Border Encuentro – November 2017

Border Encuentro – 2017

Tucson, Arizona

Eloy Detention Center, Arizona

Border Wall – Nogales, Sonora, Mexico / Nogales, Arizona, USA

SOA (School of the Americas) Watch –
Border Encuentro – November 10-12, 2017

Organized by School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch), thousands from north and south of the border wall, were brought together to take a hard look at the massive human costs of border militarization and US immigration policies… and to protest the long and current history of US intervention in the affairs of Latin America.

From the SOA Watch website:

“Our Mission:
SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement working to close the SOA / WHINSEC and similar centers that train state actors such as military, law enforcement and border patrol. We strive to expose, denounce, and end US militarization, oppressive US policies and other forms of state violence in the Americas. We act in solidarity with organizations and movements working for justice and peace throughout the Americas.

Our demands:
– An end to US economic, military and political intervention in Latin America
– Demilitarization and divestment of the borders
– An end to the racist systems of oppression that criminalize and kill migrants, refugees and communities of color
– Respect, dignity, justice and the right to self-determination of communities
– An end to Plan Mérida and the Alliance for Prosperity”

Border Encuentro – 2017

Eloy Detention Center, Arizona

SOA (School of the Americas) Watch –
Border Encuentro – November 10-12, 2017

Vigil outside Eloy Detention Center, Eloy, Arizona.

Day 1 – SOA Watch Border Encuentro 2017 – US District Court, Tucson to Eloy Detention Center, Eloy, Arizona

End Operation Streamline!
The US District Court in Tucson is one of 7 courts along the border where Operation Streamline operates. The court proceeding convicts up to 70 people of “illegal re-entry after deportation” in a group hearing that lasts under 2 hours. The court appointed lawyers have 20-30 minutes to get to know their clients. All those convicted serve at least 1-6 months in private prisons. The private prisons receive millions of taxpayer dollars for incarcerating immigrants.

“Many investigative reports have exposed the links between these companies and an increase in immigrant detainees. Programs like Secure Communities and SB1070 ensure this corruption continues”

The Eloy Detention Center, located an hour north of Tucson in the Sonora Desert, is one of many private prisons in the US, used to incarcerate immigrants. Like other private prisons, Eloy serves to profit off of laws that fill its beds.

El Pueblo Unido – Santa Rosa, CA

El Pueblo Unido – Santa Rosa, CA

!El Pueblo Unido! People’s March for Jobs, Justice and the Climate

Santa Rosa, CA
April 29, 2017

Really great crowd and so much mutual support among all the many communities represented…

“… a merging of the traditional Sonoma County May Day march for workers’ and immigrants’ rights and a sister March for Climate, Jobs, and Justice in Washington, D.C. The May Day March, annually organized by the May 1st Coalition, honors International Workers’ Day, and this year, with a larger coalition, points to the growing resistance against the Trump administration’s increasingly destructive policies on its 100th day in office.

“The group aims to create a united front to defend immigrant and Native American rights, public lands, environmental and workplace protections, including government action on climate change and workers’ rights to unionize. The march will provide an inclusive forum for the community to vocally oppose the alarming threats posed to marginalized populations in America, including the LGBTQ community, women, immigrants, and people of color.”

SFO – No Muslim Ban

SFO – No Muslim Ban

January 28, 2017
SFO International Airport
Thousands chanting “Let Them In, Let Them In” “No Ban, No Wall” “Kick Trump Out! Let the Refugees In!” as passengers are detained from flights originating in the predominantly Muslim countries of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The crowd of protesters continues to grow with a vow to remain until those being detained have seen lawyers and are allowed to freely enter the country. Similar massive protests are happening across the country.
#NoBanNoWall #LetThemIn

January 29, 2017
San Francisco International Airport –
Massive crowds gathered for 2nd day with intense passion and solidarity to unequivocally stand against the ban on refugees and those entering the US from 7 predominantly Muslim Countries. Up to 50 lawyers offered pro-bono assistance to families waiting for loved ones who had been detained or who they feared would be detained upon arrival.