(Wisconsin – Statewide) – Yesterday, members of Voces de la Frontera’s *Immigrant Essential Workers Network and allies gathered for a virtual press conference (recording available here) to outline their plans to embark on a 9-day, 90+ mile march from Milwaukee to Madison to pressure the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrant essential workers and their families in the United States.
Congress is currently negotiating the second economic recovery bill, and immigrant essential workers nationwide are demanding that the White House and Democrats in Congress recognize and honor the sacrifices they are making at the frontlines of this pandemic & for Biden to fulfill promise to pass citizenship for all his first year in office.
The march will kick-off this Father’s Day, Sunday June 20th, at 9:30 am CST outside of the Voces Milwaukee office, 5th and Washington, and includes a community celebration honoring immigrant fathers and lifting up the voices of children of immigrant essential workers. There will be food, music, dance, as well as a community vaccine clinic open to the public.
The march will culminate in a massive statewide demonstration and march to the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in Madison on Monday, June 28th. The marchers will leave Olbrich Park in Madison at 10am and march to the Capitol for a mass demonstration at 1pm. Over 1,000 people from across the state are expected to attend. Immigrant essential workers, families and allies are encouraged to leave work and join the march in order to highlight their contributions to the American economy.
A full schedule of the 9-day march can be found here.
Voces will be gathering photos, videos and testimonials from the marchers throughout the 9-days and we’d be happy to share content with any members of the media who request it. We will also be sharing videos, photos and testimonies via Voces de la Frontera’s Facebook page.
As of Friday, June 18, nearly 30 allied organizations are co-sponsoring the march. Click here for a fully updated list of sponsoring organizations.
Eduardo Perea Hernandez, son of essential workers in Milwaukee who will be marching all 9 days, said, “My parents have worked hard for 30 years to provide for me and my three siblings. My father works in construction and has helped build critical infrastructure all over the state. Congress passing citizenship for all would mean that my family would feel safe, and allow my parents to gain access to healthcare, earn dignified wages and the ability to retire eventually. Their sacrifices have allowed my older sister and I to graduate from college, and also allowed me to earn a master’s degree. My family, and the 11 million immigrants who are undocumented, deserve to live with peace, tranquility and dignity. We need President Biden and Congress to pass citizenship for all now.”
Milwaukee Alderman Jose Perez, who will be marching alongside immigrant essential workers this Sunday, said, “We need our elected representatives in Washington and President Biden to prioritize comprehensive immigration reform. It’s been 35 years since Congress has passed any comprehensive immigration legislation, and our community has waited too long and sacrificed too much. We can only build back better if we do it together, and that means all of us – dreamers, TPS holders, their families, electeds. We’ve heard enough excuses. It’s time for Congress to act.”
Richard Nwabuzor, Health Organizer from Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), said, “As a child of Nigerian immigrants and younger brother to a DACA recipient, I believe it is urgent that President Biden creates a quick path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants within the United States. Every human being is entitled to God-given rights whether it be housing, food, healthcare, freedom from violence, and these rights should not be exclusive due to man-made borders and arbitrary legal distinctions. Those who leave or are forced from their homelands to voyage to a foreign nation by whatever means in search of a better life are only asserting their humanity, and that is not cause for punishment, neglect or ostracism, but should be affirmed.”
