"It’s really a civil rights issue. Immigrant workers aren’t getting the protection they need.”
“None of the participants who were not born in the U.S. would commit to doing anything remotely political – write letters, make phone calls, etc. Their fear of deportation was too great. They viewed the evening’s activity as a ‘safe space,’ and while they were comfortable enough to share their thoughts on political climate re: immigration/detention/deportation, anything beyond personal conversation was not realistic.”
“I have met so many South Asians from all backgrounds who have had problems with the immigration system. A medical student from Pakistan I knew in New Orleans had problems because of special registration. Stories like these show how the South Asian community has a stake in due process and immigration reform.”
“I was surprised by the commonality of people’s ideas. I was also surprised by how opinionated people were, even though none were involved in immigration related work or advocacy. The conversation, unfortunately, didn’t result in proposed actions but it did uncover some interesting ideas. Many people felt that race couldn’t be removed from the immigration debate. People felt that more consciousness raising needs to be done in the African-American and immigrant advocacy areas to encourage people to see the concerns they have in common. All of the people felt that the enforcement focused policies were racist not just xenophobic. Folks also felt somewhat disconnected from the debate particularly compared to last year. My friends wanted more avenues for communication and more information from non-traditional sources. Also noted was the role of class in the debate and how important immigration is to the lives of workers. People felt that advocates need to have targeted outreach to get people connected and invested, people from varied backgrounds. Also when asked about what enforcement policies meant to them, the image most people had was of families being ripped apart like in New Bedford or of walls and border patrols. It seems that people may not know the ins and outs of immigration policy but they know injustice when they see it.”
“It was great to learn about these families. I had no idea this type of stuff was going on. We need a lot more awareness in our community.”