Under the guise of the "war on terrorism," the Bush administration is using the tragic events of September 11th to impose the domestic and international agenda of powerful, right-wing forces. While his policies threaten the civil liberties of all, people of color are bearing the brunt of the domestic impact of Bush’s war policies. From secret detentions and deportations of immigrants, to increased racial profiling, to cuts in public services alongside massive increases in military spending, the war is expanding the scope and depth of racial injustice within the US.

Moreover, Bush’s strategy for winning popular support for his war policies relies upon portraying people of color within the U.S., Iraq, and elsewhere as security threats, and their lives and rights as less valuable than that of others. In other words, racism and Bush’s war policies go hand in hand.

At the same time, polls show that anti-war sentiment and opposition to racial profiling is greatest among people of color. And historically, communities of color have played a central role in challenging U.S. war policies.

To build the broad-based, powerful peace and justice movement we need, it's critical that anti-war activists incorporate work against the domestic impact of Bush's empire-building agenda into their work and work closely with communities of color taking on this agenda. A major piece of that involves standing up for immigrant rights.