Lara Rusch ~ 33
analogy with an example of how the CRI task force and core team members, many who
were undocumented immigrants, attended a rally in Washington, D.C. The group visited
offices of Representative and Senators in order to advocate for comprehensive
immigration reform.
And my goodness, they were so thrilled. They were just overwhelmed by being
there. Well, we’re trying to see how many congressmen and senators supported
the bill of Kennedy and McCain. […] And it makes them feel — how you say —
the training that we had at MOSES is for people to be more assertive and to feel
free to comment and to add on.
Lack of efficacy and outright fear are a significant limitation to immigrants’ participation.
Because several participants were undocumented, she had to assure them that the staff
would not call the police and report them. Ramirez told the participants that she would
translate to the staff and officials, but that the core team members should describe their
experiences of crossing the desert and the perils they faced. She gave an example of how
one man explained his journey to the congressional staff.
For instance, this [immigrant] man was saying there’s bad and good in every
country. He says, “First of all, we have to be careful of the robbers when we
cross. They rob us, and the immigration looking on. And then when we get to
immigration, instead of them helping us with the robbers or the people being
raped, they come and arrest us instead of arresting or doing justice to the
perpetrator.” So the representatives of the congressmen says, “But how?”
I said, “Well, see, [the border guards] stand for law and order and they’re
violating their own law and order by not help out. If you see someone being raped
by these bandits, why would you stand there? You have the authority and the
power to help these people.
So these core teams are […] for them to be able to feel assertive enough that they
are worthy enough for them to be heard no matter what the circumstances are.”
Involvement in community organizing, including discussion with other lay people and
organizers, guided these recent immigrants to points of access and responsiveness in the
political system that were unimaginable in their previous experiences with law
Convention