Dear ROPnetters,
For several years now, human dignity groups have done inspiring work confronting deportations in their hometowns. Activities have ranged from building power to push County Sheriffs, to honor the human dignity of immigrants, to mobilizing phone calls, to get neighbors out of the ICE detention center in Tacoma, to holding public events that expose the collaboration between police and ICE. Rural Oregon is on record declaring that deportations does not represent our rural value of human dignity.
This week one human dignity group is raising the volume around deportations! On April 5th from 12pm-2pm in Newport, Immigration and Information Response Team (IIRT) will rally together to say NOT ONE MORE DEPORTATION as part of a national day of action. See full details below.
Not One More actions across the nation are strategically putting pressure on the Obama administration to halt deportations. Featuring bold and inspiring action, demonstrations have ranged from rallies to actively blocking ICE buses carrying those being deported. A Not One More action in Tacoma blocked an ICE deportation bus and inspired the detainees to hunger strike, protesting ongoing deportations and inhumane conditions at the for-profit detention center owned and operated by the GEO Corporation.
Since launching their group, a core piece of Immigration Information Response Team’s (IIRT) work in Lincoln County has been responding to the increased number of deportations in their county. They held forums with local officials, hosted information nights for the community, and other activities over the last few years. Jorge Hernandez, local IIRT leader and ROP Latino Advisory Board member, has said, “we need to start taking action now. Deportations affect us all, and is the most important issue affecting our immigrant communities.”
In 2008, when then-candidate President Barack Obama was campaigning for his re-election, he said over and over: “I cannot guarantee that [immigration reform] is going to be in the first 100 days. But what I can guarantee is that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I’m promoting. And I want to move that forward as quickly as possible.”
What has happened since then? 2 million deportations, broken families, and now Obama is talking about a “more humane deportation process.”
Rural Oregonians are joining alongside activists in cities across the country, those on hunger strike in Tacoma, and families on both sides of the border to challenge this legacy and demand an immediate halt to all deportations.
Join Immigrant Information Response Team and ROP in Newport on Saturday, April 5th or host your own event!
Obama: We don’t want “humane deportations” — we want NOT ONE MORE.
Join IIRT and the ROP family on the National Day Call to Action
Saturday, April 5th from Noon to 2pm in Newport.
The rally will be located on the corner of HWY 101/20 in Newport.
Interested in holding your own event? Click here to download the National Day Laborers Organizing Network’s toolkit for organizing your own April 5th Not One More event. Click here to sign up your human dignity group as an endorser of the April 5th Day of Action. Let us know if your group is interested in holding an event or vigil in your community by emailing ROP at cara@rop.org!
Don’t forget – register by April 5th to get the early bird discount for the Rural Caucus & Strategy Session! Meet IIRT leaders and leaders engaged in Not One More directly and join us as we plan next steps for our rural human dignity movement! AND we have extended the Caucus to Sunday, May 4th where we’ll be hosting a civil disobedience training inspired by Not One More! Register here!