycott — which had such resounding success. Its participants were in the main immigrants, Latinos, and allies pressing the political class to discuss immigration reform.

It showed the real strength of the movement and exposed to the world the failure of laws, politics, and the immigration system in the United States.

Indeed, the greatest achievement of the movement was visibility — out of the shadows came millions of workers and undocumented families to expose to the world the existence of the inhuman conditions in which they lived and worked, as well as the exploitation and persecution to which they are subjected even today. This movement was intentionally dismantled during the Obama administration, and its pro-establishment organizations reorganized under so-called Comprehensive Immigration Reform. This alliance against the true migrant organizations involved mostly Democratic Party allies — Latino organizations, unions, and non-governmental institutes.

Their strategy was:

• Give these organizations and allies billions to manage and control the demonstrations, the messages, and demands of the migrants and to promote pro-Obama immigration policies.
• Push out the real leaders and the grassroots movement, through discrediting, exclusion, and financial starvation.
• Electorally use the struggle and suffering of immigrants to favor Democratic candidates.
• Placate the anti-immigrant movement, conservative, racist, and hate groups, and the Republican Party by implementing actions and programs such as mass deportations, strengthened surveillance, a bigger budget for technology and border guards, use of local police in immigration work, criminalization of migrants, restriction of access to public services. and mass incarceration and privatization of prisons for migrants.

But in response to the infamous GOP blocking of all initiatives by Obama, a youth movement emerged of brave children of undocumented immigrants, known as “The Dreamers,” who kept the struggle alive with their specific demands.

The Dreamers were the children who went to the marches of 2006 on the shoulders of their parents or in baby carriages. They were despised by the elite organizations, which denied them support under the guise of “comprehensive-reform” demands.

The Dreamers’ actions were similar to those of Rosa Parks in the fight for African-American civil rights, when she sat in a segregated bus until arrested, sparking the marches that spread across the South.

Led by young, undocumented immigrants who had already been deported, the Dreamers challenged the system and the government by crossing the border without permission. They were arrested and imprisoned and from their cells set off their movement. When the young rebels arose, the elite discredited them publicly then tried to take them under control, but it was too late. That’s when Obama drafted the executive action of relief known as DAPA, which is currently suspended and before the Supreme Court and under attack from anti-immigrants of all kinds.

Ten years after the mega-marches of 2006 the recognition of our rights remains just a campaign promise.