Film Showing & Discussion: Immigrant Nation - The Battle for the Dream

"Immigrant Nation" depicts the story of Elvira Arellano, a leading organizer in the immigrant rights movement and the dramatic rise of that movement in 2006. In Dec. 2005, the House of Representatives passed the Sensenbrenner Bill, HR4437, which would have made undocumented immigrants and anyone helping them into criminals.

March 10, 2006, gave birth to the largest struggle for civil rights since the 1950s and ‘60s. That day, over 700,000 people marched in Chicago and shook the country from its slumber, sparking an even larger march in Los Angeles just 15 days later. The protests climaxed on May 1, 2006, when millions of immigrants and their supporters marched and withheld their labor throughout the country, shutting down major industries. The marches stopped the bill, but could not stop the backlash and continued scapegoating of immigrants.

The Minutemen Project became more active. ICE agents terrorized immigrants, raiding workplaces and homes, separating families and detaining thousands. Elvira Arellano was ordered to appear before immigration authorities. Instead of turning herself in, she sought refuge at a church on Chicago’s North Side, and thus became the symbol of the struggle of millions. 96 min., 2010

Sponsored by ANSWER Coalition. $6 donation requested (no one turned away for lack of funds)