For three days starting January 8, the Border Patrol conducted immigration sweeps terrorizing Kern County residents around Bakersfield, California. Like a pack of wolves, they hunted and detained hundreds. They snatched up 78 people, lining them up for deportation. Kern County is a top producer of agriculture for the region and many affected were farm workers or work in the industry.
These raids spread fear through the Chicano and Mexicano communities as people stayed home from work, school and shopping. At the same time, hundreds of people protested in nearby Fresno, California, and also in Los Angeles.
This move by Border Patrol signals the start of an oncoming wave of attacks on immigrants by the incoming Trump administration. Trump and his cronies have vowed to unleash a storm of attacks on immigrants, workers and oppressed people across the U.S. While Trump has waged a campaign against immigrants, he’s also planning to roll back many gains made by unions and workers. Whether it be at the National Labor Relations Board or interfering with striking workers – the billionaire Trump is out for blood to protect employers and the interests of the capitalist class.
We in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Labor Commission strongly condemn the recent attacks on immigrants and farmworkers. We urge unions, workers and everyone in between to hold the line against attacks like those in Kern County. Whether it be at the workplace, in the fields, or in our neighborhoods, the time now is not one to hide but rather to stand firmly shoulder to shoulder with our immigrant sisters and brothers and fight back!
