The speech below was given at the Boston Mass., July 10 protest
against Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. March Forward! is an organization of veterans and active-duty
service members opposed to the ongoing wars and occupations. To read more
statements from March Forward! click here.
As veterans and members of the U.S.
military, we are here to say that everyone who comes to this country to work,
regardless of their immigration status, are our sisters and brothers; we stand
firmly against SB 1070 and all anti-immigrant laws, and we pledge to fight with
you until there is full legalization for all immigrants.
|
Priscilla Lounds |
In a country that treats the
undocumented as criminals, as less than human, it is the height of hypocrisy
that the number one target of military recruiters is undocumented youth. This
government will be happy to offer you citizenship and a college education, if
you go kill other poor and oppressed people first, in these two criminal wars.
Right now, there are immigrants who have still not received citizenship being
killed and maimed in the mountains of Afghanistan, and the deserts of Iraq—being
made to fight for the same colonial U.S. policies that force immigrants into
this country in the first place. But we say no more! Our fight is not against
workers in other countries, our fight is against Jan Brewer, against all racist
politicians, and against a system that destroys the lives of millions for the
profits of a few.
And we are here to say to the
thousands of soldiers in the Arizona and Texas National Guard who have been
ordered to police the border by the Obama administration, who will serve under
the command of Jan Brewer—you are being used to enforce viciously racist,
inhumane laws that will be remembered throughout history as a grave injustice.
But you have the right to refuse your orders! You have no reason to help this
government split families apart, and to help this government destroy the lives
of our sisters and brothers. The refusal to follow immoral orders has a long
and proud history in the U.S. military—and it is your absolute right to refuse
those immoral orders to enforce these racist laws. Racist politicians cannot
accomplish their goal of militarizing the border if soldiers in the military
refuse to show up.
Sisters and brothers, we will not
just continue to fight with you in the streets, but we will fight with you
inside the military. We can defeat SB 1070 and all anti-immigrant laws, but it
will take all of us fighting together, and I’m here to say that you have a
growing movement inside the U.S. military that is uniting to fight with you.
Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan! Troops off the Mexican border! Full rights
for all immigrants!
