Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Immigrant Rights

By Joe Iosbaker

Frank Chapman. | Kayla Nguyen/Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste!

Chicago, IL – Chicago se está preparando para el Primero de Mayo, que de nuevo va a ser otro día nacional de protesta contra la agenda racista de Trump. Una coalición amplia de organizaciones de los derechos de los inmigrantes; la liberación Negra, los obreros, jóvenes y estudiantes se están preparando para manifestarse y marchar el 1º de mayo, el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores.

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By Talison Crosby and Claire Thomas

International Workers Day march in Tacoma, Washington.

Tacoma, WA – Several hundred people took to the streets of Tacoma on May 1 to rally for immigrants and workers’ rights. The crowd gathered around 4 p.m. and began chanting with messages such as “Stand up and shut it down, Tacoma is a union town!” and “Power to the people! No one is illegal!” Energy was high, and the mood of the event was celebratory.

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By Alvin Sheng

St. Paul, MN – On May 9, the day before Mother’s Day, 100 Minnesotans, from all generations, gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol with blue bunny hats in remembrance of Liam Conejo Ramos and the 4030 immigrants who were kidnapped during Operation Metro Surge.

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By Emma Gottfried

Santa Ana, CA – On May 1, nearly 300 people packed into Sasscer Park for International Workers’ Day. The rally and march, which also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the immigrant mega marches, was organized by the Orange County May Day Coalition. The energy in the crowd grew as the emcee of the rally, Abe Quintana from Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) led chants of “ICE out of Santa Ana! ICE out of OC!”

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By staff

Austin, TX – On Thursday morning, May 7, community members packed the Austin City Council meeting to demand that the city take action to stop local police collaboration with ICE. Jesse Valdelamar, of La Frontera Unida, gave public comment on this issue as supporters packed the room with signs with messages such as, “ICE out” and “Legalization for all.” After the public comment, around 25 people rallied outside City Hall.

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By Faith Arteaga

International Workers Day in Denver, CO.

Denver, CO – On Friday, May 1, public spaces saw protests, rallies and events celebrating International Workers’ Day. About 100 attended a May Day rally at the Colorado State Capitol to hear activists, organizers and workers speak in support of workers everywhere.

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By staff

International Workers Day celebrated in Jacksonville, Florida.

Jacksonville, FL – Chants of “Who got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Workers’ power!” echoed in the streets of downtown Jacksonville, May 1, as Duval County celebrated its largest May Day commemoration yet. With over a dozen organizations and union locals in attendance, the community showed up in solidarity with the workers' struggle, with immigrants, and all oppressed peoples of the world.

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By Cameron McLaren

Protesters march to Lafayette Square in defense of Yousof Azizi and in solidarity with Iran.

Washington, DC – On Sunday, May 3, about 15 protesters gathered again outside the Customs and Border Patrol headquarters to protest the ICE detainment of Yousof Azizi, a PhD student and outspoken anti-war advocate. Azizi was kidnapped on April 13 while on his way home from dropping off his two children at school. Since then, he has been transferred at least twice, and has been repeatedly denied access to his lawyer and allowed only limited contact family.

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By Daniel Hawley-Lowry

Grand Rapids, MI – The Grand Rapids May Day Committee organized a rally commemorating International Workers Day, Saturday, May 2, at Fountain Street Church.

Co-hosted by the May Day Committee chair, Tom Burke of IATSE 26, along with Ivan Diaz, candidate for Michigan State Senate District 29, the event started with songs of solidarity by Carsten Forester of AFM Local 56. After the music, local labor leaders and community activists spoke on meeting the attacks from the Trump administration. Many focused on standing in solidarity with immigrants and fellow workers.

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By staff

Montana high school students walk out on May 1 to support of immigrant rights.

Bozeman, MT – On May 1, around 50 students walked out of Gallatin High School during third period, joining a growing wave of protests against ICE and its impact on immigrant communities. The walkout was organized by senior Charlotte Haslam as part of her senior project and as an effort to mobilize students in what she described as a politically divided school environment.

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By Paris Lamb

May Day event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salt Lake City – This May Day, hundreds gathered at Salt Lake City’s Washington Square Park, May 1, to celebrate the hard fought achievements of the workers and immigrant movements and to call the people to keep organizing and fighting for a more just world.

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By Anthony Renzetti

May Day rally in Space Coast, Florida.

Space Coast, FL – On May 1, over 100 workers, union members and community members rallied at Kiwanis Park to mark International Workers’ Day, featuring a series of speeches by community organizers and union members.

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By Cassia Laham

May Day event in Orlando, Florida.

Orlando, FL – On Friday, May 1, dozens of community members gathered at BookBurn Cafe and Social in Orlando's Milk District to celebrate International Workers' Day. The interactive, educational event was presented by Freedom Road Socialist Organization Orlando, and included discussions led by rank-and-file union members from the public and private sector.

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By staff

Tampa FL- On Friday, May 1, two high schools in the Tampa Bay area participated in the national call put out by the Legalization for All Network to hold May Day walkouts in remembrance of the Day Without Immigrants mega protests held in 2006.The participating high schools were Middleton and Wharton. Both events were supported by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society and the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee. The protests this year called for slogans such as “Ice out now!” and “Legalization for all!” in response to the Trump administration’s continued attacks on immigrant communities across the country.

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By staff

May Day protest in Atlanta.

Atlanta, GA – On Saturday, May 2, over 100 community members gathered outside the ICE field office to celebrate International Workers’ Day and demand an end to the deportations.

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By staff

International Workers Day in Austin, Texas.

Austin, TX – On Friday, May 1, labor unions and activist and student groups took the streets of downtown Austin for International Workers Day. Around 200 protesters marched on the Capitol building chanting and holding signs in support of immigrants and workers’ rights.

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By staff

Walkout at UIC demands a sanctuary campus.

Chicago, IL – On Friday, May 1, students at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) walked out of class at 10:30 in the morning to demand an end to the deportations, legalization for all undocumented immigrants, and that the university administration take immediate steps to make the UIC a sanctuary campus. Over 100 protesters, a mix of undergraduate students and striking members of the university’s Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) Local 6297, gathered in the UIC quad.

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By staff

May Day march in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee, WI – On a brisk May 1st morning, the Milwaukee community gathered in the thousands to stand up for immigrants’ and workers’ rights. The rally began on the city’s Southside at the Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) office, a leading organization that gathers students, workers, and residents annually to march since 2006. 22 years later, el Día sin Inmigrantes continues to demand justice for workers of all legal status and a path to legalization for all.

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By Joe Iosbaker

May Day march in Chicago.

Chicago, IL – Over 8000 people gathered in Union Park on May 1 to celebrate International Workers’ Day and march demanding protection for workers and immigrant rights.

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International Workers Day in Portland, Oregon.

Portland, OR – On May 1, protesters gathered downtown for a midday May Day rally held by a coalition of 80-plus unions and non-profit type organizations. This included a march downtown with stops at the Mexican Consulate and an office building that houses the offices of a U.S. senator.

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