The Militant reports that 5,000 “unionists and immigrant rights activists” rallied on the Mall by the U.S. Capitol demanding “legalization” of illegal aliens in the United States. Among the participants were labor contingents from UNITE HERE, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the Laborers Union.
According to the Militant, speakers at the rally included “NAACP President Bruce Gordon; Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza; UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm; and Eliseo Medina, international vice president of SEIU. Several prominent Democrats also gave speeches, including Sen. Edward Kennedy, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee, and Congressman Luis Gutierrez.” And, “ Macrina Alarcon of Mexicanas Sin Fronteras (Mexicans Without Borders) spoke about fights against . . . anti-illegal immigrant city ordinances from Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to . . . Palm Bay, Florida.”