News

Note on a fellow warrior, survivor of domestic violence, domestic worker, and member of the Domestic Workers’ Committee in south Texas

Note on a fellow warrior, survivor of domestic violence, domestic worker, and member of the Domestic Workers’ Committee in south Texas








In front of Juanita, a domestic worker, immediately beginning the conversation, I feel a deep connection with her, who at first has a hard time remembering her past and her gaze is lost in the void when remembering her origins in Mexico. Born into an indigenous family in her native Chiapas, she decided to become independent at age 18 when her parents came to live in Mexico City and she moved to Mexico City with the firm intention of studying a university career. There she meets the father of his son who works making prosthetics and in agriculture in Monterrey and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. They decide to come to work definitively to U.S. but they return and their son is diagnosed with a serious disability and needs to undergo several surgeries. Upon returning, she began her immigration problem because she was not allowed to cross the bridge and her son was required to be operated on. She hires an attorney, whom defrauds her and she hands herself over to the immigration authorities and eventually gets granted a 10-year permit, time she spent supporting her son with therapies, surgeries and everything necessary to save his life. The father of her son decides to abandon them. Years later she marries the father of her second son, who at the beginning of the relationship was an excellent stepfather and companion, and he decides to submit papers to request her permanent residence in this country. As a result of a departure to Mexico to give the last goodbye to her mother who had died, wanting to re-enter the country she is imprisoned 1 month and treated as a drug trafficker. She still remembers with pain as they opened her legs looking for drugs and is finally deported to a border town of Tamaulipas. At that moment I feel her pain when expressing how she suffered being separated from her children, not knowing about them, without giving them the care and love of mother. Her family turned their back on her when she needed them most out of fear of immigration. Knowing that her partner is trying to take custody of her children she made the decision to cross the river...

Women’s March For Justice

Women’s March For Justice

Women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender expression or economic status. With a political climate and administration that has threatened these rights through rhetoric and practice, women and the community of the Rio Grande Valley will stand up and march to uplift the justice we seek and the dignity we deserve on Saturday, March 11. March 8th is recognized as International Working Women’s Day, a historical day of action and mobilization for women’s rights all over the world. For decades, women across borders and walls, have mobilized for a better world, justice and dignity for all. This March 11, we continue this struggle towards a new day for women in the RGV and everywhere. Join us, Saturday, March 11 at 9:30am in Brownsville in solidarity with this movement for women’s rights and justice! What: Women’s March For Justice When: March 11, 9:30 AM Where:  600 E. Harrison Street, Brownsville, TX. For more information contact: Fuerza del Valle Workers’ Center 956-283-5650 fuerzadelvalle@gmail.com or NLIRH RAL TX – “Las Poderosas” 956-459-1031 paula@latinainstitute.org CONTRIBUTE NOW AND DONATE TO FUERZA DEL VALLE (for check or money, click here for...

Walk for Migrant Rights-July 11-Harlingen, TX

Walk for Migrant Rights-July 11-Harlingen, TX

Walk for Migrant Rights –– July 11, 2016 Lt. George Gonzalez Jr -500 W Harrison, Harlingen, Texas 6:30 PM to start at 7:00pm 1 Mile walk to the Prelude in downtown Harlingen Join us as we Walk for Migrant Justice!   The Domestic Workers’ Committee of Fuerza del Valle Workers’ Center invites you as: We walk to demand an end to family detention! It is a shame  as a society we claim to value families while openly incarcerating them- mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, grandmothers- instead of supporting them to connect and find their loved ones. #EndFamilyDetention #FreetheFamilies #ShutDownDilley #ShutDownKarnesCity We walk to demand an end to the deaths of migrants in the borderlands as they try and reach a better life. We need an immigration policy that prioritizes human life; one that fully respects ALL of our human rights. We will be collecting donations of $1 to support the work of the South Texas Human Rights Center. $1 = 1 gallon of water that can save a life. We need funds to keep the water stations fully stocked all summer in north Hidalgo County, Webb County, Brooks County, and Kennedy County. #NoMoreDeaths #Falfurrias  We walk to call an end to the separation of families; an end to deportations that terrorizes our communities nationwide. We Walk for Justice for all Workers. #Not1More #StopDeportations Migration is not a crime. We walk for freedom! For more info email, txt, or call: fuerzadelvalle@gmail – (956)...

Walk for Migrant Rights / Caminata por Derechos Migrantes

Walk for Migrant Rights / Caminata por Derechos Migrantes

    This Saturday morning, June 11th, join the Domestic Workers’ Committee of Fuerza del Valle Workers’ Center as we ‘Walk for Migrant Rights’ in Mission, TX. These monthly walks started in October of 2015, after the historic 100 Women 100 Mile ‘Walk For Justice’ of September. We have continued with these gatherings and they keep gaining momentum when we collectively meet up on the 11th of every month. We walk for an end to Family Detention, it can not be we claim to value families and incarcerate them instead of letting them unify with their love ones. We walk to end the deaths of migrants in the borders as they try and reach a better life. We need an immigration policy that prioritizes human life, that fully respects all of our human rights. We walk to end the separation of family that terrorizes our migrant communities nationwide. We walk because we all deserve freedom. We are joining the South Texas Human Rights Center, and are asking attendees to bring at least $1.00 for one gallon of water to support the Water Stations Project. The STHRC builds water stations in Brooks County and nearby areas for the migrants who are passing by, in need of water for survival. STHRC needs your help to keep this important project going.     If you would like to donate immediately you can donate here, or you can get in contact with the Workers’ Center at 956-283-5650 if you would like to drop off the donation in the RGV or have it picked up. What: Walk for Migrant Rights / Caminata por Derechos Migrantes When: 10 AM, June 11th, Saturday morning. Where: Starts at 2215 N Conway, Mission, TX 78572; Ends at 620 N Dunlap Ave, Mission, TX. RSVP for the Walk For Migrant Rights / Caminata por Derechos Migrantes on Facebook. ‘Like’ Fuerza del Valle on Facebook. ‘Like’ South Texas Human Rights Center on...

Read More
Join the Struggle for Working Families this May Day

Join the Struggle for Working Families this May Day

In March 2014, the Dallas Morning news reported on the success that has followed the Texas construction industry. As of 2014 it ranked fifth nationally, boosting Texas’ economy so much that it has become one of the best state economies in the country. The construction industry in Texas depends on over 900,000 workers, and many are cheated out of sharing the benefits of the economy. In 2013, the Workers’ Defense Project released a study in which they reported that more than one in five workers in construction has been denied pay. The study, titled “Build a Better Texas,” reports that fifty percent of construction workers have never been paid overtime even though they work as much as 80 hours a week. More than fifty percent of workers earn poverty level wages Not only is the industry booming as construction workers in Texas are paid poorly, the industry has also been one of the most dangerous in the country. More people die in Texas construction than in any other construction industries in almost any other state. Texas workers have reported that one in five have had injuries on the job that required medical attention. An outstanding fifty percent of workers have reported that they never received basic safety training and the WDP researches reported that at almost every construction site they visited, they discovered numerous safety violations. The Rio Grande Valley has seen significant growth in the last number of years, a lot of it tied to the construction industry. Any resident that has lived here for ten years or longer can tell you that the RGV has constant new businesses setting up shop, implying major construction projects.. It’s astonishing that the majority of cases reported to the Fuerza del Valle Workers’ Center are claims where workers are denied payment in some form of another in an industry where millions are spent. When contractors are approached about the problem, the blame has always been handed to the contractor ahead or below them in the chain of command, all while RGV construction workers are left out in the cold needing to support themselves and their families. This May Day, we call upon Fuerza del Valle members and supporters to come out...

We Are The Heart of The Home: Join Domesticas del Valle and celebrate domesticas

We Are The Heart of The Home: Join Domesticas del Valle and celebrate domesticas

On this month of friendship and love Fuerza del Valle Workers’ Center (FVWC) celebrates, recognizes and appreciates the sacred work of domestic workers. Throughout the month we will be promoting with extra vigor, more than usual, our respect and love for Domestic Workers. Join our efforts, follow Fuerza del Valle on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and share our photos and information regarding domestic workers. Pass the word; share the Workers’ Center newsletter (attached). We celebrate the sacredness of the work of our compañeras, sacred because they take care of what is most important to us, our families, or daughters and sons, our parents, our homes. As Celia, FVWC member, states, “We are the Heart of the Home” The Domestic Workers’ Committee invites you to our celebration this Saturday, 14 of February; we will have a ceremony with testimonies, appreciation, and words of inspiration. We recognize the value of Domestic Workers and we commit ourselves to continue to struggle with our compañeras. We are asking each organization to limit themselves to 3 people, preferably domestic workers or ex domestic workers from your base, membership, or affiliates. You do not have to be a domestic worker to attend. Please RSVP by sending an email to fuerzadelvalle@gmail.com, domesticasdelvalle@gmail.com or call at (956)787-8171 or at (956)433-3523 or at...

Read More