Dozens of Women Arrested Today at Immigration Protest in Washington

Sep 12, 2013
1:09 PM

Today in Washington, several women, some of whom were undocumented were arrested today in front of The Capitol. This is what CNN reported:

Several dozen people have been arrested Thursday morning as a group of undocumented women participate in an act of “civil disobedience” outside Congress, protesting what they call the House of Representatives’ inaction on immigration reform.

A group of the women, some of whom they say are undocumented, formed a sitting circle in the middle of the intersection in front of the Capitol building.

Mónica Ramírez, Deputy Director for Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc., and a member of Latino Rebels, was one of those arrested. She sent us this letter, which we are publishing below. You can read more about CDMigrante.org here.

WBT action MR graphic 9-12-13

Dear friend,

This morning, I was arrested for civil disobedience outside of the House of Representatives along with more than 100 other women—including immigrants, community leaders, allies and advocates—who support immigration reform. The action, organized by the We Belong Together campaign, included the largest number of undocumented immigrant women to date who willingly submitted to arrest. Together, we called on lawmakers to pass comprehensive and inclusive immigration reform that treats women and children fairly.

As a new mom and a life-long women’s rights advocate, I stand in solidarity with the millions of immigrant and migrant women who contribute ever day to making life better for so many others. I also stand with the thousands of courageous migrant worker women who are separated from their children by our unjust immigration laws. The time is now to fix the broken immigration system.

For years, we at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM) have been standing with migrant worker women. Through our Migrant Women’s Project (Proyecto de Mujeres Migrantes, ProMuMi) we have supported women as they defend their workplace rights and speak out against gender discrimination.

I left my newborn son at home with his father to participate in this important action. I know I will see them soon, but many immigrant mothers cannot be so sure. The time is now to create an immigration system that keeps families together.

In solidarity,

Mónica Ramírez
Deputy Director
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM)