May 1, 2022

May Day Marches Highlight Essential Immigrant Labor and Rising Frustration With Biden

Activists mobilized in about a dozen major US cities to call for bigger change.

Workers participate in a May Day rally in Manhattan.Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

On International Worker’s Day, often referred to as May Day, immigrant rights organizations, labor rights groups, and their allies marched in about a dozen major cities throughout the United States to highlight how essential immigrant labor is to the country and to call for better worker protections.

In Washington, DC, workers, families, and community leaders gathered at Benjamin Banneker Park and marched through the nation’s capital, passing by Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters as they headed for the White House. Organizers said they wanted to “demand that the Biden administration dramatically transform its immigration policy into one that treats immigrants—particularly asylum seekers of color—as human beings who deserve respect and dignity,” according a press release from the Center for Popular Democracy. 

New Yorkers gathered at Foley Square Park in Manhattan, urging President Biden to keep his campaign promises and provide permanent protection and a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers.

A march in Los Angeles started in Chinatown, to show solidarity with Asians who have been victims of a rise in hate crimes, KPCC’s Josie Huang reported. 

President Biden started out his term by undoing some of the cruel immigration policies of Donald Trump. Republicans said Biden moved too fast, while some Democrats praised his changes but warned he needed to do much more than go back to a pre-Trump world. Sunday’s marches reflected the growing frustrations and strong opposition from groups that helped elect Biden, and from some even within his own administration.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate