Letters to
the Editor
.
Political Agenda Clear in Raids
In the face of increasing political scapegoating
and systemic marginalization of immigrants, it is hard to understand support
for Immigrations and Custom Enforcement's recent raids on Santa Fe's immigrant
community as anything but support for a very clear and deliberate political
agenda on the national level from the Bush administration to undermine the
authority of local municipalities and perpetuate and increase intimidation and
division of workers at home.
As an organizer for the Santa Fe Living Wage Network, I am
in constant contact with the working community in
When there is an attempt to organize inside these hostile
workplace environments, any perceived differences will be exploited to drive a
wedge between workers who are standing up for their rights. Hostile management
will use the fear generated by the growing political antagonism for immigrants
from the Bush administration and these recent attacks on our own community by
ICE to intimidate immigrant workers, and by extension, their co-workers into
silence. Too many businesses have already used this tactic to undermine the
law.
The hard work of Somos Un Pueblo Unido over the past 10 years and their direct contact with
previous and current mayoral administrations has helped to bridge the divisions
brought on by these kinds of disruptive actions and divisive rhetoric in our
communities here at home. It has been my experience as someone born and raised
here in
When people who make up a significant part of our work force
are intimidated to go to work, our City will be unable to function. When some
of our workers are coerced into silence, our ability to organize is undermined.
When some businesses thumb their nose at the law and continue to pay a wage
that makes
The working people of
Tomás Rivera