Regularisation from the Ground Up: The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Campaign in Toronto
Regularisation from the Ground Up: The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Campaign by Mohan Mishra and Faria Kamal
“We Are Here To Stay!†Those were the words echoed by millions last year when the migrant rights movement in North America exploded to demand justice for immigrants, refugees and non-status peoples. Marked with loud chants and vibrant banners in a myriad of languages, all converged on one unwavering demand: Legalization of immigration status for all. Protests in defiance of HR 4437 and in affirmation of the rights of all to live with respect where held in cities across the US: from Chicago, where half a million people poured out of their homes, work places, schools, churches, and community centres onto the street, to Los Angeles, which witnessed a historic presence of over a million people, to New York, where tens of thousands mobilized in force and successfully halted production in various factories and corporate outlets. In San Francisco, marches were coupled with hundreds of hunger strikes, while in Austin, thousands of high school and university students simultaneously walked out of their schools in solidarity. Dozens of other cities held similar actions against HR 4437.
