Remember the Immigrant-Rights Movement?

The case of Elvira Arellano inspires L.A. organizers

Comments (0) By Daniel Hernandez Wednesday, Aug 23 2006

“So who loses here in all this political positioning [are] the immigrants,” Sanbrano said. “I think that’s why the action of Elvira Arellano is so courageous, so important, because it really underscores the unfairness of all these laws and the need for immigration reform that unites families.”

Sanbrano said she’s not counting on much progress on the matter, at least not this year. Not even formidable Democratic Latino leaders like New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson or Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa dare mention the policy goal at the core of the immigrant-rights movement: full legalization for all undocumented workers.

Where�s the reform? Elvira Arellano and Saul

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It’s a sign that while Latinos have made progress in the past 30 years, real advancement is still lacking, said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C. Velasquez Institute and a main organizer behind the upcoming Latino Congreso.

“Since when did amnesty become a dirty word?” Gonzalez said. “That’s a colossal failure, and it’s our failure. It’s like Voldemort on Harry Potter, the You-Know-Who, the You-Know-What, that’s what we want.”

There is little time for dawdling. On August 8, nine more migrants died in a wrecked SUV near Yuma when their coyote smuggler attempted to evade the Border Patrol, a reminder that the immigration debate is still a very real question of life and death for many. And who knows how long Elvira Arellano can sustain her holy standoff with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Or how many more Elvira Arellanos might be waiting in the wings.