Thread: MEChA protests for immigrants

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MEChA protests for immigrants



MEChA and several other student groups staged a die-in at the intersection near the clock tower to protest current U.S. immigration policies.

By Marie-Jo Mont-Reynaud
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
last updated November 15, 2005 1:22 AM

Members of MEChA and their supporters took over the aptly-named “intersection of death� next to the clock tower at noon yesterday for a “die-in� to protest current government policy toward Mexican immigrants.
Approximately 30 participants dressed in black sprawled on the ground to represent the deaths of immigrants who try to cross the border into the United States. Others stood by with signs bearing information on the issue.

The “die-in� was part of MEChA’s Latino Immigration Week, which includes film screenings and panel discussions.

According to junior Luz Reyes, MEChA co-chair, it was important for the group to educate the community about this important issue.

“[The demonstration] was to inform the Stanford community about the current, inhumane immigration policy, which has led to the death of over 2,000 people in the last five years,� she said. “We also wanted to commemorate the lives that have been lost in the pursuit of coming to the United States.�

MEChA co-chair Diego Martin, a senior, agreed.

“Our goal is to raise awareness,� he said. “This is not an issue that people hear about. So not only does it continue to happen, but it gets worse. There has been at least a 40 percent increase in the number of deaths since last year.�

Martin cited the Operation Gatekeeper policy, established in 1993, as the cause of the deaths along what MEChA calls a highly militarized border.

According to the New York Times, Operation Gatekeeper’s objective was to blockade the busiest border-crossing points between the United States and Mexico, such as San Diego and El Paso. It tripled the number of armed U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Diego to 2,400 and erected a 10-foot-tall wall stretching more than 14 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

While the Times reported that Operation Gatekeeper succeeded in halving migration through the busiest sections of the border, it also reported that the flow had only shifted to other areas.

According to Martin, the military buildup along the California border has forced immigrants trying to cross to seek other points of entry, shifting to more remote desert and mountainous areas. MEChA attributes over 460 deaths between October 2004 and October 2005 to exposure, dehydration and drowning in these rural areas. The Mexican government reports an average of two migrant deaths per day along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“While the policy was intended to lower the flow of immigrants, it is in fact leading to many deaths that we consider completely unnecessary,� Martin said.

In honor of Latino Immigration Week, MEChA is advocating a policy change, given the current situation at the border and for immigrants already in the United States.

“Some of the types of policies MEChA advocates are a fairer and more accessible pathway to legal residency and citizenship, equitable education for immigrant students and demilitarization of the border,� Reyes said.

While some supported the goals of the die-in, other students said they were opposed to immigration.

“[By entering illegally], illegal immigrants disregard the fact that the U.S. is a sovereign nation, and they’re violating our laws,� said junior Dan Dickinson.

Others have a more nuanced approach to immigration policy.

“It’s a very complicated issue, but crossing illegally doesn’t seem like a good course of action given the risks involved,� said senior Justin Liu, referring to the choices that immigrants make to come to America. “It’s like those people who try to come from Cuba in tiny boats and don’t make it.

“The way to protest is to look at other forms of legal immigration,� he continued. “To say that we should not have these laws because people will die is like saying that laws against thieves will make thieves engage in behavior that risks their lives. I’m against our immigration policy, but we can’t say that once we have certain immigration laws that the laws of our society shouldn’t be enforced.�

MEChA was not the only group represented at yesterday’s protest. Other supporters included the Muslim Student Awareness Network (MSAN), the Stanford Labor Action Committee (SLAC) and the Asian American Students’ Association (AASA).

“MSAN shares MEChA’s concern about the terrible situation facing immigrants crossing the southern border of the U.S.,� said MSAN President Omar Shakir, a junior. “Immigration is a serious issue facing America today, since there have also been many injustices and civil rights violations committed against immigrants from South Asia and the Middle East. So these kinds of issues cross-culturally affect a lot of communities here.�

The die-in caused some bicycle and pedestrian traffic, since it blocked the intersection during the lunchtime hour. It also unintentionally coincided with the Band’s traditional Bearial procession for Big Game. The Band, also dressed in black, was forced to walk around protest participants, who lay on the ground, in order to begin its rally in White Plaza.

While some students may have been frustrated by the inconvenience, it was an intended outcome of the event.

“It is a good protest if it disrupts campus,â€? said freshman Jarod Keller, who stood watching the event with his Spanish class. “I haven’t heard any negative sentiments, though â€â€

If we were enforcing our immigration laws to the max, this would send the Mexicans coming in illegally a message and the death rate would decrease.

Damned punks need to get jobs!

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