Contact:
Crystal Vance Guerra, Occupy El Barrio: 773.206.1181 Andy Manos, Occupy Chicago: 312.859.1226
Immigrant, labor and community leaders call immigrant supporters to Join May Day March & Rally to demand Supreme Court Strike Down All of Arizona law SB 1070
*Thursday, April 26, 10AM*
Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Field Office *101 West Congress Parkway (Congress & Clark) Chicago, IL*
Immigrant rights leaders joined by labor, community, faith, student and Occupy El Barrio activists will gather at the Chicago ICE field office to demand the Supreme Court strike down Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070 law.
Arizona's adoption of its SB 1070 law in 2012 caused widespread indignation across the country and spurred hundreds of the thousands to demonstrate in opposition to its implementation across the country. Opponents of SB 1070 called for a boycott of Arizona until the law was suspended. The Arizona law inspired copy-cat anti-immigrant legislation in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Indiana and Utah and fueled discrimination of immigrants across the country.
A court challenge by the Obama Administration and civil rights groups forced an injunction of some of the law's most harsh anti-immigrant provisions. The Supreme Court is now deliberating whether it should allow for the full implementation of SB 1070, uphold parts of it or strike it down completely.
Immigrants rights advocates, civil rights groups, labor, community and student leaders condemn Arizona's anti-immigrant legislation that institutionalizes racial profiling and the criminalization of immigrants, undocumented and documented. Chicago activists and leaders stand in solidarity with immigrants in Arizona and call for anyone in Chicagoland and beyond to join the May Day March and Rally on May 1st to demand an end to anti-immigrant legislation, deportations, E-Verify, Secure Communities and other policies that criminalize immigrants in the United States.
Scheduled participants at the press conference:
Emma Moreno, Vice President Teamsters Local 743 and long-time activist in the immigrants rights movement.
Marilu Vargas, Our Lady of the America Episcopal Church
Maritere Gomez, Occupy El Barrio. Occupy El Barrio was formed by immigration rights supporters in solidarity with the Occupy Chicago movement and has been centrally involved in mobilizing for the Chicago May Day March and Rally on May 1st.
Peter T. Glimco, President of Teamsters Local 777 and Trustee of Teamsters Joint Council 25.
Jorge Mujica, is a veteran immigrants rights and labor activist. Jorge was part of the March 10th Committee that organized the massive immigrants rights demonstrations in Chicago in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Margarito Diaz, President of Workers United Local 969.
Participants at the press conference will encourage immigrants, workers, students, people of faith and youth to join the May Day March and Rally on May 1st to demand an end to anti-immigrant legislation, deportations, E-Verify, Secure Communities and the construction of detentions to imprison undocumented immigrants.
Marchers will assemble in Union Park for a rally from Noon to 1PM on Tuesday, May 1st and then march to Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago for a Rally at 3PM to 4:30PM.
The May Day action is now supported and endorsed by over 50 immigrants rights, labor, faith-based, community and many other organizations:
May Day 2012 Organizing Committee,
8th Day Center for Justice, American
Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees District Council 31, Albany
Park North Park Mayfair Neighbors for Peace and Justice, American Party of
Labor, ARISE Chicago, Casa Aztlan, Caucus of Rank and File Educators (CORE),
Communities United Against Foreclosures and Evictions, Centro Trabajadores
Unidos, Chicago and Midwest Joint Board of Workers United (CMRGB), Chicago
Community and Workers Rights, Chicago Fair Trade, Chicago ANSWER, Chicago Jobs
with Justice, Chicago Political Economy Group, Chicago Teachers Union,
Coalicion Mexico Americana, Committee For New Priorities, Community Renewal
Society, Consejo Hispano, Frento Unido de Immigrantes, Graduate Employees
Organization – UIC, Join the Impact Chicago, Iglecia Episcopal Nuestra Senora
de las Americas, Illinois Labor History Society, Illinois Single Payer
Coalition, Immigrant Solidarity Dupage and Wheaton, Immigrant Youth Justice
League, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 21, International
Socialist Organization, Justice for Loretta Capeheart Campaign, LGBT Direct Action Organization, Moratorium on
Deportations Campaign, Midwest Antiwar Mobilization Network, Midwest Workers Association, National
Association of Letter Carriers Branch 11 Chicago, National Nurses United,
Northwest Indiana Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Chicago
Labor Working Group, Occupy El Barrio, Occupy Naperville, Occupy College of
Dupage, Occupy Valparaiso – Indiana, Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, Progressive
Democrats of Illinois, Partido de la Revolucion, Purdue Calumet Campus Social
Justice Club, Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees Chapter 31-9, Service Employees International Union Local 1, Socialist Workers
Party, South Austin Coalition,Stand-Up Chicago, Teamsters Local 743, Teamsters Joint Council 25, Teamsters Local 777,
United Auto Workers Region 4, UNITE HERE Local 1, United Electrical Workers
Western Region, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881, United
Steelworkers Subdistrict 1 Chicago, United Steelworkers Local 6787 - Northwest Indiana,We the Immigrants, Wellington Avenue
United Church of Christ