CDM Stands with Migrant Workers
By Lilián López Gracian, Promotion, Education and
Leadership Development Coordinator
For eight years, CDM has been standing with migrant workers, defending their rights and helping them to advocate for themselves. Today, as we celebrate International Migrants Day, we honor both the fight for workplace justice and the incredible migrant workers who lead that fight. We celebrate the courage they show by speaking out about their experiences, the commitment they demonstrate through their participation in the Comité de Defensa del Migrante (“Comité”; Migrant Defense Committee, in English), and the compassion and solidarity they share as they support one another in this effort to create change.
This year, Comité members had many opportunities to highlight migrant workers’ experiences in the US policy debate. Among these, migrant workers employed in the traveling fairs and carnival industry raised awareness about the myriad problems that they face while working in the United States. They exerted their power to impact social change through testimonies, media work, participation in educational efforts, and through policy advocacy. A delegation of guestworker women also traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with members of Congress and to participate in actions calling for immigration reform. These four women shared their stories of abuse and fraud with press and policymakers, demanding that the US prioritize just immigration reform that protects workers.
In addition, workers have found other ways to build solidarity, work toward justice and promote knowledge. Comité leaders across Mexico act as resources for other workers and members of their communities. They educate migrants who are traveling to the US and strive to protect them from the kinds of fraud and abuse that many Comité leaders suffered themselves. These leaders, who have survived some of the most demoralizing experiences imaginable, turn those experiences into empowerment and educational mechanisms to serve others.
Today, on International Migrants Day, we celebrate the Comité de Defensa del Migrante and all migrant workers worldwide. CDM pledges to continue to fight alongside these incredible women and men as they progress toward a more just future.