The days of the immigrant rights movement's maintaining a safe distance from the Occupy movement are long gone as throughout Southern California, "Occupy ICE" actions have brought the movements much closer together in honor of International Migrants Day. In Los Angeles, mainline labor and immigrant rights leaders spoke alongside mic-checking occupiers as marchers the downtown federal building, which contains an ICE detention facility.
Eastward, Occupy Riverside's Latino Forum held a "Latino Day," designed to celebrate the struggle of the immigrant and highlight Latino issues in the Inland Empire.
The Occupy movement has always been sensitive to pre-existing movements, whether they were environmentalist, pro-labor, feminist, or pro-civil rights, but this is the first time that immigrants and occupiers have come together in a serious way.
From the newswire: "Día del Latino" en Occupy Riverside / Occupy Riverside's Latino Forum Celebrates by/por Rockero
Occupy and Immigrant Rights Movements Converge for International Migrants Day