Most of the workers were refugees from countries beset with
strife or civil war: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. As the tactical team invaded the factory at the start of
the work day, undocumented workers fled out the backdoor to the dike rocks hemming out the frigid waters of the harbor.
The federal raid--in a one-on-one between agent and worker--netted 375 people, many of whom, torn from their families, are
in Texas awaiting judgment about their deportation. Most of those apprehended
are women....many with children.
Those from El Salvador, legally bound to remain in Massachusetts at
this time, have been placed in prison or the House of Detention, the latter a decrepit holding cell in New Bedford.
The sole consolation is that they are closer to their families. Ironically, some of the undocumented workers have relatives
or children who are U.S. citizens.
Curiously, their efforts supported the U.S. government's efforts:
Michael Bianco, Inc. utilized these workers to manufacture military
gear as fulfillment of a $100 million plus contract enforce for several years. Sadly, some see these workers competing
for the scanty jobs
in a City beset with the highest unemployment in Massachsuetts.
We must decry any efforts to separate us from our humanity.
These are our brothers and sisters. We have all come here as immigrants.
New Bedford essentially is comprised of Portuguese immigrants and their relatives with appropriate documentation.
Our undocumented friends did not receive proper visas from their
strife-ridden countries. Many were lucky to escape with their lives....fleeing...paying unaffordable fees to guides,
praying they could receive a living wage.
Give....Rally....Support the Reunion of Families--Yes, We Can!
