Monica Olvera

Monica Olvera

Monica Olvera is an Austin Texas activist.

Corvallis DSA Facebook group

Members of the Corvallis Democratic Socialists of America Facebook as of April 16, 2017 included Monica Olvera , Corvallis Oregon.

Texas Fight to Stop a New "Anti-immigrant" Law

By June 2017, Austin Democratic Socialists of America had built a large membership of over 640 members by being active as allies against a number of attacks on communities of color, women and LGBTQ people over the last two years.

This work has intensified since Trump took office. Perhaps their most important campaign, which other groups can learn from, is their current fight against an anti-immigrant bill.

On May 29th, national media coverage showed footage of hundreds of people in Austin, Texas chanting and protesting in the Capitol against a new anti-illegal immigrant law known as SB4, for “Senate Bill 4.”

SB4 is a highly controversial bill that mandates local police and sheriffs to essentially become an arm of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under the bill, local peace officers would be given broad authority to ask the immigration status of anyone stopped by an officer for almost any reason. Thus, the moniker: “Show Me Your Papers Law.” SB4 began as a priority of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Governor Greg Abbott.

The authors of the bill in the Senate specifically targeted Austin Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who ran on a campaign of constitutional rights of undocumented residents and non-cooperation beyond the legal requirements with ICE. The only female in a field of six, she won handily in the Democratic primary, and five months later in the general election against a Republican. Sheriff Hernandez said in a hearing on the bill in April that SB4 will "coerce local law enforcement to divert scarce resources to enforcing federal immigration laws, at a risk to public safety.”

During hearings in the Senate and the House, hundreds of people, many of them immigrants or family of immigrants, both documented and not, testified and signed in opposition to the bill. Sheriffs and chiefs of police testified that the bill would undermine the trust between the police and the immigrant and Latino communities, leaving their cities and towns less safe. Mayors, lawyers, school administrators and school board members spoke out against the mass deportation provisions of the bill and its potentially devastating impact on families, children, businesses and the Texas economy.

Despite these large protests, the House and the Senate passed the bill. Advocates were outraged that the bill was made far more egregious in the final evening of late-night amendments to the bill in the House, where Tea Party reactionaries one-upped each other.

The Governor signed the bill in a private office on a Sunday evening, May 14, away from any media. Within two hours after the private signing was livestreamed on facebook, protesters, including a dozen DSA members, demonstrated in front of the Governor’s mansion.

Monica Olvera, one of the DSA members who became active in the Stop SB4 campaign, spoke about her outrage at the bill: “This bill is a direct threat to the Latinx community. This bill wants to take away the hardworking parents of U.S.-born children. Children should not have to live with the fear that their parents may not be there when they get home from school or after playing with friends.”

Olvera joined Austin DSA and a Bernie-inspired local group: Left Up To Us (LUTU), after getting active in planning a No Ban No Wall rally this past February to protest Trump’s refugee ban. “I worked with several DSA members and LUTU members and liked the work they were doing on a range of issues important to me,” she said. She is a newly elected leader of the LUTU Fundraising Committee and also represents LUTU and Austin DSA in a new coalition of over 20 groups to fight SB4. “Expect to see our impact in the coming months,” she says.

O'Rourke connection

Monica Olvera with Beto O'Rourke, May 1 2017.

Austin DSA Socialist Feminist Book Club

Monica Olvera was a member of Austin Democratic Socialists of America Socialist Feminist Book Club Public Facebook Group, as of August 17, 2017;

2019/20 executive

2019/20 Austin Democratic Socialists of America executive.

• David Pinkham
• James Cole
• Kim Varela-Broxson
• Monica Olvera
• Martha Mercado
• Ashkan Jahangiri
• Emma Boardman-Larson
• Nikole Sturm
• Ryan Pollock
• Sarah Morris
• Seneca Savoie

2017 Austin DSA leadership

New leadership for Austin Democratic Socialists of America, November 2017.

• Co-chairs - Glenn Scott, David Pinkham
• Secretary - James Cole
• Treasurer Stephanie Trinh
• Membership Coordinator - Jacob Aronowitz
• Members At Large - Liz Garcia, Monica Olvera, Ashkan Jahangiri, Marcus Denton

Left Up To US Closed Facebook group

Members of the Left Up To US closed Facebook group, as of August 11, 2017 included Monica Olvera.

Socialist Punk Caucus

Members of Democratic Socialists of America's Socialist Punk Caucus closed Facebook group, accessed November 24, 2017, included Monica Olvera.

Texas DSA - Red State Rising

On April 1 2018, 2017 Monica Olvera was a member of the Texas DSA - Red State Rising closed Facebook group.

DSA-Lubbock Interest group Public FB Group

Members of the DSA Lubbock Interest group Public FB Group, accessed September 28, 2018 included :

Austin DSA comrades

Glenn Scott August 11, 2017 ·

DSA members beat the heat in Atx at july 29 Our Lives On the Line rally and march to stop Trumpcare ! Front row, Danny Saenz & David Wittie,(back row) David Pinkham , Ryan Rosshirt , Robin Hofpauer, Chau Lan Ngo, Monica Olvera , Cynthia Mancha, James Cole, Courtney Szigetvari, Roy Woody, Glenn Scott, Linda Kniolek & Akhil Mulgonaert.

2018/19 executive

2018/19 Austin Democratic Socialists of America executive.

• David Pinkham, chair
• James Cole, secretary
• Stephanie Trinh, treasurer
• Kim Varela-Broxson, membership coordinator
• Monica Olvera, member at-large
• Liz Garcia, member at-large
• Ashkan Jahangiri, member at-large
• Marcus Denton, member at-large