babae joins The Bay Area Regional Unity Coalition for Immigrants Rights in the United States this Labor Day, September 4th, in support of the millions of immigrants who remain the backbone of this country. This is the time to stand in solidarity and acknowledge the many contributions immigrants provide to all of us in the U.S. We stand in opposition to the recent bills in legislation (HR4437 and its offspring S2611) that not only criminalizes immigrants, but also threatens our families with racist immigration laws, which deny basic human rights.
babae is particularly concerned by how these bills impact women and do not address the root causes of why immigrants, particularly women, are forced to cross borders thus, making them more vulnerable to trafficking and abuse. Similarly, victims of domestic abuse are principally vulnerable to these kinds of legislation, in that, it allows for women and children to continue to be victims of domestic violence. These bills affect immigrant women and children because of the overwhelming fear of being deported if they seek aid or refuse shelter because of their undocumented status.
While the media will portray this as a primarily Mexican issue, this affects us all. “Filipinos will be among the hardest hit groups if these anti-immigrant bills are enacted into law,” says Marisa Mariano, Secretary General of babae. The Filipino community in the U.S. is one of the largest immigrant groups — numbering an estimated 2.5 million to 3 million Filipinos, including at least 1 million who are undocumented, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. “There continues to be a steady rise in Filipino migration to the United States and until the root causes of poverty, unemployment, and political repression in the Philippines are addressed, we will continue to see this rise in Filipino migration — whether it be legal or illegal”. babae stands in solidarity with our Mexican and Chicano brothers and sisters and other immigrant communities as we continue to fight unjust immigration legislation.
babae denounces all anti-immigrant legislation and calls for immigration reform that does not target our families, does not scapegoat immigrants, and does not use divide and conquer tactics within immigrant communities.
DOWN WITH THE CRIMINALIZATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS!
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ARE A HUMAN RIGHT!
WE ARE PEOPLE, WE ARE NOT ILLEGAL!
A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE STRUGGLE!
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babae (translates to “woman”) is an organization that serves to address the rights and welfare of multi-generational Filipino women in the United States. We strive to connect concrete material conditions here in the United States and the Homeland through deepening our understanding of our history and culture by applying theory with practice.
We seek to mobilize and organize with Filipino women in the San Francisco/Bay Area community by engaging in our collective struggles and promoting holistic well-being in solidarity with National Democracy in the Philippines and international women’s emancipation.