Why March on May 1st?

March on May 1 -- Stop the Raids & Deportations; Immediate & Unconditional Legalization for All!

On May 1st in St. Paul, we will stand up together for immigrant and workers rights. We will demand immediate legalization for all, an end to raids and deportations, and workers rights. We will say "no" to the attacks on our families, our communities and our dignity.

On May 1, we will be part of an international movement of millions of immigrants and workers marching around the world . from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, from Mexico City to Quito, from Manila to Moscow. We will be marching on May 1 because it is recognized as international workers day everywhere in the world except the U.S.

Join with us on Thursay, May 1 at 2:00 pm, starting at Kellogg and Robert Streeets in Saint Paul! We will march through St. Paul to the State Capitol, where we will arrive around 4:00 pm.

Why march?

Does marching on May 1st make a difference? Yes it does. On May 1, 2006, millions of immigrants and their supporters participated in a boycott . No work, no school, no spending money. We marched in the streets in cities across the United States in some of the biggest protests in the history of the U.S. We mobilized to stop the Sensenbrenner Bill which would have criminalized and forcibly deported millions of immigrants. Our protests were successful .

We showed our economic power as businesses across the country were shut down. We showed our political power by mobilizing in the streets. It worked . We stopped the Sensenbrenner Bill from passing.

We must continue the struggle. Despite the successful mass mobilizations in 2006 that stopped the Sensenbrenner bill, politicians are still attacking immigrants and passing bad immigration bills, including many at the state and local levels. The Bush administration supports proposals that would increase militarization of the border, cut family reunification visas, start a new guest worker program and deny legal permanent residency to the undocumented, while requiring them to pay thousands of dollars in fees and pass English and civics test usually only required for citizenship. In addition, Bush and company are proposing to require all Americans to have a national I.D. card for employment.

And worst of all, there has been a huge increase in raids and deportations that separate families at gunpoint and terrorize entire communities. These reactionary proposals and actions show the need to continue to build the movement for immigrant rights, and to be out in the streets marching on May 1. We must continue to struggle for what is right. We must continue to fight for immediate legalization for all immigrants in the U.S. We must continue the struggle to stop the raids and deportations that are tearing apart our families and communities. We must fight for full equality and labor rights, so that immigrants are not a permanent second class, easily exploitable workforce. We must fight so that no more people die crossing the border, fleeing poverty and war. The way we will win is the same way struggles for change are always won – by mobilizing to show our economic and political power. We will reclaim May Day -- International Workers Day -- as a day to continue the fight for worker's and immigrant rights, right here in Minnesota, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world.

This is a slightly revised version of an article that appeared in the MIRAc newsletter for May Day 2007.