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Latinos Raise Unresolved Issues During May Day March

Federal Immigration Reform, Issuing Local IDs Highlighted At Milwaukee Event

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May Day march in Milwaukee
Chuck Quirmbach/WPR

Thousands marched on Sunday at a May Day march in Milwaukee, with some Wisconsin Latinos continuing to call for a favorable immigration ruling at the U.S. Supreme Court and for locally-issued photo identificaiton.

Many of those who marched are teenagers. Huelmely Jesus, of Green Bay, said she came to Milwaukee in part to pressure the U.S. Supreme Court to support President Barack Obama’s effort to delay deportations of undocumented parents of legal residents.

“Which would help 5 million people, not specifically all the community, but at least it would benefit the children and some families,” Jesus said.

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Enrique Abrajan-Gonzalessaid he came from Madison to encourage Wisconsin cities to issue a photo ID for immigrants and others.

“I feel like if us immigrants like my parents, my mom if they have that, more will come to us like jobs,” said Abrajan-Gonzales.

State officials recently blocked counties from issuing photo IDs and they’re trying to halt the president’s immigration plan.

Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold joined thousands at a May Day march in Milwaukee.

After walking the two-mile event, Feingold told a rally that he believes in immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented residents of the U.S.

Feingold said many Wisconsin businesses want the same thing.

“The dairy farmers want comprehensive immigration reform. The restaurant owners want comprehensive immigration reform. Even the timber industry way up in northern Wisconsin told me they wanted that.”

Feingold said his GOP opponent, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, uses a pledge to first strengthen the U.S. border with Mexico as an excuse not to do the real work of passing an immigration bill. Feingold also said he would work to pass the DREAM Act, which would help younger immigrants get residency status.

A spokesperson for the Johnson campaign didn’t reply to a request for comment.