KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – No One Is Illegal – Halifax/K’jipuktuk was mostly limited to a social media presence over the last few years, but that will change soon.
This Sunday September 29th a public meeting / info session will initiate a relaunch of the organization that advocates and fights for migrant justice.
“We invite anyone interested in organizing for migrant justice that is grounded in anti-racism, status and services for all and Indigenous sovereignty,” the Facebook event states.
We talked with migrant justice advocate Stacey Gomez to find out more.
We want to get the collective going again. We’ve been in contact with people who used to be involved in No One Is Illegal here in Halifax to get advice and to hear about the kind of work that they were doing before. But it will be a new group of people that will be taking on that organizing work.
That type of organizing is much needed, especially now. Definitely we are seeing a rise in xenophobia and white supremacy globally and in Canada. We also see that in some local groups here in Halifax.
Of course migrant justice work has been happening in the city all along, just not under the umbrella of No One Is Illegal. For instance, some of us have been involved with the Migrant Rights Network, doing coalition work with different groups in the city. There’s also been the support for Abdoul Abdi, and other cases.
During the elections it’s a very important moment to be expressing our solidarity with migrants, recognizing that politicians are advocating many harmful policies that are impacting the migrant community and refugees.
We want to be a resource in the city for migrants, and to offer support in ways that they define. And we also want to do advocacy, to increase access to public and really essential services like education and healthcare.
See also: May Day 2019 in Halifax: Justice for all workers, including migrant workers
I do want to highlight that we are an anti-oppressive, anti-capitalist and anti-colonial group. And it’s also important to emphasize that migrant justice is closely linked to Indigenous justice. So many of the people who are part of the mass migration from Central America are Indigenous to their territory, but they’re being dispossessed of their land and territory and livelihood through, for instance, Canadian projects like mining and mega-tourism.
We see this in, in Central America and also throughout the Americas. It is really important to understand that as part of our analysis and to be in solidarity with Indigenous communities in this territory as well.
People might not necessarily associate migrant justice with Indigenous justice, but for us it’s really important to do that.
The NOII info session is scheduled for Sunday September 29, at 6 PM, at Radstorm, 2177 Gottingen Street. Check out the Facebook event.
On a related matter, on October 3rd Halifax will participate in a multi-city Day of Action against Canada’s detention of migrants. Stay tuned for details.
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