Thousands of people gathered at the St. Paul State Capitol on a rainy Thursday for the Unity Rally protest to support immigrant workers.
The Unity Rally protest was part of a larger set of protests in the U.S. for International Workers Day. Protestors emphasized the importance of immigrant workers in Minnesota.
Pablo Tapia, the executive director of Asemblea de Derechos Civiles, a faith-based nonprofit and one of the organizers of the Unity Rally, said this May Day was significant because of what he calls an attack on immigrant workers from the federal government.
“The legal rights that we had, they have vanished,” Tapia said. “And we’re worried because our families are worried about their children. Some of us are grandparents.”
Dozens of speakers, ranging from student groups like the Young Democrat Society to worker groups like the Association of Flight Attendants, spoke at the rally.
All of the speakers criticized President Donald Trump’s administration, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and emphasized the importance of unity among worker unions and immigrant rights.
“Now is the time to resist, now is the time to fight, now is to say enough is enough,” said speaker Rachel Dionne-Thunder of Big Stone Cree Nation, who is also the operations and manager of the Indigenous Protector Movement.
Marcia Howard, the vice president of the teacher chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59, said the new immigration policies mean other people will have to take a side on this issue.
“We have drawn a line in the sand, and that line, no matter what the heck comes from out east, (Trump) ain’t passing that line and coming for our students,” Howard said. “Not our students, not our coworkers, not the members of our unions on H1B visas. It is time for you to pick a side.”
Trump emphasized a stricter policy on immigration compared to the previous administration. About 47,000 migrants have been detained this year, NBC reported.
Minnesota has a substantial workforce based on migrant labor. According to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, foreign-born workers accounted for 59% of the state’s labor and employment growth in 2023.
Associate Dean and University of Minnesota urban studies professor Ryan Allen said the recent increase in deportations could lead to critical immigrant workers in industries like construction, agriculture, restaurants and hospitality not being available.
“These industries can face some negative effects from these immigration enforcement policies because it’s going to make it harder to hire workers,” Allen said.
Protest speaker Beto Villanueva, a member of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, said the recent attacks on immigrants are an injustice.
“I’m here because I’ve been seeing what happens when we don’t speak up. And I’m done being silent. Immigrants are essential. We contribute to the economy. We help keep this country alive,” Villanueva said. “And we’ve been doing it while being targeted more, paid less, while being disrespected and undervalued.”
While International Workers Day is a celebration of all members of the working class, the immigrant worker population makes up a crucial aspect of the U.S holiday.
This collaboration between workers’ unions and immigrant workers is not new, according to Associate Director of Immigration History Research Michele Waslin.
“There are a lot of employers who want to hire undocumented workers and pay them under the table because they can pay them lower wages and poor working conditions,” Waslin said. “So some of the big unions have taken this big step to be supportive of legalizing undocumented workers, of reforming our immigration system because they want everybody to be on a level playing field.”
Rodrigo Gutierrez, who immigrated from Mexico to Minnesota when he was 2 years old, said he came out not just for worker solidarity but to support immigrants in a place he calls home.
“I’m a U.S. citizen and everything, but it took me a long time. Minnesota has been where I felt the closest link to beyond just the United States. I felt like a Minnesotan,” Gutierrez said. “And right now, what I’m seeing happening to this country, what I’m seeing through the hard workers, immigrants who helped build this country, who are being treated like shit. It’s just not right.”
