From left: IWC members Laura Varela, Communications Director; Rebecca Flores, Advocacy Committee Member and San Antonio Peace Laureate; Yvonne Dilling, Advocacy Chair; and Victoria Salas, Coordinating Director
In San Antonio, IWC partnered with the San Antonio Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) and Frontera Texas, Organizing the Project “Journey of Resistance” on Feb. 29 at the Claudia Gomez Memorial Mural on Laredo Street.
Victoria Salas, IWC Coordinating Director, spoke at the event, which included a press conference and community forum, “SB is a dangerous bill that dehumanizes asylum seekers and aims for humanitarian workers to stop providing services. They want us to live in fear. SB4 will not just impact asylum seekers but entire communities.”
Participants were there to demand the repeal of SB4 and an end to Operation Lone Star. This event is a lead-up to a larger rally in Austin on March 9, the third anniversary of Operation Lone Star, and when SB4 goes into effect.
In addition to Victoria Salas, event speakers were:
- Fernando Garcia, Executive Director at Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR)
- Katy Murdza, Texas Regional Organizer Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
- Nicolette Adriente, Community Engagement Manager for Asian Texans for Justice
- Bella Nieto, Organizer for Texas Rising
- Sarah Cruz, Border and Immigrants’ Rights Strategist for ACLU-TX
Organizers described it as follows:
In light of the rampant human and civil rights violations committed under Operation Lone Star and the unprecedented passage of dangerous, anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and racist legislation, the BHNR and the Frontera Texas Organizing Project launched the “We Will Resist Campaign” to mobilize all Texans to demand the repeal of Senate Bill 4 and the immediate end of Operation Lone Star.
Other partnering organizations were ACLU-Texas, Asian Texans for Justice, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), LEA Foundation Ministries, Texas Rising at UTSA, and SA Stands. The IWC is a founding member of SA Stands.
