For Immediate Release // Excuse Cross Posting //
November 7th 2016
Contact: Armando Carmona, armando@ndlon.org, (323) 250-3018
Regardless of Who is President, Immigrants and Day Laborers Must Organize!
Los Angeles, CA— As the United States Presidential election comes to a close, Pablo Alvarado, Executive Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issued the following statement:
“While this tumultuous election season has served as a stark reminder of the deep racial and class divide that continues to plague this country, it has also reinvigorated a sense of urgency for those who are organizing to empower vulnerable communities. This presidential race has been an ugly spectacle revealing a widening separation between politicians and everyday people. Unfortunately, sensationalist voices in the media have contributed to polarization, and the absence of policy debate about immigration has only served to intensify the criminalization of immigrants and people of color.
“Under President Obama, we have faced a mass deportation machine that has deported immigrants in numbers unmatched by any other president in the history of the United States. A lesson learned is that we should be weary of politicians whose brutal policies belie their benevolent rhetoric.
“There is no doubt that President Obama’s policy choices were constrained by a white nationalist movement that sought to delegitimize his presidency. And regardless of the outcome tomorrow, those people are not going away. Their hatred against ’the other’ has only been fueled by this election, and they will continue to target immigrant communities and use public institutions and public policy to justify legitimize their violence.
“Whether we get President Clinton or President Trump tomorrow, immigrants, day laborers and people of color must organize and be prepared to fight for our rights. In the short term, we might not be able to fix broken institutions in Washington DC, but we can come together to defend our communities at the local level. As the song says, immigrants get the job done; and starting tomorrow, we will get back to work advancing civil, labor, and human rights.”
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