No Papers, No Fear: Bus Tour to Democratic National Convention in North Carolina
Photo by Jude Joffe-Block Courtesy of KJZZ
Jude Joffe-Block reports on KJZZ (Arizona) that a group of undocumented immigrants is launching a national bus tour from Arizona to promote immigrant rights and protest deportations. The riders are planning stops in Southern states that have passed restrictive immigration laws.
The bus tour’s slogan is “No Papers, No Fear” and the ultimate destination is North Carolina and the Democratic National Convention. “They say they are motivated by their frustration with stalled immigration reform, the rising number of deportations under the Obama administration, and state laws like Arizona’s SB 1070 that intend to crack down on illegal immigration.”
UPDATE (August 1): The N.Y. Times Room for Debate offers contrasting perspectives on the No Papers, No Fear Bus Tour from
Rose Cuison Villazor (UC Davis) and Elizabeth Glazer (Hofstra): Like gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals ‘coming out of the closet,’ UndocuBus allows immigrants to be seen and heard.
Pure and Simple Lawlessness John C. Eastman, Chapman University School of Law: By flouting the law, the UndocuBus riders are pursing the delegitimization of our sovereignty and our right to determine the terms on which others may join our political community.
Adding a Voice to the Chorus Jose Antonio Vargas, founder, Define American: By coming out, we are putting faces, names and stories to immigration, an issue that has been mostly framed in abstract numbers.
The Dangers of Riding the Bus Professor Michael A. Olivas (Houston): I know that self-disclosure is a courageous and longstanding tradition, but until we know the details, stay out of the public glare.
KJ