Unión del Barrio

Union of Neighbors
Unión del Barrio
LeaderRon Gochez (California chapter)
SecretaryHelena Rodriguez[1]
FoundedAugust 29, 1981
IdeologySocialism
Anti-imperialism[2]
Reconquista
Chicano interests
Political positionLeft-wing to far-left
Website
uniondelbarrio.org

Unión del Barrio (UdB; English: Union of Neighbors), is a United States-based pro-immigrant and socialist political organization founded in San Diego, California, in 1981.[3][4]

UdB is a Latino-focused group with left-wing revolutionary ideology, it was founded to combat "all manifestations of colonial, imperialist, and neoliberal oppression". It also models itself on other left wing groups like Black Panther Party and Brown Berets. UdB took part in various anti-ICE protests in United States, mostly in California, in response to the Trump administration’s deportations of migrants.[4]

Ideology

Unión del Barrio is a left-wing socialist group which claims to be established to combat "all manifestations of colonial, imperialist, and neoliberal oppression". The group's official website shows a photo of Cuban army soldiers holding AK-47s, claiming that America is a "violent and dangerous empire in decline". UdB's website praises left-wing groups like Black Panther Party and socialist revolutions of Cuba and Venezuela. Reportedly, UdB wants to "identify, denounce and expel" ICE officers from Mexican neighborhoods in USA, with its website stating: "The objective is to organize our people in every barrio, block by block, to defend our communities from colonial violence and threats to our human and democratic rights".[4]

Reportedly, UdB also wants to take back Southwestern United States because it “belongs to Mexico”. According to Whittier Daily News, UdB seeks to "advance their liberation" and reunify Mexico under a "revolutionary government". Ron Gochez, leader of UdB's chapter in California, referred to American police officers as pigs, calling US military terrorists. He said that Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Ho Chi Minh are his heroes and reportedly advocated for the overthrow of the American government.[5][6]

History

Origins

Unión del Barrio traces its roots to Chicano Movement during the 1960s and 1970s, during the time when many civil rights and anti-racist movements began to decline. On August 29 ,1981, UdB was founded by Ernesto Bustillos, Jeffrey Garcilazo, David Rico and other activists as a response against the decline. The founders of UdB were members of other political organizations, like Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), the United Farm Workers (UFW), the Brown Berets and La Raza Unida Party which participated in different activities. UdD held its first conference in Barrio Logan, San Diego at the house of Ernesto Bustillos. Unión del Barrio said that its goal is to protect working-class communities of Barrio Logan, building what it calls a “people’s organization capable of defending the democratic rights and class interests of la Raza”, it also said that its purpose is advocating for the rights of Chicano people through militant means. After its foundation, UdB participated in many protests against US Border Patrol and alleged governement oppression against Chicanos. Since then, UdB created chapters in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and New York City.[7][8] Later, UdB would create the Association of Raza Educators (ARE). ARE is an organization that aims to spread UdB's ideology in schools.[9]

Activities

On November 2016, Unión del Barrio participated in Protests against Donald Trump in Los Angeles. Thousands of people marched with UdB, causing multiple main roads to be shut down. UdB also participated in pro-immigration marches on May 2018.[10][11] On July 2019, Unión del Barrio began doing community patrols in Southeast San Diego due to high presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. About a dozen UdB members were patrolling the streets of City Heights, Linda Vista, Sherman Heights, Shelltown, and Logan Heights twice a week for almost a year, alerting the communities of their presence in order to stop raids or arrests. Unión del Barrio conducted 97 patrols, meet with ICE seven times and driven more than 2,300 miles since the start of the patrols. UdB said that their patrols are a response against Trump administration’s threats of increased deportations and crackdown of illegal immigration. UdB also organized meetings and events with local residents of the communities, these include hosting "know-your-rights workshops" to teach illegal migrants tactics of opening doors for ICE agents only if they have an arrest warrant signed by a judge.[12]

UdB formed their community patrols program back in 1992, during a time when US Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Naturalization Service officers were accused of human and civil rights violations in San Diego and other cities near the border. Reportedly, community patrols program draws its inspiration from Black Panther Party, a left-wing organization which monitored police and observed their arrests. Despite that, UdB members are not armed and don’t directly confront ICE agents, instead, they are instructed to alert residents through megaphones if they see undercover vehicles used by ICE.[13]

On December 2023, UdB was sued together with Association of Raza Educators (ARE) for antisemitism by an unnamed zionist organization. African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) would condemn the lawsuit, saying that it shares "fraternal bond" with UdB for over 40 years and that the lawsuit was an attempt at "using the law to criminalize the anti-colonial free speech activities". APSP also said that the lawsuit against UdB and ARE is connected to the FBI raids against them.[14]

On February 2025, Unión del Barrio renewed their patrols as a retaliation against ICE raids targeting illegal migrants. Members of UdB were patrolling the streets using megaphones and radios to monitor ICE activity, they were also looking for undercover ICE agents. On its Facebook account, UdB called on the community to organize against law enforcement's activities, stating: "We call on all organizations and anyone who wants to unite to protect the community from ICE raids to join us. More than 30 organizations will be represented".[15][16] UdB would later form Community Self-defense Coalition on February 12, which 50 other protests groups and organizations would join.[17][18] Since Trump’s victory in 2024 US presidential elections, Unión del Barrio claimed to have conducted 60 community patrols in San Diego County, encountering ICE agents on eight different occasions.[19] On May 2025, UdB held a demonstration, accusing LAPD of collaborating with ICE.[20] On June 6, 2025, after federal agencies conducted raids in Los Angeles, specifically targeting Home Depots, June 2025 Los Angeles protests started. Unión del Barrio took part in the protests together with CHIRLA, clashing with authorities at several locations.[21][22]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sainz, Pablo (September 12, 2014). "Unión del Barrio: "Our Grito is one of true independence"". La Prensa.
  2. ^ "Unión del Barrio, a Mexican/Latin-American revolutionary and anti-imperialist organization". Bayan. April 18, 2012.
  3. ^ Lopez, Andrew (February 22, 2025). "Organizations mobilize to warn of ICE activity". LAist.
  4. ^ a b c Costescu, Jessica (February 6, 2025). "Left-Wing Militant Group Pushing Anti-ICE Protests in LA Teaches 'Self-Defense' Classes To Fend Off Deportation Raids". Washington Free Beacon.
  5. ^ Hews, Brian (June 5, 2018). "Radical Communist Organization, Led by El Rancho Unified Board Member Jose Lara, Trying to 'Take Over' the School District". Los Cerritos Community News.
  6. ^ Swaim, Will (April 17, 2022). "California union honors teacher fired for 'racism'". Orange County Register.
  7. ^ Camacho, Roberto (April 1, 2024). "Unión del Barrio: Fighting For Chicanos". The Daily Chela.
  8. ^ "What was the Union del Barrio?". San Diego Mexican & Chicano History. November 7, 2011. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "AAPDEP Director speaks at the Association of Raza Educators' Conference". Development for Africa. June 29, 2016.
  10. ^ Whipp, Lindsay; Nicolaou, Anna (November 12, 2016). "Anti-Trump protests continue across US cities". Financial Times.
  11. ^ "Immigrant-Rights Advocates, Union Members to March Through Downtown Los Angeles for May Day". KNBC. May 1, 2018.
  12. ^ Solis, Gustavo (July 19, 2019). "This volunteer patrol warns immigrants if ICE is in their neighborhoods". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  13. ^ Lopez, Andrew (February 21, 2025). "Volunteers patrol L.A. streets to warn neighborhoods of ICE activity". Boyle Heights Beat.
  14. ^ "Union del Barrio members and Association of Raza Educators sued by Zionists and the colonial State". The Burning Spear. December 31, 2023.
  15. ^ "En California: una organización patrulla las calles para proteger a los inmigrantes de las redadas del ICE". La Nación (in Spanish). February 4, 2025.
  16. ^ Vives, Ruben (February 28, 2025). "They patrol L.A.'s streets in search of ICE, Trump immigration raids". Los Angeles Times.
  17. ^ García, Jacqueline (February 26, 2025). "Pro-immigrant activists work together to keep ICE out of their communities". Calo News.
  18. ^ Marques, Abraham (February 13, 2025). "Self-Defense Against ICE: Community Groups In L.A. Are Uniting to Protect Themselves". LA Taco.
  19. ^ Squires, Camille; Camacho, Roberto (April 25, 2025). "How Volunteer Patrols Are Working to Protect San Diego Immigrant Communities From ICE". Bolts Magazine.
  20. ^ García, Jacqueline (May 5, 2025). "Union del Barrio accuses LAPD of collaborating with federal agencies". Calo News.
  21. ^ Norris, Semantha (June 7, 2025). "Protests in Downtown LA Following Immigration Raids". The San Fernando Valley Sun.
  22. ^ Jeong, Helen (June 6, 2025). "ICE raids prompts protest in front of downtown LA federal building". KNBC.
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