Students open borders 
November 9, 2009 by Hannah Birch
Organization teaches community to look beyond migrant status
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A three-day conference on the rights and status of immigrants within the United States drew a small but interested group of students to UNLV.
The second annual Living Without Borders/Viviendo Sin Fronteras encuentro, hosted at the Student Union, took place Nov. 6-8 and attempted to educate students about stereotypes and discrimination against ethnic groups in America.
Sponsored by the United Coalition for Im/migrant Rights, the encuentro – Spanish for “meeting” – provided an educational approach to dealing with many aspects that surround the subject of social justice.
“We hope the encuentro will open up a space for discussion on the fundamentals of a borderless consciousness and the application of these fundamentals through activism,” said Jasmine Rubalcava, a community organizer for UCIR. “Given the dangerously violent, destructive, repressive and discriminatory conditions faced by [migrants] worldwide, now is the time to continue in our struggle, by any means necessary.”
Keynote speakers, contributing artists and professors from UNLV and elsewhere hosted lectures and workshops designed to help participants understand contemporary migration issues.
Attendees were exposed to issues including human trafficking and the sex trade in the United States, the effects colonization has on body image, the criminalization of people of color and the promotion of autonomous communities.
“I feel that what we’re doing, people are coming to a consciousness,” said Felicia Montes, an artist that contributed to the conference.
Montes is the co-founder of a women’s organization based out of Los Angeles called Mujeres de Maiz and helps bring awareness to social issues through the artwork of the women in the community.
Montes encouraged participants to be open-minded about who they think is discriminated against because sexism, racism and classism are only three examples of factors used in stereotyping, she said.
“In a lot of activist circles, these things aren’t talked about,” Montes said, discussing discrimination based on things like physical or mental disabilities. “[But] these are our gifts.”
Celebrating these gifts is one of the reasons the UCIR began hosting the encuentro.
The first grassroots activist movement of its kind, Living Without Borders describes itself as an organization hoping to inspire members of communities to mobilize for positive social change and to educate participants about ongoing problems and issues.
“I don’t know much about immigrants’ rights,” said Julia Tokuhama, a senior double-majoring in film and art who attended the conference. “It’s just an issue that’s always been talked about but I’ve never educated myself on. I should get more information before I make a decision [about] which opinion I hold.”
Immigrants were not the only group in focus during the encuentro.
One of the keynote speakers, Hilda Garcia, is a member of an organization called La Mujer Obrera.
Based out of El Paso, Texas, La Mujer Obrera is dedicated to improving the economic situation of Mexican women workers and provides comprehensive education in many fields to community members of all ages.
“You have to build from the bottom up and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Garcia said.
La Mujer Obrera also provides resources to help Mexican women acquire skills that will serve them in the workforce, like fluency in English and familiarity with computers and the Internet. Services like daycare and housing are also provided.
Speaking about women who worked primarily in manufacturing plants and domestic positions that paid little, Garcia illustrated how she believes the organization’s resources were allowing women to bring about their own change in economic status.
“You were kept in poverty and you were forced to be exploited,” Garcia said. “[Workplaces] were like a dungeon and that’s where the women worked. We have to open the market to those women and help them out.”
Garcia’s presentation focused on building communities and the methods used to sustain Mexican heritage.
“When [people] go to our center, they learn,” Garcia said. “It shows how deep our roots are.”
Montes said the goal of the event was to push issues and explain different perspectives.
“Each one of you comes from indigenous people, wherever they may be,” said Montes, “and you sharing what you felt because of [discrimination] will not only help you, it will help and heal others.”
Garcia said she believes participating in Living Without Borders will leave a lasting impression on attendees.
“You see things so differently,” said Garcia. “Oppression and what you’re fighting against… it opens your eyes to everything.”
I have to say that I am surprised to see that I am the first to comment. This group is advocating “Open Borders” and not once were the opposition’s viewpoints noted in the article.
As I don’t oppose all immigration but only certain types like illegal immigration, I wanted to comment. Illegal immigrants have by thier illegal entrance into this country should thier distain for at least that part of our legal system. That leads me to question, what other laws don’t they feel like following? Admittedly my own ancestors came over when immigration was looked upon more favorably but that was then and this is now.
No country no matter how rich can support all immigrants coming and going whenever they feel like it. There are costs such as not knowing who is in the country, not being able to collect taxes from those working here illegally because they are hiding from the government, drug trafficing, human trafficing, the slave trade, welfare, healthcare, etc. Many of these problems will only be increased by open borders.
Regulated borders like a regulated economy runs best. That way a country can knowingly allow the amount of people that the economy can handle at any given time. For example, right now many americans are out of work (10.2%) would it be right to give an illegal immigrant a job when an American citizen was without a job? I don’t believe so. Our government is made by the people, for the poeple and of the people of the US. This means that our government and our country is made first and foremost for the benefit of American citizens and only thereafter for other countries as our government sees fit.
This same exmaple could be made of Brazil, Mexico, Italy, China, Australia or any other country in the world. Each government is made by, for and of the people of that country. The benefits of that country should first go to its citizens and then to immigrants of other countries as its government sees fit.
I personally don’t see the flaw in this argument but if anyone wants to give me thier side of the argument, I am more than willing to discuss it.
The conference was amazing! To have UNLV play host to a conference supporting im/migrant rights and connect it to other social justice struggles is awesome. (The conference keynote Rinku Sen was even mentioned on the popular website, RaceWire (http://www.racewire.org/archives/2009/11/las_vegas_rinku_sen_speaking_at_living_without_borders_encuentro.html).
Kudos to UNLV, UCIR, and all the attendees for coming with an open mind to learn and breakdown stereotypes and myths. As an attendee for a second year in a row, I always learn something new!
The conference was amazing! Thank you to UCIR for all your hard work you put into it. We all need to remember that our economic policies affect our immigration policies. We cannot expect to have free trade and not open borders. As long as there is free trade there will be a large amount of migration.
“drug trafficing, human trafficing, the slave trade, welfare, healthcare, etc. Many of these problems will only be increased by open borders.” These are already huge problems, and a lot to do with closed borders. What do people do when they cannot migrate to a better place? What would you do if you had no money no job? What would you do if a drug dealer offered you a steady paycheck to work for them? If you are like many who have a family to support more than likely you are gonna go where the money is. It is a hasty generalization to say that undocumented immigrants are not only willing to break immigration laws but also others. There are many undocumented immigrants that cross borders out of desperation just to work. In doing so many end up in our agricultural fields or in the service industry and are exploited because of their situation. We need to remember that immigration is a multi-dimensional problem.
I also think that it is wrong to think of Americans first before anyone else. In my eyes every human being is equal. We all live in a global society and we all deserve to have human rights.
Once again, Thanks UCIR for hosting the conference, can’t wait till next year
Claudia,
America needs to think of her own before we think of others. My livelyhood and my families livelyhood is more important than someone who isnt a citizen of this country. Now I come from a family who immigrated legaly roughly a hunfred years ago, I want todays immigrants to wait there turn much like my great grandparents did.
First of all I would like to thank the Rebel Yell for writing this piece! As well as the United Coalition for Im/migrant Rights for hosting this Encuentro.
For David, Claudia and other people who use “illegal.”
The language we use daily can cause either division or healing. In this case, individuals are using language to cause violence and perpetuate oppression. “Illegal Alien” or “illegal” are derogatory and xenophobic terms. It implies that an im/migrant who come to the US are not human beings and don’t deserve human rights. We are all human beings and will all deserve the same rights including education and health care regardless of your status.
We also have this issue of waiting your turn Claudia, you must understand that you are saying this because you come from a place of privilege. Some individuals don’t have the resources and wealth to be able to do this. A lot of the time people come here because of their specific economic situation in their country. Much of the time caused by a economic downturn which is indirectly or directly caused by capitalism, globalization and/or the United States. So we must also understand such terms and processes when discussing borders and immigration We need to educate ourselves and not depend on the mainstream sources in the United States. Much of the news we are feed here in the US is incorrect, oppresses and superficial.
David you said that “Our government is made by the people, for the people and of the people of the US.” Again this is very false. The United States government in made of mostly white, “heterosexual” identified, middle class men and is made for them alike. It is very important to understand this, in order for us to be able to move forward. Who is then lift in the margins, many people of color, im/migrants, queers, and women.
Claudia,
I don’t quite understand what you are trying to say as it sounds like you agree with me but I know that’s not what you were trying to do. We are both saying that “drug trafficking, human trafficking, the slave trade, welfare, healthcare, etc” are problems and that they will be increased with open borders.
You said “What would you do if you had no money no job?” I think you could ask that same question to the 10.2% of Americans that are out of work and the vast majority wouldn’t sell or run drugs. Our own country hasn’t always been the best as we are a young country but many people decided to stay here and make this country better. Why aren’t illegal immigrants making that same effort in their own countries? Are you saying that they aren’t as good as Americans and couldn’t have the same results? I personally think they could if they wanted to.
I didn’t say that illegal immigrants break laws other than immigration laws. I said if they are willing to break those laws, why not our other laws? Do they have integrity that they will only allow them to break certain laws? I think they break what laws they need to (or believe they need to) whether it be immigration law, insurance law or criminal law.
I think it is sad that illegal immigrants are exploited but on the other hand they have come to the US on purpose to go to the jobs that are exploiting them. So, who am I to say they are being exploited when they know what they are getting into when they get a job here?
Manuel,
It is a simple question. Did they come here legally or illegally? As they came here illegally, I don’t understand why I can’t say they came here illegally. Should I not call a janitor a janitor because they don’t want me to say that and would prefer to be called a waste management engineer? I don’t believe so. An apple is an apple, no matter how it wants to be called.
I believe that illegal immigrants are due rights, those rights guaranteed by the government of their home country. I will happily receive legal immigrants as they have decided it is worth the wait to come to our country the legal way. Illegal immigrants cut in line and do it in spite of our laws, showing they have no respect for our country.
I was waiting for you to say that it was the US’s fault that people are poor. It is one of those lines that no matter how stupid it sounds, people seem to keep repeating it. The US doesn’t own or control the world. It does have power and influence but not enough to control everything and everyone (as seen by the many countries we have disagreements with, as do all other countries).
I am actually fluent in Italian and read their papers as well and even they don’t think that illegal immigration is that good of an idea. So you saying that our media is “incorrect, oppresses and superficial” isn’t nearly enough to convince me. Please provide some examples.
You said that “The United States government in made of mostly white, “heterosexual” identified, middle class men and is made for them alike.” Then why did we have the civil war? Why do we have affirmative action? The civil rights act? Why can women vote? Why can “many people of color, immigrants, queers, and women” all vote? If white men control everything, they why would they let others have any say whatsoever? It doesn’t make sense. Why would they allow a black man to be elected president? You have provided neither rational evidence nor logical argument to support your position and so it must be based solely on your beliefs. Thus, the only explanation I have for your belief is that you are racist and prejudiced against “white, “heterosexual” identified, middle class men” and I will believe that until you can back up your belief with some evidence or logical argument.