Committee for Autonomous Social Action

General Brotherhood of Workers

 

The Centro de Acción Social Autónomo (CASA; Spanish for Center for Autonomous Social Action), was a prominent organization that focused on the rights of immigrants, particularly those from Mexico, during the late 1960s and 1970s. Founded in Los Angeles in 1969 by veteran labor activists Bert Corona and Soledad "Chole" Alatorre, CASA initially functioned as a mutualista-style social service organization, providing legal and social assistance to undocumented workers and their families.

As it grew, CASA developed a sophisticated political ideology that challenged mainstream American views on immigration. Arguing that Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans were a single, transnational community—"Somos Un Pueblo Sin Fronteras" (We Are One People without Borders)—CASA advocated for the rights of all workers regardless of citizenship status. It provided essential services, from legal aid to English classes, while also engaging in political mobilization against restrictive immigration policies and what it saw as a system of labor exploitation.

Due to external and internal conditions, CASA ceased to exist in 1979. However, activists continued to work on behalf of the rights of immigrants during the 1980s, 1990's, and up to the present time. In these crucial times, long time activists of CASA, HGT have come together to reestablish CASA, not as a center but as a committee for autonomous social action.

Our work is dedicated to creating social actions that would further the working class movement in the US.