On September 28th, I am going to be participating in a delegation of women leaders who will be traveling from all around the country to Atlanta, Georgia. This is an action borne out of one of the projects I am co-coordinating with the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, and several partners on the ground in Atlanta. Our goal is to continue bringing a gender lens to immigration issues.
Thousands march through the streets of Atlanta to protest draconian immigration laws. Photo by Caitie Leary.
Not only are women victims of crime and violence becoming more reluctant to call the police for help, they are also being targeted for bearing children (so-called “anchor babies”) and simply working to care for their families. A recent study from the American Psychological Association showed the traumatic impact of family separation due to deportation has long-lasting and multi-faceted negative effects on children. For the last 13 years, Break the Chain Campaign has focused on the human trafficking of housekeepers and nannies, but we were compelled to enter the world of immigration advocacy because of the chilling effect on police collaboration that is the result of draconian enforcement efforts. If we cannot trust law enforcement not to deport our undocumented clients (many of whom became undocumented as a result of escaping their traffickers), how can we go to them for help? Similarly, we care about this issue as a human rights issue – we believe that every human being deserves safety, respect, and the ability to provide for basic needs for herself and her family. The erosion of human rights, and the ability to claim them, feeds human trafficking.
While the Obama administration has recently announced that deportations will be halted for many vulnerable families, we believe that the problem is larger than anything that a temporary hold or selective enforcement of deportation could fix. We need to understand the inevitable realities of immigration on one hand, and our common humanity on the other hand. It is impossible to rest until our country regards no human being as “illegal,” we all love our families, work and do whatever we need to do to support them, and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. A political border does not define our humanity.
For that reason, on September 28th, our group of high-profile women (including Betty Gorman Robinson, Laura Flanders, Ai-jen Poo, and 20 other leaders) will give witness to the testimony of women and children in the area who have been affected by anti-immigrant actions/legislation, and the following day we will hold a press conference. We anticipate follow up events (teach-ins, legislative visits, etc.) in a few cities. The event will be similar to the sharing testimony/rally event held in Arizona in the wake of SB1070, which we called “Arizona Women and Children Rise.”
If you or your friends/colleagues/allies are going to be in the Atlanta area on September 29th, please save the date and join us at the press conference. Otherwise, join Break the Chain Campaign at the IPS office in October for a follow up event (details on all events to follow in the coming weeks!)