No One Is Illegal! Solidarity Across Borders Denounces State Violence towards Migrants and Calls for Solidarity
February 8, 2025, Montreal - Solidarity Across Borders denounces the increasing violence of the state against migrants in the United States, but also in Canada and Quebec, and calls for solidarity. Several migrants who are involved in the network spoke at a press conference today.
“I want to send a message of solidarity to our migrant brothers and sisters in the United States, who are suffering inhumane treatment,” Cristian said. “They have been forced to leave their countries, often at the hands of the imperialism put in place by the United States itself. It is inhumane to detain these people, and to deport them. On behalf of Solidarity Across Borders, I want to express my solidarity with migrants in the United States; with the undocumented people who are afraid of being caught; with the families who are separated; with the detainees in Guantanamo; and with all people who are seeking dignity. Undocumented people are not illegal; no one is illegal, neither in the United States nor here.”
Hady Anne continued, “We demand that Canada immediately withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. The U.S. is not safe for migrants. We denounce Canada’s decision to increase the policing of the border in response to pressure from Trump. This only makes the border more dangerous. Last week, another person died; migrants have become dehumanised to the point that his name was not even announced. Open the borders!”
“We demand that politicians stop using us as scapegoats,” Samira Jasmin said. “Undocumented immigrants are not the cause of the housing crisis or the cost of living crisis. They are among the hardest hit, the most exploited, and will suffer the most from another economic crisis.”
“Undocumented immigrants,” Yasser said, “are deprived of care and live in fear and doubt, separated from their loved ones. Their children, to whom they promised a better life, are more vulnerable. When they show up for a job, they are asked for a work permit. Not to mention the bureaucratic and often lengthy procedures to obtain status, which sometimes lead nowhere, even though these immigrants have spent many years in Canada and came with a legal status, such as a closed work permit.”
Farid added, “This is why the unfulfilled promise of Justin Trudeau and Marc Miller for a massive regularization program is more relevant than ever. The regularization of undocumented people is important here, as it is in the United States and around the world. The right time to launch a massive regularization program, without exception or discrimination, is now.”
Yassine said, “We see violence against migrants increasing across the continent. In this context, we recall that the City of Montreal declared Montreal a sanctuary city in 2017. In fact, this never came to fruition, to this day. We once again call on Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to create a true sanctuary city in Montreal to protect undocumented people. People should not have to hide their faces, and everyone should have access to city services! It is also essential to cut ties between the police and the CBSA.”
“In the current context,” Samira Jasmin said, “we call for solidarity and mutual aid between all people on the front lines of economic crises - migrants or not - in Quebec, Canada, the United States, Mexico and elsewhere in the world. We demand dignity and respect for everyone: Solidarity City!”
“The world belongs to all of humanity, and we all deserve peace and stability, without discrimination of race, skin color, origin, physical condition, etc.,” Bénédicte Carole Zé concluded. “Status should never be a privilege, obtained on merit, but rather a right, a given.”
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www.solidarityacrossborders.org