UIC students commemorate the legacy of the 2006 Mega Marches
By Sathvika Gowda and Ángel Naranjos
Chicago, IL – On Monday, March 9, members of Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA) at the University of Illinois at Chicago gathered in the Latin American and Latino Studies Conference Room in UIC’s University Hall to watch the documentary La Primavera de Immigrante (2006). This documentary screening kicked off the beginning of MeSA’s Sanctuary Campus Week of Action.
MeSA members Ikzael Hernandez and Camila Solis began by sharing the history of the mega-marches for immigrant rights on March 10, 2006, where over an estimated 300,000 people marched in the streets of Chicago to protest the racist bill HR 4437 – otherwise known as the “Sensenbrenner Bill.” If passed, this bill would have made the act of providing aid to undocumented immigrants in any way, shape, or form a felony charge. Among the main demands raised on March 10, 2006, and the following May Day were to shut down this bill and to grant legalization for all undocumented immigrants.
The documentary showed footage of these historic demonstrations in Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of immigrants from a wide range of nationalities – but especially Chicanos, Mexicans and Latinos, united in the streets. After the documentary, students had a discussion where they discussed this important history and drew lessons that they could apply to the current context of Trump and his escalated attacks on sanctuary cities like Chicago.
In the fall semester, UIC students and members of MeSA in particular were engaged in the fight against the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” Students talked about the importance of building solidarity among different immigrant nationalities and uniting with progressive movements on campus – especially as Chicago faces looming threats of another assault by the Trump administration in the spring.