DEFEND FREE SPEECH FOR IMMIGRANTS!

DEFEND FREE SPEECH FOR IMMIGRANTS!

Civil Rights for All!
An Injury to One is an Injury to All!


Press Conference: Defending Our Right To Speak
Sunday, May 7th 2006 @ 5:00 PM
In front of HCCS-Central (San Jacinto Building)
1300 Holman, Houston Texas 77004
CCS-Central (Auditorium)

AFTER OUR PANEL AT THE:
The Edward James Olmos 4th Annual Houston Latino Book and Family Festival
Houston Community College HCCS Central
1300 Holman, Houston, Texas 77004

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their supporters have assembled across the United States in response to inhuman immigration laws. The marches have demanded amnesty and dignity for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants forced to live in fear in this country.

In response to these historic protests and the broad outpouring of support, punitive actions have been unleashed to intimidate immigrants. Workers have been fired from their jobs for attending the events, and this past Wednesday, April 19, immigration police arrested 1,187 undocumented immigrants in 26 states. Press reports state that the Immigration Customs and Enforcement Division plans to arrest and deport another 590,000 immigrants in the country. Like the arrests of civil rights fighters in the 50s and 60s, this is clearly an attempt to impose a climate of fear among immigrant rights supporters and to undercut freedom of speech and assembly.
Here in Houston, opponents of civil rights for all have begun a racist campaign of intimidation and threats. Members of Jóvenes Inmigrantes por un Futuro Mejor (JIFM), have received hate mail and threats. JIFM advocates for non-discriminatory access to higher education for immigrant students, and it helped lead a successful march that put a crowd of 6,000 in Houston streets on March 25. In one call, the sender threatens the JIFM member by stating that he has “contacted the Immigration and Customs agency to report you as an illegal alien and request that they start immediate deportation proceedings.” A racist e-mail was also sent to a JIFM representative:
“Latinos for the most part are good people but individuals such as yourself and what you support only go to prove that Latinos are pariahs on a generous system {sic}. You take but don't give back and the time has come to cut off the hand that always feeds.”
In the context of recent virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric, threats to cut off hands should not be taken lightly. The Coalition of Higher Education for Immigrant Students (CHEIS) and the state leadership of JIFM seek your support for free speech for all, and an end to any attempts to silence students who are speaking out for a life with dignity in this country.
We urge all supporters of free speech to join CHEIS and JIFM for a press conference (see below details) to defend all our rights. It is crucial to voice our right for freedom of speech in this country. We must not tolerate hate messages directed to students that are voicing their right to an education. Please show your support in this campaign to put a stop to intimidation tactics directed to our youth!



Join us for a panel “Immigration and Youth” by JIFM
Sunday, May7th 2006 from 4:00 PM to 4:50 PM
HCCS-Central (Auditorium)


For more information: JIFMUHCENTRAL@GMAIL.COM
Jovenes Inmigrantes por un Futuro Mejor