Migrants demand immigration reform from Congress before Workers' Day; they threaten that, if they do not, they would be billed in the next November elections.
Story and photo by Jorge Luis Macias | Special for La Opinion | APR. 30, 2022
There were few protesters, but enough to raise their voices on April 30 "Children's Day", and on the occasion prior to the celebration of May 1, Workers' Day in Los Angeles and the United States.
Barely a hundred people gathered at the intersection of Broadway Street and Olympic Boulevard to point out that they are part of a community thirsty for the fulfillment of the promise of immigration reform for which they have fought for more than three decades.
"We will pass the bill on to the Democrats or Republicans," said Juan José Gutiérrez, director of the Full Rights Coalition for Immigrants. "For 36 years, the promise of legalization has not arrived."
The activist recalled that the immigrant community "is the same" with Democrats or Republicans.
"Migration reform was taken for granted with [the former president of Mexico] Vicente Fox and George W. Bush, but he arrived on September 11, 2001 and just as the Twin Towers in New York collapsed, immigration reform also collapsed."
Gutiérrez added that during the eight years of the administration of former President Barack Obama, even though the Democratic Party had the absolute majority to legislate on immigration, the so-called "Deporter in Chief" who repatriated 3 million undocumented people, after his presidency had the support of the Latino vote, as did President Joe Biden, at present.
"If there is no progress, and there is no immigration reform, there will be no Latino vote and the Democratic Party will certainly be a minority in Congress," Gutiérrez told La Opinión.
Under the cry of "If they don't comply, they leave" and "What do we want? Justice! When? Now!", the small contingent marched along Broadway Street to the intersection of Temple Avenue, guarded by several patrols of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
"I leave, not because I want something for myself, but because of those who do not have a role that gives dignity to their lives," said Heriberto Pérez, 81, a resident of Oxnard who was born in Pénjamo, Guanajuato. "Entire families and their children have already suffered for many years."
For his part, Emilio Silva, a 56-year-old Guerrero who traveled from San Francisco to participate in the demonstration, said that, despite living for 33 years in the United States, he has not been able to fix his immigration status.
"We have to keep protesting so that they listen to us," said the man, who takes care of an old woman.
Today: Essential and United for Justice
The theme of the May Day Coalition, led by CHIRLA leaders and activists, is: "Essential and United for Justice."
"Progress have been made for the rights of immigrants and essential workers in California, but in the rest of the nation their rights continue to be violated or delayed," Jorge Mario Cabrera, spokesman for the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants, told La Opinión.
"At the national level, immigration reform is still absent," he added. "The value of politicians to advance the basic right to be able to work legally and live without fear of deportation has not yet been achieved."
Cabrera said that the lack of priority on the part of the Biden Administration, the lack of union in the Democratic Party to find conditions for a solution to the problem and the total absence of any support from Republicans for any issue that seeks justice for immigrants are part of the reasons that have stopped an elusive immigration reform.
The May 1 march coincides with a report published by the UCLA Labor Center, which indicates that Los Angeles workers in low-wage jobs lose approximately 1.4 billion due to wage theft each year.
"To the workers of Los Angeles are added the workers of Chicago and New York," said Víctor Narro, one of the authors of the report. "Collectively, the three cities represent 3 billion in wage theft every year."
The report points out that about 650,000 low-wage workers in Los Angeles lose $26.20 million in wage theft every week. The average amount of stolen wages is $40 per week, which represents 12.5% of a worker's total income.
Workers who already earn less than $20,000 are deducted an average of $2,070 per year, although many cases from the Wage Justice Center include amounts of wage theft that are much higher.
The vast majority of wage theft violations in Los Angeles, almost 55%, are due to the non-payment of the minimum wage.
Of the workers who report wage theft or try to unionize, 43% suffer some kind of retaliation, ranging from direct dismissal to shorter hours or verbal abuse.
"California is the fifth largest economy in the world, thanks to the contributions of the immigrant community," said Víctor Narro. "In this march we are going to celebrate them and recognize that we have to continue fighting for immigration reform."
To promote a 'presidential pardon'
Professor Armando Vázquez-Ramos, director of the California-Mexico Studies Center, stressed that he contemplates mobilizing at least a hundred "dream" students to promote his campaign of a "presidential pardon" for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and parents who were forced into exile from Mexico and Central America, due to their deportation.
"We know that none of the national [immigrant advocacy] groups has the possibility of achieving immigration reform," he told La Opinión. "We will march with the slogan of telling President [Joe Biden] that no more games and that he has the authority to forgive 11 million undocumented people, the punishment of deportation for having entered illegally."
"It is a pardon, not an amnesty, which is not immediate but a process towards legalization that is only up to Congress to legislate," he added. "We are seeing that the Democrats are bending their hands and we have nothing left. And if they do not grant us a commitment, they must be denied the vote."
Professor Armando Vázquez-Ramos, director of the California-Mexico Studies Center, stressed that he contemplates mobilizing at least a hundred "dream" students to promote his campaign of a "presidential pardon" for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States and parents who were forced into exile from Mexico and Central America, due to their deportation.
"We know that none of the national [immigrant advocacy] groups has the possibility of achieving immigration reform," he told La Opinión. "We will march with the slogan of telling President [Joe Biden] that no more games and that he has the authority to forgive 11 million undocumented people, the punishment of deportation for having entered illegally."
"It is a pardon, not an amnesty, which is not immediate but a process towards legalization that is only up to Congress to legislate," he added. "We are seeing that the Democrats are bending their hands and we have nothing left. And if they do not grant us a commitment, they must be denied the vote."
"We have come to ask for SB972 to be made law so that we can be authorized to work freely in the sale of food," said Faustino, who sells pens, Topo Gigios and charamuscas in south-central Los Angeles.
Despite the fact that the California Sidewalk Safe Sales Act of 2018 (Senate Bill 946) decriminalized street food sales when former Governor Jerry Brown enacted the bill, many street food vendors have had problems due to the state's food sales codes.
SB 972 by State Senator Lena González (D-Long Beach) aims to update the code and make it easier for street food vendors to navigate the health permit process and sell their food.
"I sell prawns, enchiladas, pozole, quesadillas and all kinds of Mexican food and I need permission to get rid of the harassment of the police," described Caridad Vázquez, who usually settles between 4th Street and Breed, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood.
The bill overcame its first legislative obstacle in the state Senate health committee. He is now addressing the appropriation committee and, if approved, he would arrive at the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom for approval and turn SB972 into law.
"Vendors are part of the culture and gastronomic economy of Los Angeles," said Mari Flores, a VEA activist. "They are the most harassed workers and should respect their right to earn an honest living."
Marches and protests in Los Angeles
March: 11 am. May Day Coalition (CHIRLA/CARECEN).
Numerous immigrant advocacy groups gather at the intersection of Olympic and Broadway to march towards Grand Park.
March: 2 pm followed by a picnic.
Organized by Revolution Club in Los Angeles. Meeting on the corner of Wilshire and Alvarado, near the Westlake/MacArthur Park subway red line station. Picnic at 3:30 pm Frida Kahlo Theater, 2332 W. 4th St.
