https://socialistaction.org/2017/09/05/support-grows-for-guatemalan-immigrant/
Support grows for Guatemalan immigrant
/ 3 days ago
Sept. 2017 Amanda
Amanda Morales-Guerra stands with Father Luis Barrios at Holyrood Church
in New York. Photo by Marty Goodman / Socialist Action
By MARTY GOODMAN
“Go out of the shadows. Go out and fight.” — Amanda Morales-Guerra,
Guatemalan immigrant
Amanda Morales-Guerra, a Guatemalan immigrant living in New York City,
faces deportation and separation from her three children, but she is not
alone. Amanda has found sanctuary for herself and her three children
within the Holyrood Church in the largely Hispanic Washington Heights
community in upper Manhattan.
On Aug. 21, Amanda, a week after a request for a stay of deportation
filed on her behalf was granted for 90 days, subject to review, she was
told that the stay was denied—another blow. But Amanda, Holyrood church,
and the New Sanctuary Movement vowed to keep on fighting.
In the first hundred days of the racist Trump administration, ICE has
arrested over 41,000 immigrants, a 38% increase over last year. An
Amnesty International study found that Trump’s measures aimed at
“tackling immigration” violate international law.
Amanda Morales-Guerra, 33, fled Guatemala in 2004 after threats to her
life in that violence-torn country. Amanda made her way to Long Island,
N.Y., where she has worked and paid taxes for years. In 2012, she was a
passenger in a car accident and ordered to report to Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) regularly, which Amanda did. She received
deportation orders on Aug. 3 and told to report on Aug. 17, with a
non-stop ticket to Guatemala. Instead, she went to Holyrood Church with
her three children Dulce, 10, Daniela, 7, and David, 2, who have never
been to Guatemala and are American citizens.
Father Luis Barrios of Holyrood Church and the New Sanctuary Coalition
of New York said, “It’s not a religious issue, it’s a human rights
issue; it’s about dignity.” He added, “We are putting together a legal
campaign” for Amanda.
In an interview with Socialist Action, using a translator, Amanda said
that in Guatemala there is, “a lot of crime, and I was afraid of being
kidnapped. I was threatened by the gangs. I’m very grateful for the
parish but I miss my liberty, getting the kids to school, the normal
things mothers do. The kids were afraid because I was crying all the
time. I do all this for my kids. If I go back with them to Guatemala
there will not be a good future for them. ”
Amanda added, “Guatemalans feel threatened because they think Donald
Trump doesn’t want people from Central America and Latin Americans in
the U.S. They should not hide. They should not keep silent. Go to a
church or any other solution. Go out of the shadows. Go out and fight!”
A first of many planned community prayer/rallies was held for Amanda and
her family outside the church on Aug. 28, attended by over 100
activists, religious leaders, and politicians. As a backdrop, a large
banner hung high above the church entrance with Amanda’s name on it.
Speaking with Socialist Action, Holyrood’s Father Barrios cautioned
immigrant rights supporters: “Do not be confused. Obama was doing the
same, but not openly. So was Bush and Clinton—but not openly. [Trump] is
not bringing anything new. He’s going to implement what was approved by
Obama and Bush. They’re all the same.”
Indeed, President Barack Obama deported over 2 million immigrants, more
than any previous president, earning him the nickname “Deporter in
Chief” among immigration rights advocates.
Barrios said Amanda’s children had seen a pediatrician and psychologist
who determined the children suffered from post-traumatic stress. They
were “not sleeping” and saying, “they’re going to take away our mother.”
Barrios explained that ICE says that hospitals, churches, and schools
are “sensitive areas” and have yet to come inside Holyrood. “But,” warns
Barrios, “we’ve seen videos of ICE going into churches and schools.”
Concerning the setback for Amand, Barrios said, “We learned from
activist training that delayed justice is not justice. We knew that from
the beginning. We want the authorities to know that we’re not giving up.
We specialize in persistence. We are so serious that we can keep her
here until the next president is here. We have the infrastructure and
the community support. We’re going to get what we want. “
U.S. domination of Guatemala
Guatemala has long been under the thumb of Washington and U.S.
corporations. The CIA organized a military coup in 1954 against an
elected mildly reform government that Washington labeled “communist”
after it challenged the absolute dominance of the U.S.-based United
Fruit Company. Subsequently, U.S.-backed governments, supplied with U.S.
arms—including napalm—and U.S. military personnel, led to decades of
mass slaughter of the Guatemalan poor, particularly the Native people.
Today, Guatemala is a haven for companies seeking sweatshop labor—in
particular, giant U.S. agricultural and textile corporations. Guatemalan
society is rife with corrupt politicians, a brutal army and police.
Poverty, drugs, gang warfare, rape, and extortion are rampant.
According to Amnesty International, Guatemalan women are murdered with
impunity. Between 2012 and 2010, less than 4 percent of nearly 1900
homicide cases resulted in convictions.
Father Barrios emphasized the social and political reasons for
Guatemalan immigration as a “Combination of U.S. policy and the rich
people who surrendered to the U.S. They throw people out as human
surplus in a capitalist society.” Barrios called it, “structural
violence,” due to an incredibly unequal distribution of resources.
Putting the U.S./ Guatemalan relationship into context, Father Barrios
explains, “It was a CIA military coup in 1954 that overthrew the
Guatemalan government because “our interests” were being affected by a
progressive government. In the 1950s, the whole transformation of the
social, political economy in Latin America started in Guatemala.” In
Guatemala today, “The biggest organized crime is coming from the
military, mostly trained at the [U.S.] School of the Americas.”
It is urgent that the immigrant rights movement grow extend its reach
into the unions, as well as in religious and oppressed communities. The
historic immigrant workers strike and protest of two million in 2006
showed us the way forward to beat back Trump.
Capitalism in crisis is to blame for attempting to divide working people
with racist lies against immigrants. Neither capitalist party will truly
defend immigrant rights. Socialists say, “Solidarity with Amanda
Morales-Guerra! No to racist deportation! No one is illegal! No to the
wall, open the borders!”
For updates on Amanda’s case see www.Facebook.com/HolyroodSCruz/ or
Facebook: New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City.
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
6Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)6
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
September 5, 2017 in Immigration, Latin America, Latino Civil Liberties.
Related posts
National Day of Action: Immigrant rights supporters protest attacks
Immigrants say: Stop deportations!
Trump escalates war on immigrant workers
Post navigation
← Bay Area mass mobilizations counter neo-fascist events
Puerto Rican activists fight coal ash dumping →
Get Involved!
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month September 2017 (6) August 2017 (16)
July 2017 (17) June 2017 (16) May 2017 (17) April 2017 (14) March
2017 (13) February 2017 (19) January 2017 (13) December 2016 (12)
November 2016 (19) October 2016 (12) September 2016 (10) August 2016
(10) July 2016 (14) June 2016 (14) May 2016 (9) April 2016 (12) March
2016 (14) February 2016 (8) January 2016 (11) December 2015 (11)
November 2015 (9) October 2015 (8) September 2015 (10) August 2015
(7) July 2015 (13) June 2015 (9) May 2015 (10) April 2015 (12) March
2015 (9) February 2015 (11) January 2015 (10) December 2014 (12)
November 2014 (11) October 2014 (9) September 2014 (6) August 2014
(10) July 2014 (11) June 2014 (10) May 2014 (11) April 2014 (10)
March 2014 (9) February 2014 (11) January 2014 (11) December 2013
(10) November 2013 (11) October 2013 (17) September 2013 (13) August
2013 (10) July 2013 (11) June 2013 (15) May 2013 (14) April 2013
(14) March 2013 (12) February 2013 (10) January 2013 (17) December
2012 (7) November 2012 (8) October 2012 (19) September 2012 (2)
August 2012 (27) July 2012 (18) June 2012 (3) May 2012 (19) April
2012 (14) March 2012 (17) February 2012 (19) January 2012 (17)
December 2011 (3) November 2011 (33) October 2011 (14) September 2011
(13) August 2011 (34) July 2011 (24) June 2011 (19) May 2011 (19)
April 2011 (15) March 2011 (15) February 2011 (15) January 2011 (15)
December 2010 (17) November 2010 (1) October 2010 (6) September 2010
(3) August 2010 (8) July 2010 (7) June 2010 (2) May 2010 (9) April
2010 (3) March 2010 (8) February 2010 (3) January 2010 (9) December
2009 (6) November 2009 (5) October 2009 (16) September 2009 (3)
August 2009 (2) July 2009 (5) June 2009 (2) May 2009 (7) April 2009
(6) March 2009 (16) February 2009 (9) January 2009 (10) December
2008 (11) November 2008 (8) October 2008 (16) September 2008 (14)
August 2008 (18) July 2008 (12) June 2008 (3) May 2008 (2) April
2008 (3) March 2008 (14) February 2008 (11) January 2008 (11)
December 2007 (8) November 2007 (1) July 2007 (1) June 2007 (1)
April 2007 (1) March 2007 (1) February 2007 (3) December 2006 (11)
November 2006 (11) October 2006 (13) September 2006 (15) August 2006
(11) July 2006 (18) June 2006 (7) May 2006 (14) April 2006 (6) March
2006 (14) February 2006 (5) January 2006 (2) December 2005 (9)
November 2005 (8) October 2005 (13) September 2005 (12) August 2005
(9) July 2005 (16) June 2005 (16) May 2005 (16) April 2005 (12)
March 2005 (14) February 2005 (19) January 2005 (15) December 2004
(14) November 2002 (17) October 2002 (19) September 2002 (22) August
2002 (21) July 2002 (15) May 2002 (21) April 2002 (21) February
2002 (15) January 2002 (15) December 2001 (17) October 2001 (24)
September 2001 (18) July 2001 (19) June 2001 (18) October 2000 (17)
September 2000 (21) August 2000 (19) July 2000 (16) June 2000 (26)
May 2000 (21) April 2000 (22) March 2000 (28) February 2000 (18)
January 2000 (20) December 1999 (20) November 1999 (26) October 1999
(25) September 1999 (18) August 1999 (40) July 1999 (38) June 1999
(24) May 1999 (27) April 1999 (25) March 1999 (26) February 1999
(29) January 1999 (24) July 1998 (12)
Search
View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook
View SocialistActUS’s profile on Twitter
View SocialistActionCT’s profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Upcoming Events
Oakland: “Dirty Wars.”
September 8, 2017 at 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609, USA
Category Cloud
Actions & Protest Africa Anti-War Arts & Culture Black Liberation Canada
Caribbean Civil Liberties Cuba East Asia Economy Education & Schools
Elections En Español Environment Europe Immigration Indigenous Rights
International Labor Latin America Latino Civil Liberties Marxist Theory
& History Middle East Police & FBI Prisons South Asia Trump / U.S.
Government Uncategorized Women's Liberation
View Calendar
Blog at WordPress.com.
Follow
