As Resilience Orange County, we are an organization who values and dedicates our work towards young people, queer, undocumented, migrant, and formerly and currently incarcerated folks. We stand in solidarity with our communities of color, especially during these times of crisis.
Since its inception, the U.S. Constitution has been a tool for white supremacy that has inflicted state sanctioned violence in our communities through efforts to police, criminalize, incarcerate and separate families.Our current administration has sided time and time again with white supremist values and has prided itself on seeking to push forward a xenophobic and violent agenda to terrorize immigrant communities. The Trump administration’s careless actions in ending DACA, the increased militarization of the border, and the expansive use of Immigrant Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) in our local jails all point to calculated efforts to destabilize our immigrant community.
It is frustrating to see the goverment exploit our community of migrants and undocumented folks for its own benefit and to push its beliefs of capitalism and imperialism in the U.S and across the globe. Rather than supporting our vibrant immigrant community and many others who contribute so much to this country, we are shamefully scapegoated, targeted and dehumanized for trying to forge a better future for our families. And through all of this our communities continue to strive and flourish by supporting one another during these moments of crisis. We are a strong resilient community and we uphold our values and honor the shared humanity among each of us.
We will not tolerate anti-immigrant attacks. We are tired of living in the shadows and tired of living a life with fear of deportation. We are strong, resilient communities that will fight and demand our basic human rights. We strongly believe our community deserves more.
We will continue to work towards building community and embracing our people power to radically transform all forms and structures of state-sanctioned violence. We ask you to join us!
We Believe the Following:
- Upending Systems of Oppression
- We believe that prisons, detention centers, all forms of policing, and the criminal justice system are all rooted in systems of oppression and white supremacist violence, including racial, anti-trans/queer, sexual and gender-based violence. Therefore we seek to abolish and dismantle these systems of oppression and transform them into systems that generate positive possibilities for our communities.
- Defending the Criminalized
- Our communities are not disposable. The War on Drugs taught us that people of color are disportionately and overly represented in the criminal (in)justice system. This is no mistake. The system was created to criminalize and dispose of latinx, queer, undocumented, trans, black, and community members with disabilities and mental health needs. We can not fall into the narrative “trap” that criminalizes our community members to fill their jails and detention centers. We’re here to fight for all!
- Abolish Detention Centers & Prisons
- Our carceral system is a representation of power and oppression. We believe it is inhumane to keep human beings behind bars. You can not get well in a cell. Carceral policies and prisons/detention centers are harmful to the human spirit.
- GEO and CoreCivic are for-profit private prison companies who make millions from operating immigration detention centers like the Adelanto Detention Facility in San Bernardino County. Any system or company that works towards the criminalization, incarceration, and profitability of our community should be abolished.
- False Promises of Immigration Reform & Pathways to Citizenship
- We believe that our U.S immigration system is purposefully broken and works to be racist, xenophobic, and violent.
- Creating an easier pathway for citizenship can be seen as positive reform, however it’s past attempts have often excluded part of our community including folks who are formerly incarcerated or currently incarcerated from receiving equal opportunity. We will not throw anyone under the bus to advance any agenda. We do not seek piecemeal approaches. We are here to fight for EVERYONE!
- DACA is Not the Ceiling
- We believe that DACA is not a permanent immigration solution. To begin, DACA was not inclusive of all undocumented folx and excluded many members of our community. It is a good first half step to support the needs of our community.
- And while DACA is limited in its scope, the Supreme Court should uphold DACA as constitutional.
- Human Rights are for Everyone
- We strongly believe that our immigrant communities deserve basic human rights to Housing, Food, Safety, Dignity – everything essential needed to thrive in society
- We strongly believe that our immigrant community deserves the right to migrate regardless of borders.