Los Angeles demands legalization for all
Los Angeles, CA – On June 17, Centro CSO and allied organizations held a march and rally at La Placita in Los Angeles as part of the Legalization 4 All Network’s Week of Action to protest Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Senate Bill 1718. The L4A Network called for nationwide protests as SB 1718 is an attack on undocumented immigrants as well as anyone who employs or aids them. For example, hospitals in Florida will be required to ask a patient’s immigration status, while out-of-state driver’s licenses for undocumented people will be outlawed.
Around noon, protesters began assembling at La Placita Olvera, the historic center of Los Angeles, where Jordan Peña kicked off the event. Peña, the co-chair of Centro CSO’s immigration committee, explained both the threat that SB1718 poses to the undocumented and how the United States has racist standards for those immigrants it accepts with open arms and those it criminalizes. He noted that, while immigrants from Ukraine or Europe are welcomed, children from Mexico, Central America and Africa are imprisoned upon arrival at the southern border.
The protesters then began marching to the federal Metropolitan Detention Center, which houses imprisoned immigrants in Los Angeles. Chants included “From Florida to LA, immigrants are here to stay!” and “Que queremos? Legalización! Cuando? Ahora!” While crossing over the 101 Freeway, the protesters stopped at the overpass and received honks and support from those stuck in traffic below.
Once the protesters arrived at the detention center, Xochitl, a commanding officer of the Brown Berets, spoke about her personal experience as the daughter and granddaughter of farmworkers. She then connected the attacks on the documented to the oppression of Chicanos in California and across Aztlan.
Tomasa Martinez, a member of Centro CSO’s immigration committee, said, “Inside of this detention center, our people are fighting to live a normal life. Two of my children are in proceedings for DACA and it’s been really difficult to live without fear.”
Eloisa Galindo, a member of Centro CSO’s education committee as well as a founder of the Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización, criticized Governor DeSantis for attacking immigrants in order to build his presidential campaign and called upon President Joe Biden for comprehensive immigration reform.
Jill Col Col, representative from Bayan-LA, spoke about how the oppression of immigrants is rooted in imperialism and how, like for the Philippines, the solution is national liberation and sovereignty. Frank Cardenas, a member of the Peace and Freedom Party, similarly connected SB 1718 to corporations exploiting undocumented workers for profit.
Sol Marquez, a member of FRSO and Centro CSO, called attention to the fact that simultaneous actions were being held across the country as part of L4A’s call to action. She also said, “The oppression of the undocumented is rooted in the oppression of Chicanos. So as Chicanos, we must be there to defend the undocumented. DeSantis came for reproductive rights and for LGBTQ people, so we should also unite against those attacks!”
David Pulido, a member of FRSO and CSO-Orange County, closed the rally by describing the conditions that immigrants face in the United States. Pulido said that immigrants from Central and South America “find national oppression within its borders. First, they must cross the border, often facing a hard, drawn-out process that can be lethal. On arrival, they face super-exploitation. They form the lowest section of the working class, parents and children working for low wages, often with the threat of deportation looming over them.”
After Luis Sifuentes, co-chair of CSO’s police accountability committee, invited all in attendance to participate in the planning for the 53rd Chicano Moratorium, protesters marched back to La Placita Olvera to close out the event.