We have been excited to work together to resist border imperialism and the arms trade and to support migrants whose lives are at risk from policies of ‘prevention through deterrence.’
We’re writing to let you know that:
1. We are converting the in-person gathering in Tucson into a series of online workshops on the weekends of March 28-29 and April 4-5. We will make these interactive among participants and presenters. We also expect to offer most of the same skills sessions as we envisioned originally (policy advocacy, research, migrant hotlines, cross-border organizing) in English and Spanish.
2. We are re-scheduling the in-person training and action convergence in Tucson to July. We will build on the online workshops to further grow our skills to resist the causes of forced migration. This will be after the hottest month in Tucson, but still critical for migrants crossing the desert and for the other actions we will take together.
We will provide schedules and other information soon about signing up for the online workshops, and dates for the in-person convergence in July. If you arranged travel and lodging in Tucson for the weekend, many airlines are waiving fees at this moment. We suggest you contact your airline for a date change or refund.
In deciding what to do, we considered the vulnerability of many people likely to come to the convergence, including older adults and persons without access to good health care. We also took into account that much is unknown about the coronavirus’ transmission, including how long people with the virus may be asymptomatic but contagious, which makes it harder to prevent transmission in indoor gatherings.
We also know that even as incidence of coronavirus grows, the United States is forcing migrants into extremely dangerous and violent places, is moving weapons of destruction for profit, promoting harmful narratives about Latin Americans, and that there is much we can do to stop these ills. We are committed to continuing to resist these harmful policies.
We continue to be excited to work with you on that path.
Please look for an update soon, and contact us with your questions and ideas. Please give us a few days to respond as we are in the midst of changing logistics and fielding this change. Stay tuned for the next email with webinar information.
In solidarity,
Dévora González and Candice Camargo, SOA Watch
John Lindsay-Poland, Stop US Arms to Mexico
Eduardo Garcia, Alliance for Global Justice
Mike Tork, Veterans for Peace
Paige Corich-Kleim, No More Deaths
