Demonstrators Highlight Immigrant Worker Challenges at May Day Rally
On Boston Common, a gathering of immigrants and their supporters participated in a dynamic May Day demonstration, portraying the various forms of abuse and misconduct that immigrant workers frequently encounter from their employers. Participants created simulated scenarios that represented typical interactions with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), shedding light on the urgent issues affecting this community.
One poignant scene depicted a worker questioning unpaid wages and access to bathroom breaks while processing fish, only to be met with threats of termination or an ICE call from a supervisor. In another dramatic moment, three immigrant women were apprehended by masked immigration officers and placed into a cardboard vehicle emblazoned with “ICE, CIA, CBP.”
This year’s rally unfolded in front of a substantial crowd as part of the annual “Day Without Immigrants” protests. Many immigrant workers are feeling the impact of changing immigration policies, especially as the current administration escalates enforcement actions aimed at mass deportations.
Organized by the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network and its allies, the event featured personal testimonies from undocumented immigrants sharing their encounters with ICE. These stories added a human face to the statistics often overlooked in the ongoing immigration debate.
Alicia Lopez, director of the New Bedford group Mujeres Victoriosas, emphasized the need for lawmakers to hear the voices of undocumented immigrants. “It’s crucial that their demands are acknowledged,” she said, urging Massachusetts residents to recognize the contributions of immigrants to the state’s economy while highlighting their ongoing fears. “We want ICE out of our courts and schools and a clear pathway to U.S. citizenship.”
Among the speakers was Mara, a Brazilian immigrant from Lynn, who spoke of her harrowing experience after her husband was detained and deported last year. Choosing to protect her identity due to fear of repercussions, she recounted how she was seven months pregnant when her husband was arrested by ICE in September 2025. After exhausting her savings to hire legal counsel, he was deported in December, leaving her to give birth alone in January. “I fight for the right of everyone to go to work, school, the supermarket, or even church without the constant fear of arrest,” she stated through an interpreter.
The rally also served to promote an expanded version of the Protect ACT, a legislative proposal under consideration in Massachusetts. This bill aims to restrict cooperation between local and state governments and federal immigration authorities, with the Senate recently advancing its own version to a full chamber vote. The Massachusetts House has already endorsed its own variant.
Supporters at the demonstration argued that while the measure seeks to enhance protections regarding information sharing with immigration authorities, it falls short in addressing potential ICE arrests within state court systems. The rally concluded with a tribute to local immigrants who have faced detention and deportation, including Emmanuel Damas, a Haitian asylum seeker from Dorchester who tragically died in ICE custody following a severe untreated toothache that resulted in a fatal infection.
