No Salvation From the Bourgeoisie
Condemning Cincinnati Officials in the Face of Immigration Raids
Cincinnati Socialists unequivocally condemns the disgraceful response of our city’s officials to the looming immigration raids. Mayor Aftab Pureval stated that the city will comply with any and all immigration laws, a statement he’s since doubled down on in a recent NPR interview, where he said, “I took an oath to follow the Constitution and we will follow the law.” Even more egregious is the mobilization of private firms working to hire ex-CPD officers to enforce these brutal raids, showcasing the capitalist class’s eagerness to deploy violence in defense of its profits.
This situation is not new. Throughout history, the so-called “opposition” party of the bourgeoisie has postured as allies of the working class while upholding the very systems of oppression they claim to oppose. During the Gilded Age (late 1800s), Democratic leaders turned a blind eye to violent strike-breaking efforts, allowing private militias and Pinkertons to suppress workers organizing for basic rights. During the New Deal era (early 1900s), while Roosevelt’s administration passed limited reforms to pacify unrest, they stopped short of dismantling the systems of exploitation at capitalism’s core.
One of the most damning examples of weak “opposition” parties is that of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany during the early 20th century. Once the largest and most influential workers’ party in the world, the SPD consistently chose to defend the bourgeois state over supporting revolutionary change. Their betrayal of socialism and the working class during the German revolution of 1918-1919 led to the defeat of the workers uprising and the executions of the revolutionary leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnecht. In the early 1930s, when confronted with the rise of fascism, the SPD prioritized “respecting the law” and maintaining parliamentary decorum, refusing to mobilize the working class against the Nazi threat. Their inaction allowed Hitler and the Nazis to consolidate power, plunging Germany into dictatorship and the world into war.
The Democratic Party plays a similar role today: redirect the revolutionary energy of the masses into reformism and class collaboration, and uphold bourgeois supremacy at all costs. From the internment of Japanese Americans under Roosevelt to Clinton’s Reaganite neoliberal austerity to Biden’s continuation and expansion of inhumane immigration policies, the Democrats have demonstrated their allegiance to the capitalist ruling class. Their refusal to oppose these raids is not a deviation—it is their function.
The parallels to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 are also stark. Then, as now, laws were used to enforce injustice and divide people based on race, gender, class, etc. Northern politicians, claiming opposition to slavery, still supported and enforced laws like this that criminalized escaping the bonds of slavery. The act even went so far as to allow everyday citizens to be deputized to enforce the law, foreshadowing the “cop-to-ICE” pipeline that Cincinnati capital has developed. Today, migrant workers face similar state-sponsored terror, scapegoated for the failures of capitalism and divided from their fellow workers. The hiring of ex-cops by private firms to aid in the raids underscores the true purpose of these actions: to maintain the domination of capital over labor. These raids are not about “law and order.” They are about terrorizing Black and brown workers, fanning the flames of nationalism, and undermining the unity necessary for liberation.
To the Democratic leadership: your inaction and compliance reveal your true loyalties. By siding with law and order over justice, you perpetuate the oppression of the working class. You will be remembered not as defenders of freedom, but as enablers of cruelty.
To immigrant workers: you are not alone. We stand with you as comrades in the struggle against a system that dehumanizes us all. We commit to opposing these raids and defending your rights and dignity.
To the working class: do not be deceived by the false promises of reformist parties. The Democratic Party, like the SPD in Germany, will always prioritize preserving capitalism over fighting for liberation. The only path forward is through solidarity, direct action, and the building of a revolutionary movement. We must reject the illusion of salvation from above and organize ourselves to resist and overcome the violence of the capitalist state.
History is clear: change has never come from the benevolence of the ruling class. It has always been won through the collective power of the people. As Marx teaches us, class struggle is the “motor force of history.” Let this moment remind us of our responsibility to resist, organize, and fight for a future where no one is illegal.