Photo by Juan Miguel Martinez
Voces de la Frontera protest Oct. 28, 2021
Voces de la Frontera continues to remind everyone, including the Biden administration, that the fight for immigration reform continues. With only days remaining before Speaker Pelosi's October 31 deadline to pass the Build Back Better reconciliation bill, Voces de la Frontera and allies organized a public protest on Thursday, October 28 at 4:00 P.M., outside of Senator Tammy Baldwin's Milwaukee office.
As part of a national movement, Voces Wisconsin organized immigrant essential workers, youth and allies to maintain pressure on Congressional Democrats use their majority power to deliver a path to citizenship this year.
Leslie Flores, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen and daughter of undocumented immigrant essential workers, participated in the rally with her 13-year-old brother, Luis. She told the crowd, “My brother and I are here with my parents, who’ve called Wisconsin home for more than 20 years. We’ve fought really hard to get to this point, and we are very close to winning. We need Senator Baldwin and Democrats to fulfill their promises. As children of undocumented immigrants, we have to keep fighting for a better future for our families and stop living in fear.”
She added, “Last year was the year I was able to vote for the first time and I voted for the Democratic Party. I continue to be involved in these actions because it was the Latino vote that got them into power, so it is their turn to make good on their promises to us.”
Members of Voces showed up en masse to hold signs and shout chants, led by organizers from Milwaukee and Kenosha. Right after the chants started, groups ran onto Wisconsin Avenue and unfurled three 20x20 banners that read “Citizenship now” with supporters sitting on the corners to keep them in place on the pavement. It was a message of solidarity and unity.
Critical Moment
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera, said, “We are at a critical moment in the struggle. We celebrate that President Biden announced that there is $100 billion in the Build Back Better budget that the House will be voting on soon. It’s there because of us—he immigrant rights movement.
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“But, now it is critical that Senator Baldwin and our Wisconsin Democratic members of Congress stand with us and say that the Senate must pass citizenship with a Democratic majority and disregard the Senate Parliamentarian’s biased advice. You cannot have a pandemic relief bill that does not include immigrant workers and the Latinx that helped elect them. We’re going to keep the pressure on until they get this done.”
Allies showed support. Sheboygan alderman Andre Walton, said, “You marched with us in the Black Lives Matter marches and now I march with you for citizenship. The only way we're going to win any change in this country is if we stand together, and that's why I’m here. We need a path to citizenship. We cannot let politicians say one thing on the campaign trail and do another thing when they get into office. If they want our vote they have to earn it.”
