California immgration sweeps press conference

Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006

Dear All,

Since Sunday, community residents and leaders have reported immigration patrols and sweeps taking place in Oakland's Fruitvale district and in 100th Avenues. There have also been sweeps in Pittsburgh, Concord, Bay Point, Richmond and other places in the Central Valley and Sacramento.

The Department of Homeland Security unfurled a national operation last week across several cities going after workers at IFCO, a pallet maker, arresting and deporting over 1200 undocumented workers and citing IFCO executive employees for employer sanctions or I-9 violations, threatening them with heavy fines and jail time.

These sweeps are taking place right after the massive mobilizations taking place over the last few weeks and on the eve of what promises to be the biggest mobilization in the U.S., for May 1 -- a blatant attempt to intimidate people from expressing their demands and taking to the streets. These sweeps and operation are also a signal and pressure on Congress in support of the draconian proposed bills in the House and Senate.

We are holding a press conference Wednesday April 26, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. in the Fruitvale Village plaza (on "Avenida Ignacio de la Fuente" and International Boulevard.

Please come out to support the May Day mobilizations and to help denounce the DHS raids and threat of sweeps in the Bay Area and other parts of the country.

I will send out a press release early wednesday; please forward this and press release to your media lists and oither lists to get the word out and continue building for May Day!