Actor and activist Danny Glover was the keynote speaker at Saturday's immigrants' rights demonstration. Protesters marched down Washington Avenue to the Capitol.
The demonstrators previously assembled at Brittingham Park at 2:00 p.m. The procession moved about a mile to the state Capitol. Cross traffic on Washington Avenue was halted as the rally stretched several blocks at a time.
The rally took place to contend the value of Congress' Real ID Act and Wisconsin's cooperative, Act 126. On April 1, the Real ID Act will require states to demand driver's license applicants to provide proof of citizenship.
Glover spoke alongside public servants, union representatives and various activists.
""It was workers who came by boat, workers who came by foot, workers who came from all ways and all different places, from all ways and all different means, to come here and to build this country,"" he said.
Speakers at the rally included Bruce Raynor, the international president of Unite Here!, a national labor union with about 450,000 active members, state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., introduced the federal act as a rider to a military spending bill. The act was passed as an anti-terrorism measure, but critics say the law inconveniences illegal immigrant workers and makes it harder for them to obtain proper identification, rather than accomplishing its intended effect.
""This kind of law is trying to affect the people that don't have anything to do with terrorism,"" JosAc Marroquin, a participant at the event said.
As the march filled in the Capitol lawn, Marisa Gonzales of the United Workers Union led the echoing slogan, ""El pueblo, unido, jamA¡s serA¡ vencido.""
Translated, this Hispanic solidarity chant means: ""The community, united, will never be defeated.""
The Madison-based Union de Trabajadores Inmigrantes largely coordinated the event with the help of several union and activist groups.
Critics also argue that the Real ID Act is too expensive for taxpayers. Enacting the law will defer an additional $10 fee to the licensee, according to a statement by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
""When we say no to Real ID, when we say no to guest workers, we are honoring their memory,"" Glover said.
