Communism and Immigration
The recent onslaught of attacks by ICE in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis has placed the fight against immigrant oppression front and center. However, this wave of repression is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, the US ruling class has used immigrants as scapegoats to keep workers divided. Capitalists exploit cheap immigrant labor to increase their profits while keeping wages down for the entire working class.
While both establishment parties are fervent supporters of militarizing the border, the reformists have abandoned any class-based outlook and instead sought opportunistic alliances with the liberal bourgeoisie.
Communists are the most ardent fighters against oppression. We stand against poisonous alien class ideas permeating the workers’ movement, including xenophobia. But how can we actually wage a struggle to end oppression in all its forms? This session will explain why ending immigrant oppression can only be successfully achieved through a class-based program capable of uniting the working class.
This discussion will be introduced by Ramneet Manrai, a leading member of the RCA in New York City.
Reading list:
Books
- Colossus: The Rise and Decline of US Imperialism, Part Two, sub-section “Immigration and imperialism” – John Peterson
Articles
- Why Marxists oppose immigration controls – Niklas Albin Svensson
- Trump Tries to Shift the Blame by Scapegoating Immigrants – Martín Los Hoces
- Capitalism and Workers’ Immigration – V.I. Lenin
- Lessons of the “Day Without an Immigrant” – RCA
- When Immigrant Workers Were Kicked Out, the Economy Collapsed – Abhit P
- Resolution on “Immigration and Emigration of Workers” – Second International, Stuttgart Congress
