It’s Your Turn
“It’s Your Turn” is the title of a new column in our monthly newsletter. Each month we will feature an article from a WSD member. If you would like to contribute, send your article to info@westsidedems.org.
Your article can be informational, about something in city, county or state government that you like or dislike, ideas you would like to see WSD implement, or criticisms.
Our first guest columnist is Jennie Lusk. Jenny gives us great insights into how we can all be involved in the fight for the rights of our immigrant community.
It’s Your Turn
by Jenny Lusk
Join Albuquerque’s staunch efforts to support immigrant justice – every single person who can help is needed. Now.
A strong network of organizations in Albuquerque acts in unity against ICE raids, intervenes to help immigrants survive detention and upheaval, and supports families who are uprooted. Of course, more help is perpetually needed. It’s never been more important to reach out and lend a hand – not only for the sake of the people caught in the system but for the sake of preserving our democratic principles.
ICE is active in New Mexico, picking up both undocumented people and U.S. citizens on Albuquerque streets in a malign system that feeds into detention and deportation. At least 30 people have been kidnapped from Albuquerque Walmart parking lots, especially on the West Mesa, in Rio Rancho and on East Central. They wind up in detention, where a Trump policy keeps them locked up rather than released on parole. Most will serve the whole of their cases – sometimes years – while locked up. And only a few will have access to legal or medical support.
Some 1,000 immigrants were detained at the end of August in New Mexico county jails. Core Civic is on contract with 223 beds at Cibola in Grants and 505 at Torrance County in Estancia. Near Las Cruces, Management & Training Corporation (MTC) held 893 at the Otero Detention Center at Chaparral. Reportedly, 90 percent of detainees need health care and medicines they do not receive while incarcerated. The recently enacted Big Beautiful Bill increases the federal budget from 41,000 to 100,000 immigrant detention beds and increases the budget for deportations to $45 billion. Yes, $45 billion. https://wapo.st/4nO67Wk (No paywall.)
Translators, lawyers and doctors are especially needed in these dire times. But beyond these professionals, every willing person is needed to help on the streets here. You can give your time, money and/or food and clothing to support uprooted families, accompany potential deportees to ICE hearings, encourage businesses to advertise that they welcome immigrants, or call detention centers to ask that they provide specific medications for detainees.
And it’s always important to lobby elected officials in D.C. and in Santa Fe – yes, even good Democrats. We’re up against a massive anti-immigrant lobby that makes regular hate-filled calls and can seem to represent a majority of constituents.
Click HERE for specific ways to help with contact information for volunteers:
Ready to Make an Impact?
Share Your Skills with WSD
WSD is a growing organization in numbers, power and prestige. This is your invitation to become an influential member of our team by volunteering.
If you are tech savvy, volunteer to work with our webmasters. If you take good photos, volunteer to take pictures at our meetings and events. If you are interested in the State Legislature, volunteer to advocate and keep track of legislation. If you’re interested in City Council or County Commission, volunteer to follow their meetings and report to our membership. If you have a little time to call or text, you contact our members about meetings and events.
We need volunteers to help us in our mission to keep the West Side blue and to fight to keep our democracy. If you’d like to write, we have a place for you If social media is your thing, let us know you are willing to help with that. If you’re interested in volunteering in any way, contact chair@westsidedems.org.
Also, if you would like us to cover an issue that we haven’t addressed, contact info@westsidedems.org.
Join Us
Members of West Side Dems are welcome to come to our executive committee meetings. We meet on the first Saturday of the month.
For more information about when and where we meet, contact info@westsidedems.org.
NEW! Protest in Tijeras on Sunday mornings, 9 – 10 am at 487 & NM-333.
NEW! Weekly Friday vigil in Santa Fe, Sandoval, and West Alameda, 12-1 pm.
TESLA PROTESTS IN BERNALILLO weekly Saturdays 9am–10:30am.
Weekly speak-out about Trump, Oligarchs, & Project 2025 in Santa Fe. More info here.
Join People Against Tyranny every Tuesday 11am to NOON protesting the chaos, divisiveness and cruelty of Donny-2-Dolls’ wreckage! We’re in the Northeast Heights at the intersection of Montgomery and Juan Tabo.
There’s plenty of parking in the shopping centers on each corner. Bring your signs, your voices, noisemakers, bodies and souls, and your friends!
Please do not engage with hecklers (we haven’t had many) and allow pedestrians to get through.
Alamagordo 10 am Every Saturday
Honk and Wave Event Otero County — more info here
Members of West Side Dems are welcome to come to our executive committee meetings. We meet on the first Saturday of the month from 2-4 pm. For more information about where, contact info@westsidedems.org.
So you can’t make a meeting? You can zoom the meeting by accessing info@westsidedems.org and requesting a zoom link. A recording will also be available at westsidedems.org
West Side Dems Immigration Info Hub
“If the rights of one person are denied, the rights of all of us are denied. This concept of mass deportation is very frightening. So West Side Dems will develop a hub of information about immigration and mass deportation.”
— Dorothy Wilkinson
Read Dorothy’s editorial on why immigration is so important.
Click here to see our new IMMIGRATION PAGE, with ways to get involved.
“If the rights of one person are denied, the rights of all of us are denied. This concept of mass deportation is very frightening. So West Side Dems will develop a hub of information about immigration and mass deportation.”
— Dorothy Wilkinson
Read Dorothy’s editorial on why immigration is so important.
Click here to see our new IMMIGRATION PAGE, with ways to get involved.
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