Full rights for all immigrants - no to racism

By Stephen Mark "Steve" Hinze

All immigrants should enjoy full equality in Los Angeles County and throughout the United States. Candidate Stephen Hinze is a leader in this social movement for civil rights.

The Stephen Hinze Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, District 5, campaign believes that the struggle for legalization for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants is a top priority for the U.S. working class and, in particular, the county of Los Angeles. Immigration is a natural outgrowth of imperialism and the forced uneven economic development of nations. "Free trade" agreements have eliminated national borders to enrich the capitalists, while the capitalists have erected borders against humans displaced by the effects of global capitalism.

In 2006, the world witnessed a dramatic upsurge in the struggle for immigrant rights in the United States. In response to the draconian Sensenbrenner bill, H.R. 4437, a mass movement for civil rights emerged in the heart of world capitalism. The central demand was, and remains, full legalization for all immigrants.

The mobilization of millions of immigrant workers forced the issue of immigration into the national spotlight. Congressional bills and "compromises" contemplating some form of legalization were floated and sometimes vigorously debated in Washington.

The PSL helped provide leadership and organization to this historic struggle. We are a party composed of citizens, residents and undocumented people. Hinze and the PSL were in the front ranks of the demonstrations, boycotts and job actions. Hinze provided leadership at the March 25, 2006 demonstration of over one million people in Los Angeles.

Facing a movement of millions demanding democratic rights, the ruling class mobilized against it. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants were deported by federal authorities in 2007. Local governments introduced and, in some cases, passed racist "English only" laws. And bourgeois pundits and media outlets supported the growth of neo-fascist groups like the Minuteman Project. Meanwhile, Hinze organized protests to mobilize the community against the racist Minutemen and their ilk. He has lead the community in Burbank and Glendale to push back the Minutemen on numerous occasions.

To the U.S. ruling class, all of these forms of repression are acceptable responses to the immigration issue. They want to brutalize the people who work the hardest to keep society functioning--immigrant workers. Immigrants contribute billions to the U.S. economy and many, especially the undocumented, receive no benefits in return. The struggle of immigrants is our struggle.

The capitalists--Democrats and Republicans alike--want to prevent the movement for immigrant rights from reasserting itself as a major power.

The Hinze campaign believes that organizing against anti-immigrant repression and demanding "full legalization now" is more important than ever.