DETROIT (WXYZ) — Protesters allegedly with the group Movimiento Cosecha attempted to block the entrance and exit to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in downtown Detroit on Wednesday evening.
The group is hoping to raise awareness about the family separation and deportation that immigrants in Detroit are facing, and protestors are calling on Democratic presidential candidates to commit to ending all deportations on the first day of office.
The protest happened just hours before the second Democratic Presidential Debate down Woodward Ave. at the historic Fox Theatre
“A vague commitment to support immigration reform is an empty promise that we cannot accept,” said Carlos Rojas, a Cosecha spokesperson. “The immigrant community has learned this lesson and we will not let candidates get away with another round of empty promises. We need to know that candidates are serious about solving the daily crisis undocumented workers and families have been facing for decades, and that means putting an immediate end to all detention and deportation on their first day in office.”
Movimiento Cosecha says they are a national movement to with hubs in Detroit and across the country.
Earlier this month, the group launched the Dignity2020 Campaign, which aims to get Democratic candidates to end deportation, reunify families separated and immediately legalize the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Earlier this month the Cosecha Movement launched the Dignity2020 Campaign [progressmichigan.actionkit.com], laying out an immigration platform for the Democratic Party and 2020 hopefuls that recognizes dignity for immigrant workers and families. The platforms calls for:
- An end to all detention and deportation on Day 1 in Office
- Reunification of families separated by deportation under previous administrations
- Immediate legalization of all 11 million undocumented immigrants
This action follows a wave of escalated actions demanding primary candidates adopt the demands of the Dignity Platform. In early July, immigrant families shut down Joe Biden’s headquarters in Philadelphia [progressmichigan.actionkit.com], demanding an apology for the families separated under the Obama administration, and for Biden to commit to the demands of the Dignity Platform. That same week, an immigrant rights activist whose brother was deported under the Obama administrationconfronted Biden in New Hampshire[progressmichigan.actionkit.com] asking him to apologize and commit to ending all detention and deportation. Since then, several candidates and groups have called onBiden to apologize for his record [progressmichigan.actionkit.com]. The Cosecha Movement will continue pressuring primary hopefuls to adopt the dignity platform as a new standard for any future leader of the party.
“In this moment of public reckoning, it’s time to put forward a new vision on immigration that recognizes the dignity of all immigrants,”said Cata Santiago a spokesperson for the Cosecha Movement.“We won’t sit back and allow the decades long bipartisan attack on immigrants to continue. We are charting a new path forward and demanding more from any politician who claims to support us.”
Movimiento Cosecha Media Contact: Vera Parra, veraeparra@gmail.com, 917-519-7656
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