Moving forward, this movement will have big problems to tackle, and many questions loom large. Our next steps should respond to these key tasks and questions…
By Marisa Franco, Truthout
May 2, 2017
Heightening immigration enforcement has been one of the campaign promises on which President Trump has acted most aggressively in his first 100 days. As a result, May 1 -- which has long been a day to elevate workers and immigrant rights struggles -- was definitely circled on movement organizers' calendar this year. Yesterday, thousands marched, bringing memories of the tidal wave of immigrant rights mobilizations that occurred on May Day in 2006. Perhaps when the final tallies come in, this year's numbers will fall short of 2006. However, May Day 2017 proved that the immigrant rights movement has changed considerably.
First, the immigrant rights movement has become more militant. This year's May Day actions spanned from mass marches to banner drops and, in some places, acts of civil disobedience, disruption and direct action. Today's immigrant rights movement is authentically intergenerational and unapologetic about challenging the old conceptions of who immigrants are. It is more visibly queer and trans and is looking to explicitly connect resistance against deportations to resistance against policing and mass incarceration.[...]
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