Jan. 24 — Many thousands of people — maybe tens of thousands — marched in New York City on Jan. 23 as part of the national day of outrage against ICE. Low temperatures didn’t stop people from streaming into Manhattan’s Union Square in the late afternoon, largely organized by their unions, to stop the round-up of immigrants.
Dozens of unions brought members, including SEIU 32BJ building service and airport workers, as well as SEIU 1199 hospital workers. Transport Workers Union Local 100, whose members move millions of people in subways and buses every day, was there. So were construction workers, including the Laborers Union.
A contingent from the United Federation of Teachers marched together. So did members of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) who work in colleges. Many of their students come from immigrant families who are threatened by deportation.
Almost 60 years ago, then-UFT leader Albert Shanker led a racist strike against the Black and Latine communities who wanted a say-so in running their schools. Now, the union’s members are saying no to bigotry.
The mass action echoed the general strike in Minneapolis, which largely shut down the city, along with St. Paul and adjacent suburbs. At least 100,000 people came out to protest in freezing weather. Over 300 cities across the United States saw solidarity marches.
Yet much of the corporate media, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, is downplaying this upsurge, fueled by outrage over murders committed by ICE and the images of small children being seized by their agents.
Whatever their differences with the Trump regime, billionaires fear an upsurge of poor and working people. The Washington Post is owned by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos. Amazon Union members, who are being denied a union contract by Bezos, also came to Union Square.
People marched out of Union Square carrying their signs and banners and took over 14th Street. Thousands then marched uptown, ending up in Madison Square Park.
“The people united will never be defeated” was one of the chants that echoed in Manhattan’s canyons. After 50 years of reaction, millions of people are rejecting bigotry and will fight.
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