Addressing the Immigration Crisis

​WHEREAS   one of the first principles of democratic socialism is the importance of collective action;
WHEREAS   our political work should be informed by a strategic analysis of the political economy of American capitalism and the cutting edge issues of the day, with an eye to identifying the critical points of system leverage where we can collectively intervene to maximum political effect; and
WHEREAS   to accomplish this objective of effective collective action, it is critical for DSA to develop organizational priorities, determined through democratic processes, to drive our work;
Be It  Resolved:
THAT   DSA’s top three priorities for political work over the next two years, until our next national convention in 2021, will be:

1. Defeating Trumpism and Electing Democratic Socialists and Progressives 
2. Addressing Climate Change and Promoting the Green New Deal
3. Addressing  Immigration Policy and Defending Immigrants and Refugees

1. Defeating Trumpism and Electing Democratic Socialists and Progressives 

           See prior post.

   2.  Addressing Climate Change and Promoting the Green New Deal
            See prior post. 

  3. Addressing  Immigration Policy and Defending Immigrants and          
​       Refugees 
Our third priority is the defense of immigrants and refugees against racist attacks, and the promotion of comprehensive immigration reform that would secure their place in the U.S., putting an end to corporate induced competition between native born and immigrant workers, and between U.S. workers and workers abroad.
 
In the last half century, there has been a major restructuring of the global economy, conducted largely on the terms of transnational corporations seeking ever greater profits. Neo-liberal ‘free trade’ agreements, such as NAFTA I and II and CAFTA, have produced a global ‘race to the bottom,’ with capital flight sending good paying union jobs away from workers in the U.S. to countries with low wage employment, many of which are ruled by authoritarian states that ban independent unions. In the Americas, this global ‘free trade’ economy has devastated entire sectors of the economies of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, leading millions of people attempting to migrate to the U.S. in search of food, jobs, and security. Many also flee the ruthless violence of criminal groups in nations with ‘failed’ states, as well as the effects of climate catastrophes, from drought to increasingly vicious and destructive storms.

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For the last half century, both Democratic and Republican administrations have acquiesced in this corporate restructuring of the global economy, even as it generated a growing anger among U.S. workers on their declining economic status and an increasing desperation among workers and the poor in the global South. The racist nationalism of Trumpism seeks to exploit the anger of U.S. workers by scapegoating immigrants and refugees, projecting racist fears and resentments on them. Only a politics which breaks with the neo-liberal paradigm can successfully counter the racism of Trumpism, bringing a measure of justice both to immigrants and refugees and to workers in the U.S.
 
In conjunction with the DSA Immigrant Rights Working Group, National DSA will develop a DSA platform for comprehensive immigration law reform, which shall be the basis for our educational and legislative work. The process of developing this proposal shall include consultation and collaboration with our friends and comrades in the immigrant and refugee rights community, in the labor movement and in countries from which most immigrants and refugees come to the U.S. The platform shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, provisions for:

• A path to legal status (and where desired, citizenship) for DACA dreamers and TPS recipients;
• The abolition of ICE, and its replacement with a new federal agency within  the Department of Justice  that respects the rights of immigrants and refugees and facilitates their integration into U.S. society. 
• The legal recognition and enforcement of international treaties establishing the rights of migrants and refugees;
• The quick and timely adjudication of claims of refugee status and rights of asylum, and quick and timely processing of applications for visas and ‘green card’ status;
• An end to racial and ethnic disparities in the provision of visas and ‘green card’ status;
• The reform of the current system of employment and family visas, including H2A and H1B visas, to end employer misuse of work visas and abuse of international workers, and to respect the right of family reunification; and
• The securing of the labor rights of immigrant workers, and the full integration of those workers into the organized labor movement.
•  A repeal of employer sanctions in all its forms. 
  
• Legal status for the currently  undocumented, in a rapid and inclusive process, without excessive fees, fines, waiting periods or a preliminary temporary status.  
  
• Opposition to the expansion of guest worker programs. 
   
   

Further, national DSA shall develop educational materials which provide a democratic socialist analysis of the underlying causes of the current immigration crisis, including 

• The role of US government policy – economic, military and diplomatic – in the conditions that create refugees and economic immigrants;
• The role of drug trafficking and the organized crime and violence associated with it, as well as the role of the U.S. as a major drug market, in the conditions that create refugees and economic immigrants;
• The role of ‘free trade’ agreements, and the restructuring of the global economy along neo-liberal lines, in the conditions that create economic immigrants; and
• The role of institutions of the global economy, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in the conditions that create economic and immigrants.

While comprehensive immigration law reform is necessary an immediate measure to protect immigrants and refugees, these broader policies must be addressed to take on the full breadth of the immigration crisis.
 
In conjunction with the DSA Immigrant Rights Working Group, National DSA will organize a national campaign to build public support for comprehensive immigration law reform and to advocate for the inclusion of the specific measures developed in the DSA platform. National DSA will prepare educational materials and resources that can be used in this campaign. DSA locals and members will be provided with opportunities to participate in this campaign through such means as canvassing, lobbying elected officials, organizing public educational meetings, and advocating publications and social media for comprehensive immigration law reform. An important component of this campaign will be non-violent direct action against Trump administration attacks on immigrants and refugees, such as ICE raids and the separation of immigrant families and the kidnapping of immigrant children at the border.
 
 Once approved by vote of the North Star members, these three resolutions will be submitted to the conventions as statements of priorities.  Responses and discussion are welcome.