Immigrant workers rounded up

From: nooneisillegal@riseup.net [1]
> Date: April 3, 2009 3:49:09 PM GMT-04:00
> To: nooneisillegal@lists.riseup.net [2]
> Subject: [NoOneIsIllegal-Tor] CANADA NATIONAL ALERT. URGENT TORONTO
> ACTION
> Reply-To: nooneisillegal@lists.riseup.net [2]
>
> 3:00pm, 3 April 2009
> URGENT NATIONAL ALERT: IMMIGRATION RAIDS
> PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY
> (Know your rights during workplace raids attached)
>
> TORONTO EMERGENCY ACTION
> 11am, Sunday, 5 April
> 385 Rexdale Boulevard
> Buses leave 9:30 am (St. George and Bloor)
>
> Actions are urged in other cities!
>
> Yesterday and today, Immigration enforcement raided a number of
> workplaces
> in Southern Ontario, arresting and detaining workers with precarious
> immigration status on their way to and from work.
>
> Hundreds of workers are now languishing in detention centres.
>
> Hundreds of families and friends are wondering why their loved ones
> did
> not return from work. The hundreds of thousands of non-status people
> across Canada have woken up to a horrible day in Stephen Harper's
> Canada.
>
> Mass arrests do nothing but create fear, harassment and
> intimidation, and
> force all people with precarious status further in to the grey and
> black
> market - unable to work good jobs.
>
> In these times of economic crisis when a regularization program would
> ensure much needed cash inflow in to the EI program, the Tory
> government
> would rather spend money and energy on arresting people, piling them
> in to
> centers and buying their plane tickets.
>
> Instead of regularizing the millions of dollars of contributions to
> Canada's economy by non-status people, the Tory government would
> rather
> use the Bush doctrine of fear, intimidation and racism against the
> migrant
> poor.
>
> Following from the large workplace raids in June 2008, these
> coordinated
> attacks and arrests show Harper and Kenney's intention to terrorize
> those
> they consider the weakest - Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai,
> Phillipino and Chinese workers trying to work and earn money.
>
> Detention Reviews are taking place in Toronto at various locations
> including the Heritage Detention Centre on Saturday and Sunday.
> Hundreds
> of us will be outside the Heritage Inn on Sunday at 11am to show our
> disgust and anger - we are not disposable cloths to be used and tossed
> away at Harper's whims. We refuse to be brutalized and silenced!
> Condemn
> Harper and CBSA that migrant communities will not tolerate these
> attacks!
>
> JOIN US!
>
> Buses depart at 9:30 am from Bloor and St. George Street.
>
> Allies across GTA are urged to get on cars, buses and trains and
> meet us
> at the Heritage Inn (385 Rexdale Boulevard)
>
> Further details will be released as we learn more. These raids are
> continuing right now.
>
> Also, please note: If you have any information about any immigration
> raid
> across 'Canada', please email nooneisillegal@riseup.net [1] so that we are
> able to get a sense of what we think is a national attack. Please find
> attached a Know Your Rights document.
>
> No One Is Illegal-Toronto
> Migrante ON
> Justicia for Migrant Workers
> PCLS Workers Rights Division

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