Defending affirmative action, immigrant rights and fighting the ultraright

by Juan Lopez

This article was reprinted from the April 13, 1996 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

The April 14 San Francisco "March to Fight the Right" is right on time. Last week in broad daylight, as a helicopter news crew hovered overhead, immigrant workers were brutally beaten by sheriffs' deputies in Riverside county. A few days later in the same county, seven immigrant workers were killed when a truck being pursued by Border Patrol agents overturned.

These are among the few publicized examples of the current broad wave of anti-immigrant attacks throughout the country -- attacks that hint at fascist-tinged terror made in the USA. To these must be added violence, sexual harassment and rape by the Border Patrol and other police agencies. Anti- immigrant attacks also take legislative forms. Denying education and social services to undocumented immigrant children as well as other provisions of the recently-passed House anti-immigrant measure are fascist-tinged proposals. These practices open the door to curtailing democratic rights of all our people. They are in sync with the "three strikes and you're out" laws and with judicial and law enforcement efforts to curtail the rights of workers on the job and on the picket line.

The same transnational corporations that are responsible for massive layoffs, downsizing and privatizing, that have closed shops in our country and moved operations to Mexico and other developing countries, are creating conditions of poverty and political instability that force workers and peasants to migrate.

To be sure, we should neither exaggerate nor be naive about a fascist danger. Fascism is the naked rule of monopoly government by brute force, by open terrorism. That's not the case in our country today. But the door is being opened by the Republican ultra-right campaigns against immigrants, against affirmative action, in the proposals of their Contract on America and California, and in the open promotion of ideas that racial and national minorities and women, especially the workers among them, are inferior.

Beginning with California Governor Pete Wilson two years ago, ultra-right forces in our nation launched a campaign of anti-immigrant and anti-affirmative action hysteria, which they intend to ride into the November elections.

The attempt to turn back affirmative action is an attempt to turn back the clock to the days of Jim Crow, to relegate more than ever the racially and nationally oppressed and women to the lowest-paying jobs, to last-hired, first-fired status, and to inferior conditions in society in general.

It is aimed to destroy the growing unity among labor, the movements for equality, the women's movement, and the movements for a better life for our children and against the Contract.

These two issues, as much as anything else, make it clearer than ever that there can be no progress in the struggle for equality and for unity of our multi-racial, multi-national, male-female working class and people without removing the Republican lynch mob from the U.S. Congress, state and local legislatures and from any chance to take over the White House in 1996.

There is a need to expose the class origins of racism, national oppression and women's inequality as stemming from the corporate drive for maximum profit, that results in increased exploitation and oppression for all workers, regardless of race, national origin or gender.

The fight for jobs is basic both to affirmative action and immigrant rights, because the ruling class blames the loss of jobs and job insecurity their system creates, on affirmative action and on immigrants.

With Pat Buchanan and other ultra-reactionary Republicans blaming immigrants and affirmative action for the loss and lack of jobs, the fight for bills like the Martinez $250 billion emergency public works jobs bill and Dellums' full employment legislation become all the more important.

The solution must come from cuts in the huge corporate profits and the bloated military budget that will fund millions of jobs at union wages.

Without the defeat of the Gingrich/Dole/Wilson gang in November no meaningful jobs legislation will be passed by Congress, which is another reason workers can be convinced to vote against the Republican ultra-right in November.

A massive emergency jobs program, the 6-hour day with no cut in pay, canceling the national debt and using the resulting money will be among the steps that will create massive jobs for all -- native-born and immigrant alike. Likewise the cancellation of the debt to U.S.-controlled international lending institutions and banks by the developing nations will free up huge financial resources in those countries for the creation of massive jobs programs.

Our nation is at a historic crossroads. The alliance of labor with the racially and nationally oppressed, with women, and with immigrants is more solid than ever despite a vicious campaign to split the emerging all-people's movement along racial and other lines. The moment demands as well as opens the way for the coming together of a labor-led all- people's front to defeat the Republican ultra-right in November.

Everything we say and do between now and the November elections must meet the goal of defeating the Republican ultra-right, their Contract and their handful of ultra- reactionary Democratic allies.

A Republican victory in November will embolden those wanting to take our country down the fascist path. A Republican defeat will pave the way for electoral victories in 1997, 1998 and the year 2000, when progressive third-party candidates challenging the two parties of big business could run and win.

Juan Lopez is chair of the Northern California district, Communist Party USA.