On July 22 community members and various organizations came together to defend the rights of immigrant children. They took their message to the streets of Escondido, California and marched to the City Hall where the Escondido Planning Commission was holding a meeting to discuss a permit requested by Southwest Key, a non-profit organization. This permit would grant Southwest Key the ability to run a facility in order to house the immigrant children that had been sent to San Diego from Texas where they were being held previously.
The Planning Commission had already denied the permit once, but organizers were back in order to pressure them to rescind their earlier decision. During the first hearing many supporters were shut out from the meeting by reactionary community members who had arrived early to denounce the permit on racist and xenophobic terms.
At the second hearing on July 22 the community was much more organized and arrived two hours in advance in order to pack the meeting space and speak in support of rescinding the original decision. Activist and community members also organized a march through the streets of Escondido to the meeting in order to spread resistance and solidarity in the face of racism and xenophobia.
Rosie, a student from Escondido High School and member of M.E.Ch.A. (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan) attended the march because “they’re children, they’re my age, 16 and younger and their voice isn’t being heard, so as a teenager I put myself in their shoes, what if I was an undocumented child, I just feel it’s my obligation to come and be their voice for them.”
The Planning Commission upheld its decision to deny the permit, but it can be overturned by the City Council at its next meeting. Organizers plan to return.
