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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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May Day protesters gear up for immigration rally

In recognition of International Workers’ Day Thursday, the
Madison Immigrant Workers Union is holding a rally and march focusing on
incarceration policies and political reform.

The rally is to begin at Brittingham Park, and protesters
will march up to the City-County Building, just off Capitol Square.

Thursday’s “May Day” events are part of a larger
national movement sponsored by the National Alliance of Immigrant Rights.

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Alex Gillis, political secretary for IWU, said this is the
third year that a national effort has been made through rallies and protests.

According to Gillis, there are two motives behind Thursday’s
rally. On a national level, the union is advocating for immigration reform. The
event has even more significance with this being an election year.

“We are concerned that the three candidates running are
not bringing much detail to what they are going to do for immigration
reform,” Gillis said.

Locally, IWU is concerned with Dane County Sheriff Dave
Mahoney and his alleged violations of immigration authority. According to
Gillis, Mahoney is violating a County Board resolution in asking for
documentation of citizenship upon the arrest of certain individuals in Dane
County.

“Local agencies cannot perform duties for [Immigration
and Customs Enforcement] and cannot enforce immigration laws,” Gillis
said.

Mahoney previously said he is following Vienna Convention
terms requiring law enforcement officials to report the immigration status of
individuals arrested and booked from countries requesting documentation. He
also said the county resolution does not apply in this case.

“The resolution is policy advisory,” he said.

The International Socialist Organization, Campus Antiwar
Network, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan and the Student Labor Action
Coalition are four student organizations on campus that plan to be involved
with the protest Thursday.

The four organizations plan to hold a speak-out at Library
Mall on May Day and link up with the citywide march afterward.

Elizabeth Wrigley-Field of the ISO said the organization has
been a long time fighter for immigrant rights.

“Our feeling is that your human rights should not rely
on which side of the line of a map you were born on,” she said. “It
should not matter where you live and work. It makes no difference what kind of
rights you have.”

According to Gillis, as of July 2007, an average of two to
four immigrants were deported from Dane County each month. In September a
dramatic increase shifted the number of deportees to an average of 15 between
September and November. Since then, the numbers have remained high.

“In Dane County there has been a tremendous increase.
In the first four months of 2008 there have been more people deported than all
of 2007,” Wrigley-Field said. “We don’t support community members
getting taken out of their home.”

Part of IWU’s stance is to call for the resignation of the
sheriff due to his alleged violation of immigration laws.

“We’re hard workers, and we pay our taxes like everyone
else. We’re just trying to get some recognition,” Gillis said, “We
want Mahoney to step down. What he is doing is illegal, and what he is doing is
bad for families.”

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