Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft (COMD)

: Mernie Aste; Articles Archive; 10 July 2019; Hits: 2097

Draft Registration Should Be Ended for Men, Not Extended to Women!

From Draft NOtices, July - September 2019

-- Mernie Aste

When Ruth Bader Ginsburg built case law for equal rights for women under the 14th Amendment, she helped change the way we think about gender and equality in every aspect of our lives. She has been successful in many cases that have enhanced the quality of life for women, men and children in spite of great resistance. Protection under the law and cultural practices have changed incrementally, opening up opportunities for all genders that were unthinkable a generation ago.

Under the banner of Equal Rights, some have called for including women in the requirement to register with the Selective Service System for a possible future military draft. In 2016 a coalition of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Association of University Women, Service Women’s Action Network, NAACP, and others, sent a letter to U.S. Congressional leaders who serve on Senate and House Committees on Armed Services advocating the registration of women as a step toward gender equality.

: Pedro Rios and Christian Ramirez; Articles Archive; 05 April 2019; Hits: 2469

U.S.-Mexico Border: We must not become accustomed to state violence

From Draft NOtices, April - June 2019

— Pedro Rios and Christian Ramirez

In an unprecedented action to sidestep Congress’ power over budgetary matters, this February President Trump declared a national emergency to access war funds to build a border wall. Possibly an unconstitutional act, Trump insists on fabricating a crisis that relies on violence at its core, and which is accentuated by white supremacist motives.

: Jesús D. Mendez Carbajal; Articles Archive; 01 January 2019; Hits: 2435

Militarized Response to the Central American Refugee Caravan

From Draft NOtices, January-March 2019

— Jesús D. Mendez Carbajal

Since at least the 1980s, Central Americans have been making the journey from their home countries, traveling through Mexico, many with the goal of entering the United States. Different waves of Central Americans have arrived in the U.S. because of various reasons including civil war, persecution, and violence. The shared reason among migrants for leaving their home behind is the constant instability in the region due in large part to the interventionist foreign policies of the U.S. Migrants are motivated, as well, by the drive to provide a better tomorrow for their children, families and themselves. Central Americans, like other immigrant groups in the country, currently hold varied immigration statuses, including U.S. Citizenship, Legal Permanent Resident Status, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and undocumented status. This is to say that the experiences of Central Americans who reach the U.S. are also impacted by the legal status they hold.

In 2018, in comparison to past migration patterns, there was an astounding increase in Central American large group migration. The beginning half of the year saw the first large group of migrants including at least 300. This first group was made up mostly of Hondurans and arrived in Tijuana, Baja California, in April 2018 after starting their journey as part of the week-long Easter celebrations that take place across Latin America. This caravan was organized by Pueblo Sin Fronteras. According to their website, they are a group of volunteers dedicated to supporting vulnerable migrants and refugees in the United States and Mexico through “humanitarian aid and professional legal advice.” The migrants arriving in the U.S.-Mexico border region in the past year, specifically at the San Diego/Tijuana border port of entry, have shown up with determination to present their claims of asylum, a human right as dictated by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

In response to the recent caravan and to the vast increase in asylum claims from Central Americans, as well as from migrants prior to the caravan and from other parts of the world, Trump and his administration have taken yet another opportunity to push anti-immigrant rhetoric and a flawed border agenda. In one outburst, Trump spoke about changing national immigration laws and the ways in which the U.S. carries out international mandates that require accepting asylum claims and giving everyone an opportunity to make and fight their case. Instead of upholding national and international standards, Trump, in his tweets and press conferences, has spewed abhorrent hate and exclusion toward those seeking asylum.