Trump’s hate-filled focus on the refugee caravan during the election season made clear his refusal to connect the dots between survival migrations, militarization and trade. No surprise there.  Before the ink dried on the corporate goodie-bag of NAFTA 2 (still to be signed by the 3 countries and Congress) he has traversed the country scapegoating the victims of U.S. trade and militarization policies, all for political gain.  But nothing illustrates the absolute failure of the neoliberal model more than free trade deals like NAFTA, TPP, CAFTA, and other free trade agreements, especially considering the concurrent “security support” to those brutal regimes that play ball with the corporate players, like Honduras, whose illegitimate president presides over a country labeled the most dangerous in the hemisphere.  The struggle for immigrant and refugee rights is not exclusive to Trump, but the level of hate and threats of violence at the border is unprecedented.

In our continuing effort to educate and advocate for trade that respects all peoples and the planet, Trade Justice Alliance is pleased to host two speakers well-versed in the relationships between trade, militarization, violence and survival migrations:

Laura Carlsen, the Director of the Americas Program in Mexico City, a program of the Center for International Policy based in Washington D.C.  Laura is a frequent radio, print and television commentator for U.S., Latin American and Mexican media, member of KPFK’s weekly round table on national and international affairs, and so many other media outlets.  You may remember that we welcomed her to our program during the Caravana Contra el Miedo or Caravan Against Fear

We also are pleased to host Alexis Stoumbelis, Organizational Coordinator for the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, CISPES.  From a young age, Alexis began volunteering with CISPES to join in the fight against CAFTA.  The driving force of CISPES’ work is to accompany the Salvadoran popular movement as it organizes to build a just alternative to corporate globalization.  In a recent press release, CISPES announced:
CISPES calls upon the governments of Mexico, Central America, and the United States to respect the integrity, dignity, and rights of all migrants and asylum seekers and to end the repressive, exploitative policies that force poor and working people to migrate in order to survive. We look forward to hearing from Alexis

Laura Carlsen’s recent article in The Nation:  https://www.thenation.com/article/refugee-caravan-honduras-mexico/?fbclid=IwAR3wcoJKeGkqVKWzpSoW3jxjBjev6kvxPZxIjfQttaGrRtIv7M6MoMzNM0M

To understand why we wanted to host Alexis, here is a good overview from Alexis Stoumbelis and Rafael Garcia:   http://upsidedownworld.org/archives/el-salvador/el-salvador-free-trade-zone-plan-sparks-debate/

Please join us!