CHICAGO—Over 30 workers here in a south side neighborhood held a spirited rally against a racist Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid that occurred at a business in their community. Two days before, five workers from the Route 66 Pizza restaurant were detained as part of the racist capitalist bosses’ continued  terror campaign against immigrant workers.
As the bosses continue to inflict fear and division on the working class through fascist terror, it is all the more important that workers in all parts of the world react quickly and organize to counter their attacks. At the same time, these attacks are a logical consequence of an economic system based on profit, racism, and war. Comrades from Progressive Labor Party (PLP) were active in organizing this rally and shared the message that freedom from fascist terror is achieved by smashing the profit system with communist revolution!
Workers mount a rapid response
On the morning of September 23rd, ICE unexpectedly raided the restaurant, detaining four men and one woman. Although little was known in regards to details of the racist raid, PLP comrades and other workers knew we had to mount a rapid response. Two days later, on Wednesday, a rally was organized in front of the restaurant.
The restaurant is located by a busy intersection and the overwhelming majority of workers driving past responded positively by honking and raising their fists in solidarity with the protesters. In addition to honking in support, a number of workers from the community even parked their cars and came to join the rally in support of their fellow workers.
Instead of being an action dominated by liberal professional organizers and Democrat/ fake leftist political misleaders, the rally had a much more grassroots character. Workers from the community saw other workers taking a stand, and felt a more organic sense of empowerment to participate.
Over the course of the rally, individuals took to the bullhorn to talk about their personal ties to the detained workers and the emotional toll the attack has taken on them. Other workers spoke about immigrant workers’ motivations for fleeing capitalist violence in different parts of the world and their general opposition to ICE terrorizing working-class communities.
Smash racist borders with internationalism
Initially there were some nationalist chants, but attempts to sharpen them with chants reflecting an internationalist outlook were well received. For example, when one worker said “Viva Mexico” and “Viva los Estados Unidos,” a comrade quickly responded with “¡Viva internacionalismo!” and instead of push back, there was general agreement. We also began designing posters with more pro-working class and international messages such as “ICE: Stop Terrorizing Our Communities,” “Workers United Against Racism,” and “Asian, Latin, Black, and White; Workers of the World Unite.” Community members and comrades started leading unifying chants such as “Obreros unidos jamás serán vencidos” and “Escucha! Escucha! Estamos en la lucha!”
A PL’er made a short speech in which he encouraged workers to keep taking an active stand against the capitalist bosses’ racist attacks and the need to constantly organize for workers’ power. He explained that the intense violence against immigrant workers and refugees is a consequence of the economic and political crises that are inevitable under capitalism. He finished by calling for workers to fight for communist revolution as the only way to guarantee a life of security for our class.   
Almost everyone in attendance, especially the workers from the neighborhood, were eager to take a copy of CHALLENGE and share contact information. A follow-up protest was planned for the following Monday, and PL’ers are in contact with workers from the community.
Workers lose when liberals win
Although much of the pushback against current anti-immigrant racism is directed at Trump, these racist attacks are a problem of capitalism, and liberal politicians are just as guilty. Former Deporter-in-Chief Barack Obama set a new standard of anti-immigrant racism, deporting over three million workers over the course of his presidency (Wall Street Journal, 8/3). New “progressive” Mayor Lori Lightfoot was quick to tweet how much she “cared” about the safety of immigrant workers after the raid, but has refused for months to sign an executive order that would deny federal agents access to city databases (Chicago Sun-Times, 7/11).
All of these politicians back capitalism at the end of the day. They will only make fake efforts to ensure justice for our class. The designations of “documented” and “undocumented” workers serve the capitalists by dividing workers so that they can super-exploit certain workers’ labor for maximum profits. These divisions then act as an anchor to hold down the entire working class. Liberalism is a losing strategy – we organize to destroy this racist profit system, its borders, and its inequality in favor of an egalitarian communist society!
Join PLP in the fight for communist revolution! All power to the international working class!