Activists Oppose “Secure Communities” Bill

St. Paul, MN, May 20, 2011. Representatives of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc) protested outside Governor Dayton’s office and presented with a petition seeking veto of SF 1143. Senator Ortman added an amendment to SF 1143 (“Omnibus Data Practices Bill”) that would obligate Minnesota to participate in the controversial deportation program known as “Secure Communities”. She added the amendment at the last minute, without debate, without any committee hearings, without discussion on the floor of the senate. The amendment passed 57-0

Secure Communities” is a program run by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) that obligates local police and jails to work with ICE to deport more immigrants. This program is one that the Obama administration is trying to get states to implement nationwide. It’s effect is to increase deportations of immigrants and separation of families.

Text of the amendment added to the bill with no hearings:
The state shall participate in the United States Department of Homeland Security’s
secure communities initiative. The commissioner of public safety shall enter into an
agreement on behalf of the state with the United States Department of Homeland Security
to implement this section. This agreement shall be legally binding on the state. Data on
individuals collected, created, received, maintained, or disseminated by the commissioner
of public safety for purposes of participation in the initiative are criminal history data
under Minnesota Statutes, section 13.87.

Obama:Non-Citizens Fight For US Military

Did you know that more 8,000 non-citizens enlist in the US Army every year? They work, fight and die along side Americans while pursuing their own path to citizenship. President Obama talked about granting citizenship to non-US military personnel while visiting El Paso Texas and talking about immigration. Story by Daniella Vestal, US Department of Defense.

Obama On Fixing Broken Immigration System

President Obama visits El Paso, Texas to talk about border security and immigration.

Peace Activists Take FBI Witch Hunt to May Day Parade

Peace activists targeted by the FBI raids on September 24, 2010 and their friends joined thousands in the annual May Day Parade last Sunday as the first group in the Free Speech Zone. They parodied the FBI raids with an FBI puppet and a covey of witches. This parade brings out marchers on stilts, oversize puppets, loud bands, politicians and lots of wild costumes. The nine Minnesotans are joined with 14 others, mostly from Chicago all of whom have been subpoenaed at various times to report to the Federal Grand Jury in Chicago. All 23 have refused to appear and they are awaiting further action. A number of those targeted have children and they have been forced to work out temporary custody arrangements. Patrick Fitzgerald, the US Attorney in Chicago has also refused joint legal representation so each of the targets have had to employ their own attorney. Stop FBI web site.

Saint Paul Celebrates International Workers Day

Boisterous crowds of workers, immigrants and union members celebrated International Workers Day on May 1 with a march from the Saint Paul Cathedral to the Minnesota State Capitol. In the United States, International Workers’ Day commemorates the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago. After someone threw a dynamite bomb at police as they dispersed a public meeting, Chicago police fired on workers during a general strike for the eight-hour workday, killing several demonstrators and resulting in the deaths of several police officers — mostly from friendly fire. That strike culminated in the eight-hour workday.

This day is celebrated in about 100 countries around the world, some as Workers day, others as May Day. In 1955 the Roman Catholic Church dedicated May 1 to, “St. Joseph The Worker.” Right-wing governments have often tried to suppress the message of International Workers Day. May Day origins. … Continue Reading

Decoy Action Gets Hmong Protesters Into KDWB Office

“We’re 70,000 strong. I think they picked the wrong people to mess with.”—Minnesota Hmong protester outside KDWB-FM


St. Louis Park, MN, April 15, 2011 Members of Minnesota’s Hmong community are still waiting. Waiting for a meeting with the executives of Clear Channel, the owners of KDWB. Waiting for a true apology and justice for ethic stereotyping and racist lyrics in a “joke” song the station aired last month.

Tired of waiting, the Hmong protesters tried an end around this morning and using a diversionary tactic they were able to get inside of KDWB’s office. But the end result was still the same. No meeting. No true apology. No justice.

In the video you’ll see how station representatives and building security stopped a “decoy” delegation of protesters at the door of the building. They were refused entrance and were refused requests for a meeting.

Meanwhile the real delegation entered another door and went to the Clear Channel offices.

What happened when they got inside … Continue Reading

Replay – Latino & Immigrant Voices on Repression & Solidarity

A panel discussion tonight at the University of Minnesota will address Latino & Immigrant Voices on Repression & Solidarity. Speakers will include Anh Pham, Francisco Segovia, Veronica Mendez and Manuel Barrera. Watch live on The UpTake to learn more about the recent and ongoing FBI and grand jury repression against anti-war & international solidarity activists. We’ll also hear about some context and history of repression against political movements in the United States, especially repression against Latino and Latin American political movements and against Latino immigrants. And we’ll hear important examples of solidarity that have helped to stop repression.

Thousands March to Minnesota Capitol for the Middle Class

Several thousand citizens marched from Cathedral Park to the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, yesterday claiming, “We Are One!” in support of the middle class. This was one of over 1,000 rallies across the country. The date is significant. On April 4, 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King was shot dead in Memphis. He was there in support of sanitation workers fighting for their rights.

This rally brought together members from dozens of different unions plus the concerned citizenry. Several conservative Republican governors and legislators have tried to bust unions and demonize public employees. This effort has energized opposition from many quarters including almost all labor unions. The staggering response in Madison, Wis., a few weeks ago was the beginning of the expression of outrage to these attacks, thus the 1,000 plus marches on April 4. Many of the unions in addition to their marching banners were decked out with colored t-shirts. Teachers formed a large sea of blue shirts. The Teamsters produced their big red 18-wheeler truck.

It was a very emotional action. People are seriously concerned about basic living issues and see the proposed government actions as a threat their well being and quality of life.

Weekly Diaspora: Justice for Brisenia as Minutemen Leader Convicted of Murders

Courtesy of The Media Consortium

Days after Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne filed suit against the federal government for allegedly failing to protect the state from a Mexican “invasion,” the high-profile murder conviction of a Minutemen border vigilante underscores the state’s misguided border priorities.

Earlier this week, a jury found Shawna Forde—leader of the Minutemen American Defense (MAD)—guilty of murdering 8-year-old Brisenia Flores and her father, Raul Flores, Jr. during a racially motivated home invasion in 2009. Forde faces the death penalty for orchestrating the robbery and murders.

ColorLines’ Julianne Hing reports that Forde had planned a number of elaborate home invasions to raise funds for her border patrol activities—targeting individuals whom she (erroneously) believed to be drug dealers. Though no drugs were found in the Flores home, Forde—who, incidentally, has close ties to both the Tea Party and the conservative think tank Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)—nevertheless justified Brisenia’s murder on the grounds that “people shouldn’t deal drugs if they have kids.” After watching Forde’s accomplices shoot her mother and kill her father, Brisenia was shot twice in the face. … Continue Reading

MN GOP Pushes to Exclude Languages Other Than English

Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen

Republicans in control of the Minnesota House and Senate are pushing legislation that would designate English as the state’s official language and repeal an existing law that requires state agencies to employ bilingual employees. The move would require most government business, including meetings, documents and other services, to be conducted in English only — this despite the Twin Cities’ celebrated ethnic and language diversity. A bill introduced yesterday in the state Senate would bar Minnesota from issuing a driver’s license to anyone who cannot understand English and would require applicants to pass the test without an interpreter. More than 20 states have adopted similar legislation. Most recently, voters in Oklahoma approved a ballot measure making English their official language.

“We need to send a message to immigrants, no matter where they come from, that learning English is essential,” said Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen. “And that they have the responsibility to learn our nation’s language.” A similar bill has been introduced in the House.

House Minority Leader Paul Thissen called the legislation a “distraction” from fixing the state’s fiscal problems. “It sends the wrong signal about Minnesota and where we’re positioned in the global economy,” Thissen said. Gov. Mark Dayton, who opposed the measure on the campaign trail, would almost certainly veto the legislation.