Comunidades stands firmly against any violent actions directed toward our immigrant community. Federal enforcement actions by agencies like ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)and DHS (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) continue to create fear and uncertainty in our working communities. Though described as efforts to ensure public safety for citizens, these actions often lead to disrupted families, lost livelihoods, and lasting harm to the fabric of our neighborhoods.
Undocumented immigrants, quite often referred to as “essential workers” when most needed, have long been misrepresented by harmful narratives that falsely portray them as burdens on public resources. More than just a source of labor, they are members of our community who make meaningful contributions to our economy, culture, and society, often without access to the very services they help support.
These narratives overlook the vital role this community plays in supporting industries, small businesses, and local economies across the country. Our Latino community has been a source of generative, productive, and peaceful contributions, which in turn support our regional and national economic growth and cultural richness. In 2023, undocumented immigrant households paid $89.8 billion into federal, state, and local taxes, with a combined spending power of $299 billion, according to the American Immigration Council; in all cases, undocumented immigrants do not receive ANY benefits from those contributions. This brings us to a constitutional dilemma in our country: taxation without representation, one of the key reasons the United States sought independence from the oppressive yoke of European monarchies.
There must be an end to the racism, fearmongering, and criminalization of undocumented Latinos, Mexicans, and immigrants based on lies and malicious misinformation. Comunidades will always stand for a peaceful movement that seeks unity, understanding, and solidarity with members of our communities against injustices that perpetuate oppression throughout the country. Comunidades stands with our brothers and sisters from Los Angeles and across the country who are experiencing violence and oppression while advocating for the rights of their peaceful working communities.
Comunidades stands for peaceful solutions to the inequities facing our communities all over the country; we follow the teachings of community leaders from our past, such as Dolores Huerta, Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez, who led liberating social movements based on the principles of peace to overcome injustices of oppression and poverty, among our communities in the United States.
Only peaceful advocacy will liberate and bring justice to the undocumented, Latinos, Mexicans, and all immigrants in this country.
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Comunidades is a nonprofit seeking to amplify Latino voices for environmental and social justice. Visit comunidades.org for more information.
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