Op-Ed: Why Mobility Is Political

In an op-ed in Streetsblog USA, Ruth Rosas connects the immigration debate to mobility, arguing that the freedom to move extends to more than just physical infrastructure; “It’s also about whether people can exist in public without fear.”

For many immigrants and people of color, moving about in American cities and towns is a fraught proposition.

Many immigrants rely on buses, trains, walking, and biking because they cannot obtain a driver’s license. But relying on these modes of transportation can increase vulnerability in these public spaces. Walking and biking aren’t always safer, and jaywalking laws, biking citations, and over-policing in immigrant and communities of color mean that simply existing in public space can be a liability.

According to Rosas, “Mobility justice demands that we confront the surveillance, policing, and xenophobia embedded in our transportation systems. It demands we stop asking people to prove their worth before they can move without fear. It means acknowledging our streets, sidewalks, and bus stops are not neutral but political.” Until everyone can use them safely and equitably, Rosas notes, transportation remains political.