I stand with Farouk and the other hunger strikers in demanding their immediate release from INS detention. I am unable to be there today to participate personally in the demonstration outside the Passaic County Jail in support of the hunger strikers because I am in Tampa, Florida, as part of a national speaking tour to speak about my situation, and that of hundreds of thousands of others being threatened with deportation and jail.

As part of the stepped-up campaign of harassment and deportations in the last year and half, the U.S. government continues to hold indefinitely in INS prisons unknown numbers of immigrant workers from the Middle East and Asia without any charges, or for minor violations. In clear violation of their constitutional rights, they are often kept in brutal conditions, in isolation, and constant harassment, without legal representation and due process. By hanging the sword of deportation and jail over the heads of immigrant workers, the U.S. jailers aim to send a message to all workers of what to expect if we fight and stand up for our rights and dignity.

The fight by Farouk and the other strikers is one more example of the rulers’ underestimation of workers’ capacity and willingness to fight. That we can’t be broken and intimidated. That we will fight back. In the course of this national tour, which so far has visited six cities, I have spoken with many others that are at the forefront of the resistance against the government offensive on the rights of all workers in this country. From the protests organized inside the prison walls, to protests against the arrests of hundreds of men who went in to comply with the government registration system, to Somali communities fighting against deportations, these fights are finding a hearing among other workers fighting to defend their unions, and against the growing attacks by the bosses on our working and living conditions.

We must join today in support of the hunger strikers in their demand for immediate release from the INS prisons, and for their right to live and work in this country. We must also call for an end to all deportations and imprisonment of immigrant workers. The refusal of the hunger strikers to be silenced stands in the face of the government aims to isolate and divide immigrant workers from their brothers and sisters.
 
 
Related articles:
West Coast meetings build support for fight against deportation of Róger Calero
Build on Calero tour success
Students exchange views on issues in Calero fight
Spanish-language daily interviews Calero
Workers put stamp on Calero meeting in San Francisco
Defense campaign wins support at SF antiwar protest
More unionists back defense campaign  
 
 
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