SOA Watch: Close the School of the Americas

Click here for more information about the SOA Watch April Days of Action

Download and Distribute the Flyer for the April Days of Action in English and Spanish

Uniting Our Struggles: Exposing US Militarization of Latin America Exposes the Roots of Migration

Written by Nico Udu-gama

border fence It was the mud that I first noticed as we were escorted into the holding cell at the Santa Teresita Customs and Border Patrol station. Dried mud, on the cement floor, in chunks, broken up, trails of dust; even on the hard benches, next to a small pile of woolen blankets and a muddy pair of sweatpants. Next to used apple juice containers, stacked one inside the other, which had given some small relief.

The mud in that detention center was our reminder that someone before us had endured the harsh desert conditions, seeking a better life, only to be stopped, detained and probably sent back across the border. We were released 3 hours after being detained; the charges of “entry without inspection” had been dropped. The challenges facing the previous detainees were higher. Would they try to cross again, risking imprisonment or even death in the desert? Or would they go back home, condemned to a life of poverty and violence?

Fr. Roy Bourgeois and SOA Watch Field Organizer Nico Udu-gama Arrested Following Protest at the U.S.-Mexico Border

Written by Hendrik Voss
Sunday, 19 February 2012 21:08
On Sunday, February 19, activists from School of the Americas Watch, Project Puente and other organizations around the border region held a vigil to call attention to the role of the US government in the militarization of Mexico and the failed War on Drugs. The vigil took place on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border at the Sunland Park-Anapra Fence. Father Roy Bourgeois and Nico Udu-gama joined the vigil on both sides of the border, and were arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol following the vigil when they left the vigil site. Father Roy Bourgeois and Nico Udu-gama were charged with crossing the border through an unapproved entry point and were taken to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station in New Mexico. After several hours in custody and background checks, the Border Patrol decided to dismiss the charges and to release Father Roy and Nico in the afternoon. The protest was the culmination of a week-long delegation of 10 people, headed by SOA Watch founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois, from across the United States, which has met with people on both sides of the border in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Over 60,000 people have been killed in the violence in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon deployed some 50,000 troops and federal police five years ago to confront the drug cartels. Much of this militarization has been bankrolled by the US government’s Merida Initiative, which has poured over $1.5 billion into this “war on drugs,” especially in the form of US military equipment and training. The result of this militarization has failed to curtail the flow of drug, but has caused the loss of thousands of innocent Mexican lives. The death toll in Ciudad Juarez alone is nearing 10,000.
Last Updated on Sunday, 19 February 2012 21:56
Read more...

Sentenced for Speaking Out

"There is but one law for all: the law of humanity and justice" - Jimmy Carter Those words adorn the wall inside the courtroom of Judge Stephen Hyles at the Columbus courthouse. And there they remain, strong words that ring hollow in face of injustice, merely adornments. For her act of peacefully crossing the line at Fort Benning, Georgia - a misdemeanor offense - a 6-month sentence was imposed on Theresa Cusimano. Those who train men with guns at the SOA/WHINSEC, those who created those torture manuals, have never had to defend their actions, yet Theresa is being sentenced to six months in prison for nonviolently calling attention to the US military's role in the violence carried out against her sisters and brothers in the Americas. The SOA Watch movement continues its struggle to close the SOA/WHINSEC and end US militarization. Theresa follows in a long line of peacemakers who have put their bodies on the line to call attention to the continued injustices. Indeed, Theresa served a 2-month sentence in 2009 for her peaceful actions at the SOA/WHINSEC at the 2008 November Vigil.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 February 2012 20:57
Read more...

Intern at the SOA Watch DC Office

The National Office of the SOA Watch movement is looking for inspired, interesting and innovative interns starting now!! If you want to help organize the April mobilization as well as fuel the movement to close the SOA/WHINSEC and end oppressive US foreign policy, read on!
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 January 2012 19:31
Read more...