Inspirational and Influential Women of the World: Myriam Merlet
Part IV of the Inspirational and Influential Women of the World Blog Series
Quixote Center works to defend the human rights and dignity of the most vulnerable by influencing U.S. foreign and immigration policies, through educating our supporters, allied organizations, and government officials, and through actions directed at specific policies. Extreme poverty and vulnerability lead families to make the heartbreaking decision to migrate, to the United States or elsewhere. Our policy priorities address the root causes of migration in Haiti, Nicaragua and across Latin America and the Caribbean. We also defend the rights of migrants in the United States and work toward safe and non-exploitative legal pathways that recognize the important role immigrants play in our society and economy.
We educate our constituencies through:
- Our weekly blog and eblast;
- Our Solidarity Travel program;
- Occasional events, webinars, and reports.
Quixote Center impacts policies through:
- Encouraging our supporters to send letters to Congress and the Administration;
- Scheduling in-person meetings with Members of Congress and the Administration;
- Participating in demonstrations and other direct action;
- Working in coalition with allied organizations.
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Farmworker Awareness Week Day Seven, Support UFW’s’ Push for Overtime Pay
"Life here is very hard when we harvest fruits and vegetables. The sun burns so much and we get weak, and you get irritated from so much heat. And despite that we have to work all day putting up with the fatigue, dehydration and hunger. I’ll also tell you that it’s very sad to be far from our land which is Mexico… and our loved ones like my parents, my wife and my son. But we’re here working hard so that we can support our family… and well, it’s very hard to be a farmworker, and sad because you work from sun up to sundown in the fields."
Farmworker Awareness Week, Day Five: Support Community, Student Action with Farmworkers
"I’m away from my family for eight months to come work in this country. Work here is very hard because we have to work ten to twelve hours a day. The work helps me support my family, but I am happy because I’m reaching my goal of having a house of my own."
Farmworker Awareness Week, Day Four: Pledge to Boycott Wendy’s
Bioparques workers who spoke to Times reporter Richard Marosi for an investigation published December 10, 2014, described subhuman conditions, with workers forced to work without pay, trapped for months at a time in scorpion-infested camps, often without beds, fed on scraps, and beaten when they tried to quit. (Harper's Magazine, 2016)
We are quite happy with the quality and taste of the tomatoes we are sourcing from Mexico. (Wendy's spokesperson, 2016)
Farmworker Awareness Week Day Three: Take Action to Ban Chlorpyrifos
“We started around four [4:00] to four thirty [4:30] in the morning,” one worker reported. “I heard someone say ‘it’s raining,’ I didn’t feel anything but I could smell it. I could smell a chemical smell like a garden product. I heard a plane or helicopter I never saw it but I heard it. I did have symptoms, my head was hurting, and my eyes were itchy and really watery.”
Activism in Retrospect
During the last two weeks of February, the Quixote Center was involved in actions of solidarity for Dreamers and the people of Honduras. I attended the Honduras Awareness Tour (Feb. 22) and the Catholic Day of Action for Dreamers (Feb. 27) and was equally moved by both events that called us to be a catalyst for change. Below are my reflections on these experiences.
Honduras Awareness Tour
Country Highlight: Nepal
Temporary Protected Status holders increasingly fear they will not be permitted to remain in the United States. Within the last year the Trump administration has terminated TPS for four out of the 10 designated countries. This week TPS for El Salvador was terminated, impacting over 260,000 people who have lived in the U.S. for over 17 years. TPS holders and supporters continue to press for a permanent, legislative solution. In support of this effort we continue our series on TPS; this week with a profile of Nepal.
The NICA Act and the never-ending hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy
The Nicaragua Investment Conditionality Act of 2017 could see action in the U.S. Senate in the coming weeks. The “NICA” Act directs U.S.
Operation Streamline: Fast Tracking Deportation
In November, I traveled to the School of the Americas’ (SOA) Encuentro Watch to learn more about immigration and the demilitarization of the US-Mexico border. Upon arrival, I was picked up from the Tucson airport and driven to US District Court Pro SE Office in Tucson, Arizona. This courthouse is noteworthy, because it is one of the three courts in the country that utilizes Operation Streamline.
Take Action in Defense of Democracy in Honduras
The crisis in Honduras in the wake of the November 26 election continues. As documented here by Rick Sterling the evidence suggests strongly that the ruling National Party tampered with the voting process to ensure victory for Juan Orlando Hernandez: