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A large caravan of protesters were sent off to Madison to the roaring sounds of Colombian drums and chants of si se puede (yes we can)in front of Voces de la Fronteras Milwaukee office Sunday.

Over the course of ninedays, a core group of eight to 10 marchers affiliated with Voces de la Frontera ismarching from Milwaukee to Madison to pressure the Biden administration to add a pathway to citizenship in the American Jobs Plan, a $1.9 trillion infrastructure proposal, and the state legislature to allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses.

The group departed for their first stop, Waukesha, Sunday morning shortly after a rally that included speeches, music performances, face painting, and free COVID-19 vaccines.

Voces de la Frontera is not pegging its support for citizenship to any one particular proposal, though advocateswant to see it apply to broad swaths of the immigrant population besides just recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program or those with Temporary Protected Status.

A march led by Voces de la Frontera began a nine-day journey from Milwaukee to Madison. Immigrant workers and their children are expected to speak at the Capitol about the need to pass a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.(Photo: Julia Martins de Sa / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

On the last day of the march, June 28, marchers and other protesters plan tohold a rally at Olbrich Park in Madison before marching to the Capitol.

Voces de la Frontera is encouraging essential immigrant workers to take timeoffworkand take one of their buses to Madison to show the economic value and humanity of immigrants.

One of the marchers in the core group is Guadalupe Romero, an immigrantfrom Mexico whoworks in fast food andhas been in the United States for 31 years 10 years in Chicago and 21 in Milwaukee.

I have felt fearful being here without documentation ... I have the honor to march, to stand before the government so that they concentrate on the things that deny us immigration reform, Romero said. She spoke in Spanish; her words weretranslated by the Journal Sentinel.

She added that she is constantly fearful of a day where she will get stopped by the police and told she can no longer drive. Under 2005's federal REAL ID, states cannot grant driver licenses to people without Social Security numbers, effectively barring undocumented immigrants from obtaining them. The law took effect in Wisconsin in 2007.

Nevertheless, Romero said that she is bringing hope with her to Madison and is optimistic that government officials will listen to her calls for reform.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 16 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses anyways. Voces de la Frontera aims to pass a similar law through either the state budget or standalone legislation and have been fighting for it since at least the 2019 legislature session.

The core group of marchers includes not only essential workers like Romero, but also their children.

Eduardo Perea-Hernandez, the son of two Mexican undocumented immigrants, brought a large water bottle, gorditas, and a backpack full of clothes in preparation for the nine-day march.

He said he was marching for his parents, cousins, and friends who are undocumented. He added that the march was also about holding the Biden administration accountable for promises Biden made while campaigningto pass a pathway to citizenship.

He also noted that the marchs kickoff was intentionally chosen for Fathers Day to commemorate the sacrifice of immigrant fathers.

March organizers plan to make stops in other Wisconsin cities such as Wales and Sullivan onthe way to Madison.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, hands out bandanas at the nine-day march kickoff on Sunday.(Photo: Julia Martins de Sa / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The American Jobs Plan would likely have to pass using a fast-track procedure known as budget reconciliation, which allows senators to bypass the typical 60-vote threshold that most bills need to be considered. This process would mean that Senate Democrats could pass immigration reform without any Republican support.

We have no belief that we are going to get anything bipartisan, whether thats on voting rights or immigration. Elections wont matter if Democrats dont deliver on their promises for major reforms, Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, said of the need to use budget reconciliation for immigration measures.

The White House suggested in April that Biden did not favor using budget reconciliation to pass immigration reform measures, instead backing a bipartisan path forward. Top Congressional Democrats such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are open to the idea of using budget reconciliation to pass immigration reform.

Whether a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants can be included in budget reconciliation is a controversial subject. Critics say that the Byrd rule would cut extraneous, non-budgetary measures such as a pathway to citizenship from a budget reconciliation bill. Proponents say there is precedent for immigration measures to be included in such bills.

Allison Vasquez-Lovell, right, speaks to Ashanti Wilson, the Racine organizer for Voces de la Frontera, at the nine-day march kickoff on Sunday.(Photo: Julia Martins de Sa / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Neumann-Ortiz said that they expect to know if a pathway to citizenship can be included in the American Jobs Plan in July. If it is able to be included in the infrastructure plan, then Neumann-Ortiz said that Voces de la Frontera will continue to sustain and grow the pressure. If not, then Neumann-Ortiz said that the next logical step would be to end the filibuster, which would also allow Democrats to pass immigration reform with just 50 votes.

The point is Democrats were elected, the majority of Latinos voted for them, not just as an anti-Trump, but to give the Biden administration a second chance to pass immigration reform that they didnt do under the Obama administration, Neumann-Ortiz said.

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Original post:
Immigrant workers, allies embark on nine-day march to Madison to call for immigration reform in Wisconsin and nationally - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel