Labor Day Rally Calls for Immigrant and Worker Rights

Hundreds (more than 1,000 according to the Star Tribune) of immigrants, unionists and allies marched and rallied at Castillo Park demanding immigrants’ rights and finding the connection to workers’ rights. The crowd cheered as speakers called for immigrant workers to be able to come out of the shadows of U.S. workplaces and for Congress to legalize the estimated 12 million undocumented workers here.

The march and rally was originally scheduled to coincide with the annual Labor Union picnic celebration on Harriet Island but that event was cancelled at the eleventh hour. Still, many unions joined with the immigrants at Castillo Park in support. Don Sequest, President of UFCW Local 789, told the crowd that he is a grandson of an immigrant worker. While his ancestors came from Sweden, not Mexico, workers’ rights are still the same. He has stood on the front lines of the meat packing industry’s fight for rights, he said, and we need to keep on standing up for rights – immigrants’ and workers’ rights.

Supporters, like Maria Eugenia from Ascension Church in North Minneapolis said “We are all working for the same things.” Everyone here wants to see immigrants have rights. Maria, an ISAIAH member, held up one end of an ISAIAH banner. She came here from Mexico City 17 years ago. Miguel Gonzeles held up the other end of the banner. Miguel, who works in a restaurant, is from Michoacan, MX. He has been here for almost 4 years. “It is better here,” he says, because there is work.

Families were there to support laws to protect immigrants. Jose(right), who lives in Richfield, was there with his wife and daughter, Jennifer. He has been in the U.S. for 15 years. Genaro, Maribel and their 4-year old son, Sebastian, came to the rally from Austin.

Call-to-action booths offered information on immigrant and worker rights and opportunities to call or send a “We Are America” postcard or a work glove to legislators in support of comprehensive immigration reform.

To register your support for immigrants, keep informed and contact your legislators. Here’s how:

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Resources
The Senate’s Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (S. 2611) faces a major challenge this fall, when it must be reconciled with the counterproductive, enforcement-only legislation passed in the House. To stay informed and learn what you can do to ensure that Congress enacts workable and comprehensive immigration reform, visit the American Immigration Lawyers Association's(AILA) CIR resource page. Here you will find issue papers and talking points, congressional updates, bill analyses, action alerts, and more! View AILA’s CIR resources.

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Rose Grengshas been a SJA parishioner since 1982. She is an immigration attorney and passionate about the subject. She is a member of the choir and active in the Peace Movement. She and her husband, Paul, routinely attend the 11:00 Mass. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of three. She is looking forward to retirement, travel and enjoys music, especially singer, songwriter, Greg Brown.