Photo by Jennifer Rice
Labor took a stand for comprehensive immigration reform during May Day festivities at Chicago’s Federal Plaza. LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan said immigrant workers founded LIUNA 110 years ago. Union members are fighting for reform that gives immigrants a chance to earn citizenship.

By Jennife Rice
Managing Editor
Thursday, May 9, 2013
     CHICAGO — In a 125 years from now, people are going to say a group of trade unionists and community groups came together in Chicago and across this country to pass comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).
     That was the thought of Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) General President Terry O’Sullivan as he looked out over faces of thousands of marchers May 1 at Federal Plaza.
     They had marched from Union Park on the Near West Side, met with more marchers at the Haymarket Monument, then traveled to Federal Plaza — where several community and union leaders discussed the need to pass CIR, language of which is included in a bill currently making its way through Congress.
     “Immigrant workers have continued to contribute to our society, to our economy, to our culture, to our country and to our unions,” O’Sullivan said. LIUNA was founded 110 years ago by immigrant workers no body else wanted. “They laid their lives on the line — not just for our union, but for the trade union movement. And that is what this fight is all about,” he explained.
     The CIR bill currently proposed in Congress was recently introduced. Discussion on its amendments is currently ongoing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Dick Durbin said this is the beginning of the journey. “I will be voting on these amendments and make sure we preserve the concepts to paths of citizenship, family unification and fair treatment for all people in the United States,” he said.
     “We cannot miss this opportunity. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have the best chance we have had in 25 years to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Durbin said to applause.
     The Senate bipartisan bill is not perfect. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights President Alie Kabba said the public needs to ensure that there is a wide and inclusive road map to citizenship for all. “We must hold government officials accountable. Just because we have a Senate bill doesn’t mean we can take our foot off the pedal,” Kabba warned.
     As the marches in Federal Plaza held signs and waved flags, the children affected by the fear of having a parent deported told their heart wrenching stories. Liz Marquez, 9, couldn’t control her emotions as she explained the fear she has that her father won’t come home to her. “When he doesn’t come home from work soon, I get scared that he will be stopped and taken away. Every night I go to bed with the fear that they will try to separate him from us,” the girl said.