Sunday, April 29, 2012

Annual VDLF May Day Solidarity Workers March Drew Thousands Of Participants In Milwaukee

Photos: HNG

Voces de la Frontera seeking to repeal former Democrat Governor Jim Doyle's 2005 state law that prevents undocumented immigrants from applying for diriver licenses.

By H. Nelson Goodson
April 29, 2012

Milwaukee - On Sunday, Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) held its annual May Day Solidarity Workers March, which drew an estimated seven thousand people seeking justice for immigrant workers. Primitivo Torres, former VDLF Board President and an employee for the workers and immigrant rights organization said, that the actual head count of participants would be officially announce later. Torres became a U.S. Citizen last Thursday.
This year's march focused on demanding for President Barack H. Obama's administration to halt the deportation of undocumented immigrants who are head wage earners of families and the separation of families.
José Pérez, the newly elected Alderman for the 12th District marched with immigrants, including Peggy Romo West, 12th District Supervisor, JoCasta Zamarripa (D), from the 8th Assembly District and Josh Zepnick (D) from the 9th Assembly District. U.S. Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) was scheduled to be the main spaeker at Veteran's Park on the lakefront where the march ended.
Sunday's march was geared to "stop the criminalization of immigrants and the poor, to restore driver licenses and in-state tuition, to hold elected officials accountable to good job creation, instead of cuts to public education abd Badger Care and to defend the right to Vote," Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director for VDLF wrote in a statement in the March edition for the non-profit organization's newspaper.
VDLF is seeking to repeal a 2005 Wisconsin state law that prevents undocumented immigrants from applying for a driver licenses and to allow for in-state tuition for undocumented students. In-state tuition was repealed last year and eliminated by the Republican controlled legislature.
In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker’s (R) two year budget 2011-2013 repealed in-state tuition for undocumented students who attend universities and colleges. The in-state tuition bill for undocumented immigrants was signed into law by former Governor Jim Doyle (D) in 2009.
Also, former Governor Doyle enacted a law in 2005 preventing undocumented immigrants from getting a state driver’s license without a Social Security number.

H. Nelson Goodson and Norma Ortiz during the massive march.

José Pérez, newly elected Alderman for the 12th District marched with immigrants.

Thousands of people participated in the Voces de la Frontera May Day Solidarity March on Sunday. Photos: HNG

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