Gustavo Torres: ‘I regret any misunderstanding my comments may have caused ...’

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

I was recently quoted in The Gazette regarding Casa’s response to the Maryland Minutemen Project. To provide some background, a small contingent of people who have identified themselves as the new Maryland Minutemen chapter have come to Casa of Maryland worker centers to take photos of Casa clients and staff people. They have indicated in several public statements that their purpose is to shut down our worker centers. We consider their actions intimidating and hateful.

At Casa, we consider it our responsibility to challenge those that work against the interests of the people we represent. We challenge people and institutions through traditional means such as defensive and proactive legislative advocacy, through the filing of impact litigation, and through community education and press work designed to alter the terms of the debates affecting the lives of our clients. Most importantly, we organize the community to confront adversity.

For years, Casa has organized workers to improve wages and conditions in their work. And when employers have engaged in labor violations, ranging from non-payment of wages to involuntary servitude, we have challenged them on it. Experts have identified worker centers as the best means to improve the wages and working conditions of day laborers, who are frequently exploited.

We have no intention of making those who practice the politics of fear and hate feel welcome in the Washington region. We will picket and protest their actions, but under no circumstances will we engage in any civil disobedience directed at their children or their children’s schools. I regret any misunderstanding my comments may have caused and wanted to immediately clarify Casa’s position on this matter.

We are committed to protecting the rights of workers and giving a voice to the voiceless, and nothing that this group of outsiders can do will deter us in this cause.

Gustavo Torres, Silver Spring

The writer is executive director of Casa of Maryland, an immigrant workers’ advocacy organization.