Ernst Thälmann Division of the American Party of Labor | Twin Cities, Minnesota–

This is deeper than Trump

The fascist administration has expanded its operations in the Twin Cities. For the last month, but especially over the last week, it has been detaining, brutalizing, and deporting immigrants and national minorities, and also has begun to brutalize and even kill the organizers and broad masses who are rallying in support of immigrants. Although this is clearly a consequence of Trump’s racist, nationalistic policy, what’s happening in Minnesota right now is deeper than Trump. The confrontations between ICE and the broad masses of the Twin Cities are a flash point in the struggle between the fascist, imperialist capitalist class, and the multi-national working class.

The struggle between ICE and the population of Minnesota: the class struggle

People have been comparing the violence of ICE to the brown shirts, to the militias of the fascist dictatorships of the past. It is an apt comparison — for the past few months, and especially in the past week, we have seen children beaten, parents dragged from their children, door-to-door intimidation and public kidnappings. ICE has even shown their willingness to murder allies and defenders of immigrants, and boast about it afterwards.

On the other hand, we have seen popular resistance — organizations like MIRAC, CAIR MN, and UNIDOS MN have mobilized to protect immigrants and racial minorities from this fascist violence. We have seen vast and popular “rapid response networks” mobilize to patrol, record ICE, and deter arrests. The people’s response in the Twin Cities has been overwhelming.

This struggle is being fought out under the slogans of “defending our neighbors”, “solidarity with immigrants”, and “resistance to ICE”. These are the immediate aspirations and will of the masses in Minnesota. But, at a deeper level, this is a struggle between the capitalist class, on the one hand, and the multi-national working class, on the other.

Behind closed doors, the fascists and capitalists — whether Democrat or Republican (or their donors) recognize no law, no distinction between labor born in the U.S. and labor from abroad. To them, an immigrant is simply a type of laborer who can be super-exploited, who has no rights that the capitalists are bound to respect, who can be intimidated, and threatened, and silenced. Moreover, the intensified oppression of immigrants and national minorities sows distrust between the different nationalities of the working class, weakening and dividing our movement. The new fascist offensive is only the most brazen and racist policy of the capitalists to exploit, oppress, and execute national and racial minorities. 

And, on the other hand, the popular response represents the will and unity of the multi-national working class. Every worker and progressive intellectual senses that the oppression of immigrants is their own oppression, that immigrants belong to their class, and that the ICE conveys used today to abduct and oppress immigrants, racial minorities, and their allies, will be used tomorrow to put down their next strike, to strip their rights with minimal resistance.

The struggle against fascism is not hopeless

When looked at from the perspective of the “Trump administration attacks immigrants,” the situation feels hopeless. Immigrants have very few legal rights, while Trump has a private, rapidly growing militia. Due to decades of racism, redlining, linguistic oppression, etc… immigrants often seem to have few allies, while the Trump administration has faced minimal and hypocritical resistance from the press, the supposedly “left” politicians, etc. such as Governor Tim Walz, who after the murder of Renee Good, urged peaceful protests, saying, “They want a show, we can’t give it to them,” relying on the rhetoric of “law and order.” Governor Walz has even gone as far as to prepare the National Guard to protect “law and order” – the same National Guard he used 6 years ago to put down the Black Lives Matter protest, also in the name of “law and order.”

But, when looked at through the lens of class struggle, the whole situation flips. The multi-national working class – bound together by their common conditions of oppression and exploitation, is much broader and more powerful and capable than the capitalist class, even with their armies, militias, media, and stooges in the working-class movement. 

Fascism is the inevitable result of capitalism – the inevitable policy of the ruling capitalist class when faced with capitalist crisis at an international scale (as it is today). But the working class movement grows in scope and strength as a result of the same crisis. The working class realizes that it is no longer possible to get by wringing concessions from the capitalist class – rather, the working class realizes that it must take power for itself. When it has taken power, the working class will destroy all the old racist, xenophobic, and oppressive institutions, and build up new ones on the principles of equality between nationalities and races. This seizure of power by the working class means constructing socialism – a historical change with implications for every corner of society, but for now, we concern ourselves with the fact that socialism means the equality of all peoples, the freedom to use their language, and the end of all racist, xenophobic, and oppressive policies. 

But, this power of the working class, its organization and connection across the artificial boundaries erected by the capitalist class must take an immediate, concrete form. In the current situation, this means pursuing immediate goals for the protection of immigrant and nationally oppressed workers, as well as working double-time to overcome the artificial division of the workers into their national “camps.”

Immediate steps

The broad goals include:

– The protection of immigrant communities, and the creation of support networks that provide a shield against the activity of ICE;

– The deterrence and expulsion of ICE from Minnesota, and the Twin Cities especially;

– Expose the tacit collaboration of local authorities, media, etc… with ICE and the Trump regime; put forward revolutionary alternatives that defend the people uncompromisingly.

Achieving these goals will require tireless organization, education, and work in all sorts of mass organizations. These goals must guide our tactics and thinking in the next period – all our choices and methods of organization must be consciously oriented towards seeing these through.

In terms of the immediate struggle, the starting point – many options are available. Immigrant workers have the option to get connected with mass organizations such as CAIR MN, Unidos MN, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, MIRAC, and more, which offer some sources of immediate relief to immigrant families who are trying to navigate life under the increased level of surveillance, oppression, and brutality. Moreover, trusted community organizers can get you connected with your neighbors, whether full citizens or no, to help coordinate food drop-off, transportation, and rapid response to raids or inquiries by ICE or fascist militias. 

Citizen workers can and must donate their skills and energies to the aforementioned efforts: language proficiency, graphic design, logistics knowhow, donations, transportation, etc… can all be utilized by immigrants rights groups, legal advocacy groups, and local unofficial community groups and networks. At a political level, they can additionally agitate against ICE and the fascist administration, struggle with their coworkers, colleagues, and family to overcome racist and nationalist sentiment, and draw their more progressive colleagues into the struggle against fascism. These struggles can and must occur in seemingly unrelated arenas – in the unions, school boards, community and cultural organizations. 

For all workers, if we carry out tasks like these with the earlier list of goals in mind, we can move beyond these immediate steps, and begin to leverage economic and political power with strikes, campaigns, and well-planned demonstrations.

Organization, not anarchy; protect immigrants, expel ICE, stop collaborators

All workers in this struggle must prioritize organization, careful planning, and communication with the different corners of the struggle. We can not afford to be hasty, adventuristic, or anarchistic. But on the other hand, we will inevitably encounter leaders in the working class movement and in community organizations who tell us to slow down, discourage the effective and powerful modes of struggle, and try to minimize the political character and general implications of this struggle. All workers (immigrant or full citizen) must fight against these tendencies tenaciously, and be determined in their work to fully achieve the aforementioned broad goals: Protect immigrants, Expel ICE, Stop collaborators. With such victories under our belts, and the experience gained from such struggles, we can march surely and swiftly on to the next and higher stages of the struggle against fascist, imperialist, and capitalist oppression – to the struggle for socialism.

Categories: American Party of Labor, Discrimination, Immigration, Statements, U.S. News