'They do not feel heard': Comunidades Unidas redoubling efforts to aid immigrants

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — With limited political clout, immigrants in Utah have historically sat on the political sidelines, even as they've contributed to the workforce and economy of the state, says Cynthia Ponce-Orellano.

"A lot of times, immigrants here in Salt Lake County do not have a voice, they do not feel heard," said Ponce-Orellano, a volunteer with Comunidades Unidas, a West Valley City-based immigrant advocacy group. "They are crucial to so many things, and it's important for them to be seen."

With that in mind, Ponce-Orellano and other Comunidades Unidas volunteers have been knocking on doors on Salt Lake City's west side and in other working-class neighborhoods populated by immigrants, people of color and others, aiming to identify the issues of import to them. Among the key issues, they determined, are protecting day laborers' rights and advocating for new immigrants, and now the Salt Lake County Immigrant People's Agenda campaign enters a new phase — setting and pursuing goals to address the concerns.

"We're bringing everyone together to kind of revive their energies, but also we need their commitment because this is long-term," Mayra Cedano, the Comunidades Unidas executive director, said at a gathering Friday to kick off the next phase of the effort.

Comunidades Unidas volunteers at a meeting on Oct. 18 at the Mexican Civic Center in Salt Lake City to launch the next phase of an immigrant advocacy initiative the organization is leading. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)

She envisions the creation of five to six campaigns to address the varied concerns, which also include the creation of a new high school on Salt Lake City's west side and halting gentrification in the area. At the same time, she indicated that much more work will be required going forward to complement the two or so years of pavement-pounding, house meetings and door-knocking already put in, to pinpoint the priority issues.

"This is a lot of work, and here we're talking about power and what it takes to build power," she said. She lauded the efforts put in so far "but we also realize that there's so much still to be done."

Friday's assembly took on a festive and even defiant air at times amid calls by many in Utah and across the country for more rigorous efforts to halt the illegal entry of immigrants and remove those currently here unlawfully. Participants chanted in support of workers' rights at the event, held at the Mexican Civic Center in Salt Lake City, and speakers decried the injustices they say immigrants face.

"Our conclusion is that that no one is coming to save us. We have to save ourselves," said Devin Martinez, a volunteer in the Comunidades Unidas effort. "We're here today to deepen our commitment to our struggle and our commitment to each other. We're here to deepen our commitment to organize every single day and every single week to build an independent fighting campaign that can achieve the demands and desires that we have for our future."

Ponce-Orellano has focused on education issues and, as sought by many west side community members, the calls for a high school in the area so students don't have to make the longer eastward trek to East, West or Highland high schools.

She's spoken to school board members, superintendents and reps from Salt Lake City's mayor's office, she said, receiving the same response. They are sympathetic to the cause, they have told her, but don't support it. "As students, we must raise our voices to shape the future," she said, vowing to search for more organizing support among youth and students.

Neni Gaona, a volunteer who has focused on the rights of day laborers — typically immigrants here unlawfully who seek short-term construction and landscaping work outside home improvement stores — addressed the struggles her parents and others have faced as immigrants. "I distinctly remember my parents struggling. Jobs are hard to come by, especially when you don't speak the language, and the ones that you do get are oftentimes exploitative," she said.

She said Comunidades Unidas organizers have spoken to more than 200 day laborers just since last month, hearing repeated stories of workers getting short-changed on wages, laboring under harsh conditions and more. "They are taken advantage of by the state of Utah, developers and also individuals who just don't see us as people who are deserving respect," Gaona said.

Christopher Mora-Rubio, another organizer, is focused on unifying new immigrants and those with longer-standing ties to Utah. "We have to help each other, no matter our nationality or how long we've been in this country. All our rights are the same ones and we're all going to be protected the same way by uniting and standing up for our rights as workers and for our rights as immigrants," he said.

On hand in the audience were Utah state Sen. Luz Escamilla and state Rep. Angela Romero, Democrats from Salt Lake City. The organizers, though, said they can't rely on help from political officials, regardless of party.

"Let me be clear — no representative, senator, council member or elected official is going to save us. We must raise our voices in the decisions that impact our lives," Ponce-Orellano said.