Napa mobilizes for comprehensive immigration reform

A roaring thunder was heard in Downtown Napa this Sunday, as more than 400 hands methodically clapped, and charged voices chanted words in English, Spanish, and Tagalog in support of fair and comprehensive federal immigration reform.

It was in this fashion that Latinos Unidos kicked off this year’s May Day march. It was held on the Sunday closest to May 1st, the official day of the national mobilization for comprehensive immigration reform and the date for International Workers Day. Several local organizations and businesses participated.

On the sun parched concrete of Veterans Memorial Park, all participants joined in a circle, placing the children in the center as they commenced the “unity clap”. Using the “people’s mic,” in the style that activists had done at the climax of the Occupy Wall Street movement, instructions were given to a crowd of more than 200 people, without the use of a microphone. Each sentence spoken by the facilitator was repeated by every person present to become an amplified, collective echo. That echo reverberated in English and Spanish to ensure that everyone could understand; and to honor the historic work that the Filipino and Filipino-American workers have contributed to advance the plight for immigrants and farmworkers' rights in California, a united cry in Tagalog was also heard.

This year, the echo of the growing demand for immigration reform is reaching many ears. On April 17, “The Gang of Eight”, a group of Republican and Democrat Senators, introduced S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which has been going through hearings  in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Critics in support of the reform point out that the bill excludes the unification of same-sex couples, and prefer the 13 year waiting period to be shorter. Senators who don’t’ support the bill or would like it to be amended want to make sure that border security is a priority and that jobs are available for Americans, and have expressed concerns that the bill's proposed reforms will depress wages. On the other hand, the Gang of Eight believes that the reforms that they have proposed will do just the opposite, as long as attention is also paid to training our domestic workforce.

“Greens believe 10 years is an unreasonable amount of time,” explained Alex Shantz, co-coordinator of the Napa County Green Party, referring to the length of time that it will take for undocumented residents to receive Permanent Residency Cards, plus the additional 3 years to acquire citizenship under the bill currently under consideration in the Senate. He also reminded everyone about the change the Green Party members can bring about at a local level.

“Green Party Mayor of Richmond, Gayle McLaughlin, is a perfect example. In 2007 Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, along with the Richmond City Council, declared Richmond a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants. This means…a moratorium on immigration raids and city police will refuse to work with ICE on the raids,” Shantz concluded.

Eduardo Rivera, a member of the Napa Valley Dream Team, reminded everyone about the importance of being inclusive to the LGBTQ community and supporting the unification of same-sex couples. Other representatives from the Democrats of Napa Valley and its Latino Outreach Committee, the California Democratic Party, the office of Congressman Mike Thompson, and the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council also spoke to the crowd and voiced their strong commitment to immigration reform.

In the House, another bipartisan bill is in the works, but has yet to be introduced, though chances for comprehensive immigration reform are looking slim in the Republican controlled chamber. This would stifle the work taking place in the Senate.

But for the people marching in Downtown Napa that day, neither the hot sun nor the clear political stumbling blocks that threaten to stand in the way of successful efforts to bring about such reform, deterred them from chanting with hope and enthusiasm. Marchers proceeded out of Veterans Park and paused at City Hall, where Napa City Councilmembers Juliana Inman and Alfredo Pedroza, American Canyon Mayor Leon Garcia, and Napa County Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht voiced local support for immigration reform. Finally, the march continued on to Soscol Avenue where the hopeful demonstrators remained for a moment before returning to Veterans Park for the closing ceremony.

See for yourself in the attached video!