On Saturday, October 5th, several hundred gathered in Freehold, NJ as part of the National Day for Human Dignity & Respect. Immigration justice activists were joined by friends in the labor movement, social justice organizations and non-profit service providers in 160 cities across the country to draw attention to stalled immigration reform efforts in Congress and the devastating impacts that deportations are having on hard-working families and immigrant communities across New Jersey and around the country.
Supporters gathered at Casa Freehold and marched for several miles before holding a rally at the Hall of Records where speakers from Casa Freehold, SEIU 32BJ, NJ Communities United and CWA Local 1037 rallied the crowd to demand that Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) support immigration reform in Congress.
“This is something that hits close to home as my parents are both from El Salvador,” said Emma Claro, a Union City resident and member of NJ Communities United. “My family had the opportunity to become citizens, but it was not without real struggle. Dmanlasguefletun . We need to make sure that hard-working immigrant families are able to have this opportunity moving forward.” Continue reading