“Migration is a Right”: Over 200 People Form Phrase on the Beach in Solidarity with Immigrant Communities

Lying on the sand at the Carolina Beach, demonstrators demanded the respect of civil and human rights of immigrants in an action that marked the launch of the second phase of the campaign Migrating Is Not a Crime.

As an act of solidarity and support for immigrant communities in Puerto Rico, amid an intensification of discriminatory and illegal detentions by federal agents, more than 200 people came together this Saturday to form the phrase “Migrating is a Right” along the shoreline of the Carolina Beach, in the metropolitan area of San Juan. (Lea en español AQUÍ)

The demonstration marked the beginning of the second phase of the campaign Migrating Is Not a Crime, led by the organizations Kilómetro 0, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico, Amnesty International Puerto Rico, and Comuna Caribe.

“We drew this phrase with our bodies, on the shoreline, because that is the symbolic space through which much of the migration to our country happens. In this second phase of the campaign, we want to educate and emphasize that migration is a human right recognized under international law, not a crime”, explained Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director of the ACLU of Puerto Rico.

“In addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this right is protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Refugee Convention”, she stressed, pointing out that the United States is a party to these agreements and is not exempt from fulfilling the obligations they entail.

To form the phrase, participants mostly wore the colors white, red, and light blue, representing the Puerto Rican flag and the colors that inspire the solidarity campaign. Once the phrase was complete, the image was captured with a drone, flying about 100 feet above.

“We are here because we want to be present, to sustain and support each other in resisting the cruelty with which a tyrannical government treats our sisters and brothers from the Caribbean and other nations of the world,” declared Mari Mari Narváez, Founder and Executive Director of Kilómetro 0, during a message shared with those present.

“We are here to say that we do not accept this, that we will not be complicit with the acts of hatred and exclusion; with the kidnapping, illegal imprisonment, and criminalization of people who have been part of our country since immemorial times and who have the right to be here, just as we ourselves have had—and continue to have—the need and the right to migrate to other places,” she added.

Since August, the Migrating Is Not a Crime campaign has denounced institutional violence against immigrant communities in Puerto Rico and promoted a culture of solidarity, dignity, and resistance. It responds to the alarming rise in civil and human rights violations as a result of federal raids across the archipelago since January of this year, which have led to more than a thousand arrests, mostly of people with no criminal record and without judicial warrants signed by a judge.

“Puerto Rico has a migratory history that obligates us to act in solidarity. Instead of encouraging persecution, discrimination, and racism, we must embrace a commitment to human rights,” stated Liza Gallardo, Executive Director of Amnesty International Puerto Rico. “That’s why, after raising our voices to say that migrating is not a crime, today—together—we are loudly declaring that migrating is not only not a crime, but migrating is a right”, Gallardo underscored.

As part of the demonstration, there was a moment of silence and reflection in which participants offered flowers to the sea, in memory of migrants who have lost their lives in search of freedom, in solidarity with families separated by raids, and as a call for protection for all those who, for diverse reasons, are forced to migrate.

“In times of apathy and frustration, of institutional violence and racism, today we reaffirm our commitment to nurture dignity and solidarity as Caribbean people and, above all, as rightful owners of this land by inalienable right,” said Hilda Guerrero, spokesperson for Comuna Caribe.

Among their main demands, the organizations reiterated their call for sanctuary policies and legal and humanitarian protections for migrants, including equal access to healthcare, education, housing, and legal defense regardless of immigration status. They further demanded that already scarce municipal and state public resources be used in service of the people, not federal agencies. The organizations highlighted the urgency of decriminalizing migration and called for an end to the incarceration of migrants.

Groups that participated in the phrase:

Kilómetro 0

Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) de Puerto Rico

Comuna Caribe

Amnistía Internacional PR

El Puente

Mujeres que abrazan la mar

Casa Pueblo

Editora Educación Emergente

Periodística Editorial

Madres Contra la Guerra

Pastoral de Mujeres y Justicia de Género

Colectivo Ilé

Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana

Cátedra UNESCO de Educación para la Paz

Primera Iglesia Bautista de Río Piedras

Fundación Juan Mari Bras

Organización Solidaridad Humanitaria y Jóvenes Líderes Res. Manuel A. Pérez.

Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de PR

Comité de Derechos Humanos en PR

Colegio de Médicos Cirujanos de Puerto Rico

Comité de Solidaridad con Haití

Redes - Diócesis de Caguas

Mesa de Diálogo Martin Luther King

Clínica de Asistencia Legal - Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico

Brigada Solidaria del Oeste

Democracia Socialista

Conuco Campesino

Pastoral de Mujeres

Solidaridad Humanitaria

Colectiva Feminista en Construcción

Cátedra Mujeres Negras

María Fund

Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico

Esperanza United

Red Continental Cristiana por la Paz

Iglesia Evangélica Unida de la Calle Arzuaga

Ambientalistas Amigos del Río Guaynabo

Periódico Claridad

Acacia Center for Justice

Escuela de Liderazgo Político y Comunitaria

CAUCE

Comité de Derechos Humanos de Puerto Rico