UW-Milwaukee Students Participate in Immigrant Rights March
Over 30,000 march for a just immigration rights bill
By Daniel Ginsberg-Jaeckle
E-mail
Print- Share on Facebook
-
Seed Newsvine
- Text size:
“It’s our duty as progressive students to defend these struggles and do what we can from this institution of higher learning, with all its great resources, to empower the immigrant community.” UWM student James Lazar
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students participated in the “Day Without Latinos” immigrant rights march, which took place on Milwaukee’s south side at 11 a.m. on May 1.
The march of 30,000 people, organized by Voces de la Frontera, included the help of The Progressive Students of Milwaukee and the Latino Student Union at UWM, whom organized a bus from the student union, of which 50 students attended.
“I’m excited so many student organizations were involved and more students were involved in this year’s march,” said Veronica Sotelo, Vice President of the Latino Student Union at UWM.
May 1 has been the national date of immigrant rights marches for three years, in which hundreds of thousands nationwide have marched for just immigration policy.
Voces de la Frontera, Wisconsin’s largest immigrant rights movement, has been involved in both civil rights and social justice issues, and last year mobilized a May 1 march of 80,000, Wisconsin’s largest ever demonstration.
Dave Moore, the Communications Coordinator of Voces de la Frontera, in calling this year’s march a big success, mentioned youth as an important factor in this year’s demonstration.
“100 students wearing ‘First 100 Days’ tee shirts led the march to send a clear and upfront message to our next president that we are calling for a just and humane immigration reform bill within the first 100 days of office,” said Moore.
Moore noted that many Riverside High School students marched in cap and gown to symbolize the need for progressive education reform as well, as undocumented workers are forced to pay out of state tuition fees upon high school graduation, despite the fact that many have lived in the state for nearly their whole lives.
UW-Milwaukee students carried a banner, which read, “Stop the War on Immigrants and Iraqis” with a Spanish translation underneath. Marchers were chanting “Sí, se puede” (“Yes, we can”).
The Progressive Students of Milwaukee, formed in the spring semester of this year, are an organization composed of mainly UWM students who believe in creating progressive social, political, economic, and environmental change, according to their website (progressivestudents.org).
“Many students at UWM are immigrants, they have families and friends affected by the unjust immigration policy of this country, and it’s our duty as progressive students to defend these struggles and do what we can from this institution of higher learning, with all its great resources, to empower the immigrant community,” said James Lazar, a UWM student and co-founder of the Progressive Students of Milwaukee.
There are an estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the United States. According to the website of Voces de la Frontera, there has been a significant increase in the number of local families impacted by immigration raids.
The march lasted approximately three hours and went from S. 5th and Washington on Milwaukee’s south side to Veteran’s Park.
> Comments
12 million undocumented workers on May 05, 2008 at 08:13 AM:
as in ILLEGAL immigrants
as in they broke the law.
You know, like ILLEGAL marijuana?
Maybe I needed to put things in terms you understand.
I-L-L-E-G-A-L
As in not legal, breaking the laws.
jennifier on May 05, 2008 at 09:01 AM:
i think that as long as they are willing to work and follow the law to the best of their ability that they should be able to live just like a US citizen i mean no matter how proud and happy they are to be who they are and be where their from it's not their fault where they were born the still want just as many rights as any one else in the world they are just the same as us there is nothing different about them yeah they speak a different language but that's the only difference and that's not enough to tell someone no your illegal thats just fucked up and marijuana is illegal cause it alters your state of mind but being from a different culture and having different beliefs does not alter your state of mind in and way
Johanan Raatz on May 05, 2008 at 09:10 AM:
I'm all for a diplomatic compromise on the illegal immegration debate. You know a guest worker program plus a border fence. But um you guys weren't encourageing and/or trying to normalize an illegal activity were you? Right?
I should certainly hope not.
If you were that would have only have coarsened the debate further.
James on May 05, 2008 at 10:40 AM:
"
as in ILLEGAL immigrants
as in they broke the law.
You know, like ILLEGAL marijuana?
Maybe I needed to put things in terms you understand.
I-L-L-E-G-A-L
As in not legal, breaking the laws. "
Damn that Rosa Parks for BREAKING THE LAW! And all of those blackies that sat at those lunch counters illegally! Breaking the law is bad all the time and everywhere!
Stop trying to hide your racism behind a cloak of legality; you're not fooling anyone.
"I'm all for a diplomatic compromise on the illegal immegration debate. You know a guest worker program plus a border fence."
I hardly consider the formalization of slave/near-slave labor into law a compromise.
"But um you guys weren't encourageing and/or trying to normalize an illegal activity were you? Right?"
Rosa Parks COMMITTED A CRIME!!!
Full Disclosure on May 05, 2008 at 11:02 AM:
Daniel Ginsberg-Jaeckle is a member of Progressive Students of Milwaukee.
End the War on Immigrants on May 05, 2008 at 11:42 AM:
Great work! These people deserve basic human rights just like everyone else. How can some people on this comment form be so hateful and racist?
Johanan Raatz on May 05, 2008 at 01:17 PM:
To James;
Rosa parks broke a law that wasn't just. Illegal immigrants are not breaking that is just. Logically we need to regulate immigration to allow for proper economic and cultural integration to maintain a healthy society. Also stop trying to call someone a racist just because they think national interests should determine immigration policy. This is our land and we should be allowed to determine how people enter our nation's private property. Racism is discrimination based on race. You can't call support of a legitimate institution racist just because it happens by circumstance to produce some racial inequality somewhere. If people want to come in here with no respect for our laws then yes they will have to eat our crap for a while, and no I'm not apologetic about that. It is not in the interests of the state to give them citizen's benefits when they don't even have a membership much less an upgraded citizen class membership. They aren't slaves either. If they don't like it here they are free to leave. If they want to stay they can because we are generous people but that doesn't mean they should expect us to lower the economic status of those who have played by the rules just to accomodate people who don't respect our laws or sometimes even our society to begin with. A good way to get on our good side would be to stop demanding things that don't belong to them and give us a good reason to give them a membership by proving themselves an asset to our economy.
To End the War on Immigrants;
Yes they deserve basic human rights. Not citizenship benefits. If they want those they are going to first have to get a membership the proper way. Also I don't tolerate very well the position that finds "hate" and "racism" where it doesn't really exist. Your probably going to point out that America is run by "rich white men." Well guess what? I don't care! I really don't care about who happens to be running the system so long as it is being run by correct principles. BTW there is no "War Against Immigrants" just a war on crime. Immigrants who come here legally aren't criminals and there isn't any opposition to them so saying there is a war on immigrants isn't accurate.
Progressive Student on May 05, 2008 at 01:59 PM:
Actions like these don't happen without hard work. Check out progressivestudents.org or our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=32247935392 to find out how you can get involved!
A Progressive Student on May 05, 2008 at 02:02 PM:
Check out progressivestudents.org or our facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=32247935392 to find out how you can become more involved in progressive struggles on and off campus!
Ed on May 05, 2008 at 03:16 PM:
What exactly is "just" about our current immigration law? I hope Jonathan Raatz is reincarnated as a peasant in Honduras. Sure, he could come here, work hard since the opportunity is available and feed his starving family. But Jonathan has too much respect for our law; and to honor it, he'd let his family starve.
comment on May 05, 2008 at 05:33 PM:
Ed, you must not know this guy. First, he couldn't pay a woman for fornication. Second, he's a lazy bum.
Roger on May 06, 2008 at 03:23 PM:
This is good journalism. Very informative. Thank you.
Aaron Jeske on May 06, 2008 at 09:13 PM:
I'm going to side with Johanan on this one. It has nothing to do with race or ethnicity or any other qualifier that is put on the issue. The laws and the motives against illegal immigration are ethnically neutral. If a guy from the UK overstayed his visa while here he would be under the same punishments as a Mexican trying to jump the fence.
What is at issue here is rule of law. No one is above the law, especially an illegal alien. Just because their story is sympathetic doesn't mean they get free ride into America. We are currently the largest welcomer of immigrants in the world, and our immigration policy is the most generous. What illegal immigrants do is equivalent to cutting in line at a checkout in a store.
Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.
Bob on May 07, 2008 at 10:21 AM:
Ever hear of 'white privilege,' Aaron? You rich white idiot.
James on May 07, 2008 at 10:36 AM:
"What is at issue here is rule of law. No one is above the law, especially Rosa Parks."
Fixed that for you.
Aaron Jeske on May 07, 2008 at 10:37 AM:
Yes I have heard of it, and I don't beleive I possess it.
Nice of you to make the assumption that I am both white and rich. While I am white,I do not believe that gives me any sort of privellege. If I am better off than someone I fully believe that it is because I work hard. A public education is free to all who want it, and federal aid for those who want a higher education. If you pass up on that offer well it is not my fault you make less money than me in the end.
But then again here I go off on a tangent totally unrelated to my argument previously stated. It's nice to know my opposition can not fight me on the facts.
Blind on May 07, 2008 at 07:03 PM:
"Yes I have heard of it, and I don't beleive I possess it."
You do have white privilege because you are white. Do you think the issue of systemic racism applies to all people except you? The reason you don't see is it because you ARE white. Seriously bro, get educated. You have no clue.
"While I am white,I do not believe that gives me any sort of privellege." First of all it's privilege. Second, its not your fault but yea, you do have white privilege for the very fact that you are white.
"If I am better off than someone I fully believe that it is because I work hard. A public education is free to all who want it..." So you think a free education is the same at MPS as it is in a public school in a rich suburb?
Aaron Jeske on May 07, 2008 at 08:04 PM:
"What is at issue here is rule of law. No one is above the law, especially Rosa Parks."
Fixed that for you."
Why thank you, Of course I meant to be a racist snob but I was obviously ineffective at doing so. But you are right, even Rosa Parks is not above the law. As Johanan previously stated her act of civil disobedience was just because the law was unjust. Immigration laws, abliet not perfect, are just. We should to know who is comming into the country and have them documented. Breaking that law means you should be punished, end of story.
"So you think a free education is the same at MPS as it is in a public school in a rich suburb?"
FYI I went to a Racine Unified Public Highschool. We have our share of colorful characters and underfunding there. We had to pass special referendums to keep extra curricular activites funded several times.
I agree that not all public schools are created equal, but what does that have to do with me being white again? More importantly what does this debate have to do with illegal immigration?
Perhaps most importantly why do you jump to the conclusions that I am some rich boy from the sheltered suburbs?
But if you must go down this tangent, give me your definition of white privellege.
blind on May 08, 2008 at 12:21 AM:
I have not jumped to the conclusion that you are rich and suburban. I am merely saying that not all public schools are equal. It is good that you work hard to get what you want but I think people should be sympathetic to the fact that we are not all on equal playing fields. Some people are dealt a bad hand of cards.
But you are right that was a tangent.
Mihajlo Sulejic on May 08, 2008 at 09:04 AM:
The term you are looking for is illegal alien, not immigrant. To say this nation is opposed to legal immigration is not right, in fact I would not be here if my parents did not come here LEGALLY. The fact of the matter is they came here illegally, and when you break the law you are a criminal, and should not benefit from breaking the law.
It is not only in the United States that this is happening. In the European Union they placed restrictions on the movement of people from the new Eastern European Nations because of the fear they would move into Western Europe and flood the market with cheap labor. It is also a fact that African's who try to sneak into England and France are labeled criminals, so why should the United States be different?
There is a legal way to come here and many people have used it up to now. Supporting people who bypass the system should make people who come legally angry. I have tried to get Visa's for people to come here from the Former Yugoslavia but am told they are too much of an immigration risk. They do not have the option of swimming here or walking across the border as the nation is too far away. The message we are sending is: "Get here by any means, and if you break the law long enough we'll make you legal". These people have broken the law, and should be treated as such. They should not get the benefits of citizens because they are not citizens, plain and simple. In fact if we enforced the laws and deported illegals, I know of at least one Kenosha Sheriff's Deputy that would be alive today.
Bob on May 08, 2008 at 09:23 PM:
It's not unrelated, Aaron. Your racism, a racist immigration policy, it all goes together. Why don't you try to understand other sides of the argument before you state your opinion, you idiot.
Aaron Jeske on May 09, 2008 at 09:33 AM:
"It's not unrelated, Aaron. Your racism, a racist immigration policy, it all goes together. Why don't you try to understand other sides of the argument before you state your opinion, you idiot."
To my knowledge there is really no other side to breaking the law.
And thanks for giving the classic, "You are against (illegal) immigration, therefore you are racist.
Did I not say that a British person who illegally immigrated is equally punishable as someone who hopped the border? Maybe to pound it home I'll change that to Canadians. If they hop the border from the north I want them punished as well.
There are legal avenues to becoming a US citizen and/or legal resident. You only need to visit a US embassy in your country to find out how. I am by no means saying it is easy, but that’s why we have the laws. We need to make sure who we let in is going to be a law abiding citizen and part of our society.
As I said before we, are the most generous when it comes to immigration. All you need to do is have a few people attest to how good of a resident you have been during your LEGAL stay. Then Take a test to prove that you know some American history and government structure. If you can't pass that, well then I don't want you to be a citizen.
The USA is a country that was created, built and defended by immigrant hands. I welcome anyone, no matter what race, creed, or nationality to come here and share it with me. And there is nothing wrong with having an application process to get in.
Professor on May 13, 2008 at 04:10 PM:
"Every hour, Mexico imports $1.5 million dollars worth of agricultural and food products, almost all from the United States.
In that same hour, 30 people—men, women, and children—leave their homes in the Mexican countryside to take up the most dangerous journey of their lives—as migrants to the United States.
No matter what one's stance on these two fundamental phenomena of our age—economic integration and immigration—one thing is absolutely clear: they are related."
http://americas.irc-online.org/am/4830
and one more thing... on May 13, 2008 at 04:11 PM:
So is your racism, Mr. Jeske.
Mihajlo Sulejic on May 19, 2008 at 11:04 AM:
Since when did wanting to enforce laws make one racist? These are not Jim Crow laws, they apply to everyone trying to come to the US. We simply cannot just say: "Break the law long enough, and we'll forgive you". Until the laws are changed, enforce them, and if some families are broken up, so be it. They knew the dangers of breaking the law, and must live with the consequences.
note on May 28, 2008 at 05:09 PM:
sounds like you know nothing about the issue, Mihajlo.
Aryan Brotherhood Member on May 30, 2008 at 09:39 AM:
I personally think that Bob honestly has no concept of making an argument because all he can come back with is an "idiot" comment and call people racists. I'll bet that he still has the mentallity of an elementary school student that has run out of things to say and has to rely on mindless banter. I say this because he made the point that he has another side to the Illegal Immigration argument but fails to present it. Why is this? Because he himself is a rich, white child from the suburbs that has no room to talk because his "daddy" has about 10 illegals working grounds at his house. However, his white priviledge has run out and his dad has cut him off because he was caught masturbating to gay porn and he's a little pissed off about being removed from wealthy, white socitey! Have a good day you uniformed prick!
Ursa on Jun 12, 2008 at 01:03 PM:
If Latinos can get a free pass, anybody can come over without going through the necessary process of becoming a citizen. That's not fair either.
> Post a Comment