Immigrant rights groups in Southern California on Friday marked the International Migrants Day by
holding a rally and march for human rights in Los Angeles and calling for immigration reform.
"Migrant rights are human rights," shouted participants while marching from the city's downtown Main Street to the Italian House through Chinatown, where an "International Immigrants Rights" breakfast and cultural performances were held.
Immigrant rights groups also recognized immigrant leaders and workers during the rally.
The rally and march were organized by the Multi-ethnic Immigrant Worker Organizing Network (MIWON), an alliance of the Coalition for Humane
Immigrant Rights of L.A. (CHIRLA), Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA), Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), Consejo de Federaciones
Mexicanas en Norteameca (COFEM) and Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), along with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO).
The United Nations declared Dec. 18 as International Migrants Day, a day to acknowledge the human rights, essential freedoms, and wealth of contributions immigrants make worldwide.
Immigrant rights groups held that in spite of enormous hardships, stressful journeys from home countries, exploitation, and discrimination,
immigrants contribute greatly to American communities.
Meanwhile, immigrant rights groups urged on the International Migrants Day that the U.S. government adopts immigration policy reforms and practices that recognize and respect the dignity and human rights of all immigrants, regardless of status.
The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR) commended U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez for introducing the landmark legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to reform immigration policies this week, but also called for an end to existing policies and programs that criminalize and abuse immigrant communities.
"We still have a long way to go to achieve meaningful immigration reforms," declared Catherine Tactaquin, NNIRR's Executive Director.
"In the meantime, immigrants are experiencing intense policing, tens of thousands are detained, and their due process rights blatantly violated and ignored," said Tactaquin.
"While Representative Gutierrez's proposed legislation includes some needed protections for our vulnerable communities, it continues to treat
immigration as a 'national security' issue and stops short of doing away with the most egregious aspects of our flawed immigration system," she
continued.
NNIRR's recently-released human rights report, "Guilty by Immigration Status," documents how inter-agency and local police collaboration around immigration law enforcement, especially around the "287g" agreements and the
Secure Communities Program, has increased racial profiling against immigrants and has actually undermined community safety, making immigrants
more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
"Reprieve from these inhumane enforcement practices and a pathway to legalization go hand-in-hand," stated Laura Rivas, co- author of the report.
"Until these abuses are immediately addressed, immigration reform will remain a pipe dream for millions of immigrants around the country," she added.
This year's International Migrants Day also falls during the pinnacle of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN Climate Summit) in Copenhagen.
NNIRR called attention to the estimated 25 million people around the world who have suffered from forced displacement due to the devastating
effects of climate change, more than those displaced by war.
"Scientists expect the number of those displaced by climate change to reach 250 million in less than 50 years," continued Tactaquin. "As one of the world's top polluters, the U.S. is obligated to respond to this crisis and offer protection to the millions of climate refugees who have lost their homelands and communities directly due to U.S. policies and corporate
practices."
International Migrants Day was recognized by the United Nations in 2000 to commemorate the passage of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (commonly referred to as the Migrant Workers' Convention) on Dec. 18, 1990.
NNIRR is also joining in an international campaign launched on Friday, toward the 20th anniversary of the Convention's passage, to promote its ratification around the world, and is renewing its call to the United States to ratify this critical Convention as an essential step toward securing humane immigration policy.
Press conferences, candle-light vigils, cultural events and film-screenings were held in cities of Tucson, Arizona; San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and New York to observe the International Migrants Day.