Today at around 11:30am at the 7/11 on Broadway and Baltimore street (A place were alot of immigrant and latino day laborers wait for a job) immigration authorities came in and raided and arrested 25 people. Apparently it was non selective and people were picked up at random. Casa de Maryland which has its offices a block from that spot mobilized a press conference at 3pm in support of latino/ immigrant/ and day laborers. Several groups were there to speak to the media on the situation of labor, immigrant rights and day labor. It was good to see such a turnout in such a short period of time and a good sense of solidarity from a range of groups, organizations and individuals.

The raid is simply another example of the injustice that the authorities hold dear. It is another point that we should be active in our support for folks who face oppression simply because of where they are from. Last May Day was a very overt signifier of a situation that needs our support of people who due to neoliberal policies, war, political corruption, etc are forced to cross a border into a place that gives them little support and often rejects, expolits, and oppresses.

We have the ability and resources to be in solidarity and aid those who are facing such rejection and oppression. We need to build our local IWW branch, The United workers Association is in need of volunteers so we can help build a workers movement to halt the injustice against day laborers, and immigrant laborers. Organizations such as Casa de Maryland are working directly to help those immigrant laborers. We need to not forget that we have community resources that are for us to use in times like these where we can create and send propoganda, agitate, and be a place supportive and opened to everyone no matter what boundaried area they are from.