By Ana Milena Varón
LOS ÁNGELES – Groups that advocate for immigrants and workers will carry out close to 40 activities throughout the country this weekend to “make visible” the problems experienced by these communities and highlight the lack of action by Congress and the Executive in approving immigration reform.
From coast to coast of the United States United groups, unions and political organizations have called marches and protest events following the tradition of using the international celebration of Labor Day to raise the voice for the most disadvantaged workers, including the undocumented.
“If we don’t stand up, protest and make our problems visible, the other side will come back to attack our Rights. And that attack is not only against the undocumented but it is against everyone because it will legalize racism,” Christine Newman-Ortiz, executive director of the Voces de la Frontera organization in Wisconsin, told Efe.
Without abandoning the fight
The Newman-Ortiz organization called for a two-day immigrant strike in that state which, it confirmed, will be joined by dozens of businesses. There will also be a rally in downtown Milwaukee with residents from across the state participating.
“We can’t abandon the fight. We have to be aware that things like (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program) DACA for dreamers were achieved by our efforts, as were the priorities of arrests or the closure of immigration jails, ”he stressed.
Under the same slogan of struggle, in New York about 30 organizations will meet at noon in Washington Square Park to demand protections for workers, among which a path to citizenship for the undocumented stands out, according to a statement from Make the Road New York.
In Los Angeles, protesters will take to the streets both Saturday 30 in April and May 1. The city was the scene in 2006 of a march that brought together more than a million people in defense of immigrants and against a bill that criminalized undocumented immigrants.
In this regard, Angélica Salas, director of the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants (CHIRLA), told Efe that “the struggle of immigrant workers has made progress in states like California, but the rights and benefits are not equally respected at the national level,” so that it is important to resume the mobilization throughout the country.
A stagnant reform
Salas recognizes that the fight for an immigration reform with a path to citizenship to protect essential workers “has not borne much fruit”.
In the second half of last year, efforts were concentrated on trying to carry out an immigration reform project that was linked to the social plan cial of the government of President Joe Biden, who ultimately never won the support of the 50 Senate Democrats.
This week a group group of senators announced that it will hold talks on immigration, returning to the issue that had been stalled.
The group will include the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrat Dick Durbin, and his party partner Alex Padilla. On the Republican side will be Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. All senators are members of the Judiciary Committee.
Although reaching an agreement in an election year is almost impossible, Newman-Ortiz believes that it is necessary to return to the pressure precisely because Latino votes and the support of immigrants will be needed for the elections, especially among Democrats.
“It is worrying that some of the Democratic senators are allowing themselves to be swayed by racist policies and the campaign lies of the Republicans. They can fall into that trap but we can’t”, considered the activist.
For his part, Salas stressed that it is necessary to continue with the mobilizations “until we achieve what we deserve”.
Cities such as Washington, DC.; Aurora, Colorado; The Vegas, Nevada; Miami Florida; Vancouver, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Ill.; San Francisco, California, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, among others, have demonstrations and actions planned that have been joined by unions and political organizations that defend workers.