We Can Block the Wall!

A Call to Create a Real National Emergency for Trump

2019-02-15

Categories:

Trump has announced that he will declare a state of emergency to fund his border wall. The proposed wall and additional security measures will be devastating for migrants and border communities. During the last shutdown, federal employees and federal contractors were forced to work without pay or to scrape by on furlough, while people relying on government assistance were forced to seek out limited community alternatives and refugees were trapped in bureaucratic limbo. Make no mistake—a grassroots movement ended the shutdown. Trump gave in only when air traffic controllers and flight attendants stopped clocking in and airlines across the east coast began to close down.

We refuse to choose between Trump’s openly racist wall and the Democrats’ implicitly racist “smart border.” The differences between Trump’s border wall and a soft-power smart wall are minor variations on the same deadly theme. We will block the border wall. We choose another way: freedom of movement, solidarity, and mutual aid.

We can combat Trump’s policies that greet asylum seeking families with tear gas at the southern border, that leave Haitian people to die in boats coming to the United States and 58,000 Haitians in legal limbo, and that criminalize whole communities. We will uplift the inspiring work by black and brown migrant support organizers like the UndocuBlack Network, Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project, NorCal Resist, and more, who defend black and brown migrant communities most targeted by ICE harassment, deportation and the police. Together, we can defend refugees, migrants, and government workers. We can re-imagine community safety, and support federal workers and communities under attack. We can demonstrate through solidarity and mutual aid that we can build a world without borders or state violence.

On February 15, we call for a movement from below. It is time to act courageously—together. We need a bold, positive vision of the future in contrast to Trump’s white supremacist fantasy. We need to create a world in which people can move freely, where families can find refuge from danger, and communities are brave enough to welcome newcomers and create a shared sense of belonging. Where refugees now encounter hostile border guards, where black immigrants face the dual threats of deportation and incarceration, they should find communities coming together to welcome them with food and shelter. Where federal workers and contractors find themselves unable to pay their bills, they should find communities acting in solidarity to meet their immediate needs.

We call for a “Block the Wall” mobilization on February 19 and 20 against the border wall and against the state of emergency. We can march, take over public space, and organize sick-outs in the nation’s capital. We can block every ICE detention center, field office, and ICE contractor around the country with the occupation of the public space around the facilities. Each of these offices are maintained by working class people in support staff, couriers, cleaning crews, tech services, and social workers. We invite all of these workers to call in sick and join the occupations on the sidewalks and streets.
We call for the organization of mutual aid to support the federal workers and subcontractors who remain uncompensated for 34 days of unpaid labor, and to support those who rely on government assistance. We call for cooperation to pool and distribute resources immediately to ease the daily struggles of those most affected. We commit to taking care of one another as the state gambles with the lives of millions.
We call for direct support for migrants and border struggles. There are multiple initiatives already demonstrating hospitality to migrants and physically defying the border that separates the United States from Mexico, from autonomous kitchens in Tijuana to indigenous-led anti-border camps in Texas. We will build the capacity to undermine the border, welcome refugees, and demonstrate that free movement can be beautiful, safe, and beneficial for all—so long as the police and la migra stay out of the way.

Share your marches, actions, and mutual aid initiatives with the hashtag #BlockTheWall, or tweet updates to @BlockTheWall on twitter or BlockTheWall123 on Instagram

In solidarity,

CrimethInc.
IGD
Resist This
202 Antifascists
Central Ohio Street Medic Collective
Haymaker Gym
The Breakaway Social Center
Black Queer & Intersectional Collective
Black Lives Matter DMV
Sanctuary DMV
The Peace House DC
Byp100 DC
All Out Atlanta
Indigenous Anarchist Federation
Free Lunch PDX
Channel Zero Podcast Network
Zakk Flash
Hopkins Coalition Against ICE
Front Range WILD
Southern Illinois YDSA
Carbondale Solidarity Network
Love Has No Borders
Bay Area Harm Reduction
Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign
Refuge Tampa Bay
Revolutionary Caucus of Tampa Bay
Revolutionary Road Radio Show
Antifa Seven Hills
No Atlantic Coast Pipeline (NoACP)
Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice
SW Solidarity
Revolutionary Left Radio
Liberation Project, Philadelphia
Toughie Prints
Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC)
Holler Network
NorCal Resist
574 Antifa
Southern Maine IWW
International Red Front
Olympia Assembly
Olympia Solidarity Network
PM Press
No More Deaths
Dirty Hands Collective
DSA Libertarian Socialist Caucus
Black Rose Books, St. Louis
subMedia
Denver Anarchist Black Cross

Please endorse and circulate this statement! To add your endorsement or inform us of an event planned in solidarity with this call, email us.

Full updated list of actions here.

Organizing Resources:

Block the Wall Video

Block the Wall Poster

Map of ICE Offices and Contractors

List of Border Wall Contractors

Organizing handbill with list of initial endorsements; click the image above to access the PDF. For a version that offers space to include information about local organizing, use this version.

Migrant Solidarity Efforts

Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)

UndocuBlack Network

Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP)

No More Deaths

NorCal Resist

Somi Se’k Village Base Camp

Commotion dot World

Background Information

Haitian Workers Fight Racist Deportations

58,000 haitians in legal limbo

“Dozens of Haitians Drown After Boat Sinks off of Bahamas”

“Don’t replace wall with ‘invasive surveillance tech,’ say civil liberties groups.”

America’s Immigration Policy at the Border is Literally Killing People

Congress’s spending deal doesn’t include back pay for federal contractors

A Few Examples of Actions You Could Organize

Black Resistance: No Cages No Borders No Walls, hosted by Black Lives Matter DC and Stop Police Terror Project DC, on Monday, February 18, 12 pm, in a the Park at City Center, Washington, DC. In spite of the abuse, criminalization, deportations, and surveillance… our joy, our anger, our survival is resistance. Join us on anti-presidents day as we gather to protest Trump and the criminalization of all black people.
Free Lunch PDX, an autonomous collection of anarchists whose program exists at the intersection of the Black Panther Survival Programs and Food Not Bombs, is holding a community feed and zine distro event on Tuesday 2/19 in solidarity with the #BlocktheWall call to action. From 11 AM until the food runs out, we intend to take space adjacent to Portland Community College’s Cascade campus in the historically black neighborhood of Albina in so-called Portland, OR. We’ll be offering up delicious vegan food and distributing a range of zines covering everything from work theft to “Designed To Kill.” We endorse the call to action and look to be inspired by the autonomous actions popping off across Turtle Island.
Block the Wall Solidarity March, Wednesday February 20, 4 pm, Seattle Central College—Against Trump’s wall, in support of migrants and their comrades facing repression at the hands of Mexican and US authorities, and in support of emergent mutual aid that fights to bring shelter, medicine, food, and freedom of movement to all.

¡Podemos bloquear el muro! Un llamado a crear una emergencia real para Trump

Trump ha anunciado que declarará un estado de excepción para financiar su muro fronterizo. El muro propuesto y las medidas de seguridad adicionales serán devastadores para los migrantes y las comunidades fronterizas. Durante el último cierre (shutdown), los empleados y contratistas federales fueron obligados a trabajar sin paga o a arreglárselas durante días y semanas de descanso (sin paga), mientras los que dependen de la asistencia del estado eran obligados a buscar alternativas comunitarias limitadas y los refugiados quedaron atrapados en el limbo burocrático. No se equivoquen: un movimiento de base terminó el cierre (shutdown). Trump se rindió solo cuando los controladores de tráfico aéreo y los asistentes de vuelo dejaron de ir al trabajo y las aerolíneas de la costa este empezaron a cerrar.

Nos negamos a elegir entre el muro abiertamente racista de Trump y una “frontera inteligente” (smart) implícitamente racista de los demócratas. Las diferencias entre el muro fronterizo de Trump y el poder blando de un “muro inteligente” (smart) son variaciones menores en la misma clave de muerte. Bloquearemos el muro fronterizo. Elegimos otro camino: libertad de movimiento, solidaridad, y ayuda mutua.

Podemos combatir las políticas de Trump que reciben a las familias que buscan asilo con gases lacrimógenos en la frontera sur, que dejan morir a haitianos en barcos en ruta hacia los Estados Unidos y dejan 58,000 haitianos en limbo legal y que criminalizan a comunidades enteras. Elevaremos el trabajo inspirador de los organizadores morenos y negros que apoyan a migrantes, como UndocuBlack Network, Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project, NorCal Resist y más, quienes defienden a las comunidades migrantes negras y morenas más afectadas por el acoso de ICE, la deportación y la policía. Juntos podemos defender a los refugiados, migrantes, y trabajadores del gobierno federal. Podemos reimaginar la seguridad comunitaria y apoyar a los trabajadores federales y las comunidades atacadas. Podemos demostrar a través de solidaridad y ayuda mutua que podemos construir un mundo sin fronteras ni violencia estatal.

El 15 de febrero, llamamos a un movimiento desde abajo. Es la hora de actuar valientemente juntos. Necesitamos una visión del futuro audaz y positiva en contraste con la fantasía supremacista blanca de Trump. Necesitamos crear un mundo donde la gente pueda moverse libremente, donde las familias puedan refugiarse del peligro y las comunidades sean lo suficientemente valientes como para dar la bienvenida a los recién llegados y para crear un sentido de pertenencia en común. Donde los refugiados ahora encuentran guardias fronterizos hostiles e inmigrantes negros encuentran las amenazas duales de deportación y encarcelamiento, deben encontrar comunidades unidas para darles la bienvenida con comida y refugio. Donde trabajadores y contratistas no pueden pagar sus cuentas, deben encontrar comunidades en solidaridad para satisfacer sus necesidades inmediatas.

Llamamos a una movilización de “Bloquea el Muro” el 19 y 20 de febrero contra el muro fronterizo y el estado de excepción. Podemos marchar, apoderarnos del espacio público y organizar ausencias por supuesta enfermedad (sick-outs) en la capital de la nación. Podemos bloquear todos los centros de detención, oficinas de campo y contratistas de ICE en todo el país con la ocupación del espacio público alrededor de las instalaciones. Cada una de estas oficinas es mantenida por personas de la clase trabajadora como personal de apoyo, mensajeros, equipos de limpieza, servicios de informática y trabajadores sociales. Invitamos a todos estos trabajadores a ausentarse por enfermedad y unirse a las ocupaciones en las aceras y calles.
Llamamos a la organización de ayuda mutua para apoyar a los trabajadores federales y subcontratistas que permanecen sin compensación por 34 días de trabajo no remunerado, y para apoyar a aquellos que dependen de la asistencia del gobierno. Hacemos un llamado a la cooperación para recoger y distribuir recursos de inmediato para aliviar las luchas diarias de los más afectados. Nos comprometemos a cuidarnos unos a otros mientras el estado juega con las vidas de millones de personas.
Llamamos a apoyo directo para los migrantes y las luchas fronterizas. Existen múltiples iniciativas que ya demuestran hospitalidad a los migrantes y desafían físicamente la frontera que separa a los Estados Unidos de México, desde las cocinas autónomas en Tijuana hasta los campamentos contra la frontera liderados por indígenas en Texas. Desarrollaremos la capacidad de minar la frontera, dar la bienvenida a los refugiados y demostraremos que la libre circulación puede ser bella, segura y beneficiosa para todos, siempre y cuando la policía y la migra permanezcan al margen.

Comparte tus marchas, acciones e iniciativas de ayuda mutua con el hashtag #BlockTheWall, o envía actualizaciones a @BlockTheWall en twitter o BlockTheWall123 en Instagram.

En solidaridad,

¡Por favor respalda y circula esta declaración! Para respaldar la declaración o informarnos de un evento planeado en solidaridad con este llamado, envíanos un correo electrónico.

El panfleto para organizar actividades comunitarias incluye una lista de los endosos iniciales; por favor haga clic en la imagen de arriba para acceder al PDF. Para una versión que tenga espacio para información sobre las actividades locales, utilice esta versión.

Appendix I: More Resources

Posters

Anti-Fascist Zone: Many Colors, One Working Class

Zines

Designed to Kill: Border Policy and How to Change It imposed PDF for printing

Syrian Underground Railroad: Open Border Activism in the Modern Landscape imposed PDF for printing

Rebellion and Possibility: Voices in the Anti-ICE Struggle, Volume I: online reading version, imposed PDF for printing

Rebellion and Possibility: Voices in the Anti-ICE Struggle, Volume II: online reading version, imposed PDF for printing

Books

No Wall They Can Build: A Guide to Borders and Migration across North America— Drawing on a decade of solidarity work in the desert between Mexico and Arizona, this book uncovers the goals and costs of US border policy, and what it will take to change it. Order it here or click the image above to access the PDF.

Stickers

Appendix II: Tornillo, Texas

The following photos are from a demonstration today in Tornillo, Texas opposing one of the prisons in which children are being held. After holding an encampment outside the Tornillo youth detention camp since December 23, a coalition has called for people of conscience to join in a national weekend of action February 14-18 to disrupt migrant detention, deportation, and murder.

Appendix III: Report from the Second Migrant Caravan in Mexico

This morning, Mexico City government officials used police to evict the migrants that were on the street outside of the shelter at Estadio Palillo. There is a group of approximately 1500 people that arrived at the shelter between Sunday night and Monday. Those who arrived on Sunday were given a green bracelet; those who arrived on Monday were given a purple one. When they arrived, they were told that they could stay 10 days in the shelter, but the policy was changed without warning and now they are allowed only three days. Yesterday, the migrants were denied food and those with green bracelets were kicked out. They stayed outside on the streets nearby, because they had come with their family members and friends who had purple bracelets, and they have been waiting to leave together tomorrow.

At 9 o’clock in the morning, government officials arrived and told the migrants that they had to get on their way and they could not wait for the rest of their companerxs; they threatened to send them to immigration control and to the riot police, even though those same people have visas. Several people have been beaten, and those who were taking photos and video had their bracelets taken away even if they had purple ones. Those who were inside and wanted to come out to help their compas were not allowed to leave and were locked inside.

Footage of Mexico City police attacking participants in the second migrant caravan. More footage here.

All the way from the southern border, officials have been pressuring people “not to wait for their families,” saying those with visas have to continue on and not wait for their compas that don’t have their visas yet.

They have been threatening them with police every place they enter, saying “continue on,” even though they are giving them one-year visas to stay in the country. They don’t want to see large groups and they don’t want people to wait. Right now, the same thing is happening in Mexico City, even though the local government boasts about having an Intercultural Law and an “inclusion” policy that is very “advanced” in regards to human rights.

Last night, the state police in Chiapas accompanied a group of 20 people as they walked between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tapachula. They told them that they were “protecting” them, and that they should rest and stop to go the bathroom and drink water. That’s when the National Institute of Migration (INM) arrived with 10 police holding vans and started to detain them. Many people ran away onto the road at night and today many families are separated and lost, and many people have been detained and beaten up.

While Trump declares a national emergency in order to build his wall, this government is doing the same, and probably worse than those before, because they are not only doing the work of the US but they are also disguising their actions behind a “progressive” discourse while they repress migrants.

Original Statement in Spanish

Hoy por la mañana el gobierno de la Ciudad de México llegó a desalojar a las personas migrantes que se encontraban en las calles de afuera del albergue en el Estadio Palillo con policía. En el albergue se encuentra un grupo de 1,500 personas aprox., que llegó entre el domingo en la noche y el lunes. A quienes llegaron el domingo les pusieron un brazalete verde y a los del lunes uno morado. Cuando llegaron les dijeron que podían estar 10 días en el albergue pero cambiaron la política sin avisar y ahora solo les permiten estar 3. Ayer negaron alimento y sacaron a la gente de brazalete verde. Estas personas se quedaron en las calles de afuera pues vienen con familiares y amigxs que tienen brazalete morado, y les están esperando para salir mañana juntxs.

A las 9 de la mañana les llegaron a levantar y decirles que siguieran su camino y no esperarán a sus demás compañerxs, les amenazaron con mandarles a “migración” y granaderos, a pesar de que es gente que ya tiene visa. Hay varixs golpeadxs y a quienes estaban tomando foto y video, aunque tuvieran brazalete morado, se los quitaron. A la gente de adentro que quería salir ayudar a sus compas no la dejaban salir y la tienen encerrada.

Desde la frontera sur han estado presionando a las personas para que “no esperen a sus familias”, que avancen quienes tienen visas y no esperen a sus compas que todavía no la tienen. Les han estado amenazando con policías en cada lugar que llegan “que sigan su camino”, a pesar de que les están dando visas para permanecer un año en el país. No quieren ver grupos grandes y no quieren que la gente se espere. Ahora está pasando lo mismo en la Ciudad a pesar de que el gobierno local presume tener una Ley de Interculturalidad y políticas “de inclusión” muy “avanzadas” en materia de DDHH.

El nuevo gobierno “progresista” repite y repite que respetará los DDHH de las personas migrantes y en la práctica se ha dedicado a hostigar y criminalizar a lxs migrantes. Ya van 5 detenidos y deportados arbitrariamente por ser identificados como “organizadores”, cuando son migrantes que vienen ayudando lxs demás. Los han sometido a interrogatorios sobre “por qué ayudan” “quienes les financian” porque para el gobierno es ilógico que lxs migrantes se organicen para ayudarse entre ellxs, es ilógico que alguien que ha perdido todo y solo le queda irse “al norte” quiera cuidarse y cuidar de lxs suyxs en el camino. Les parece un comportamiento “raro” que merece ser “investigado” que un migrante reclame sus derechos y el respeto de su dignidad, que se enoje cuando los policías les amenazan y golpean a sus familias.

Ayer en la noche policía estatal de Chiapas acompañaba a un grupo de 200 personas que caminaban entre Ciudad Hidalgo y Tapachula, les dijeron que les iban “cuidando”, que descansaran y se pararan para ir al baño y tomar agua, cuando llegó el INM con 10 perreras y empezaron a detenerles, muchxs salieron corriendo por la carretera en la noche y hoy hay muchas familias separadas y pérdidas, muchxs detenidos y golpeadxs. Así que mientras Trump declara emergencia nacional para construir su muro, este gobierno sigue haciendo lo mismo, y probablemente peor, que los anteriores porque no solo hace la chamba para EUUU, sino que se lava la cara con un discurso “progre”, mientras reprime a las personas migrantes.