May Day rally in Salem defends immigrant workers’ rights, opposes sanctuary city cuts

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – May Day rallies are popping up in cities across the Pacific Northwest, including Salem where there was a rally for immigrant worker rights. 

Droves of people made their voices heard Thursday afternoon to demand immigrant workers be treated with dignity and respect.

For the holiday, also known as International Workers Day, farmworker union groups and immigration advocates marched to defend workers’ rights and condemn efforts to take away Oregon’s sanctuary state status.

Protester Jeramy Bray attended the event “to challenge the Trump Administration, to challenge Elon Musk.”

And Arceli Cortes, an immigrant farmworker, said “I am here because I am worried for me, my family, for my community.”

Reyna Lopez, the executive director of the Oregon immigrant rights organization PCUN says community members voiced concerns over joining due to fears of ICE.

“Time and time again, the first question is, ‘Are we gonna be protected from ICE at these events?’ Of course we’re gonna do everything we can — security, trained human rights observers, and making sure people know it’s a peaceful demonstration — but it’s true we can’t guarantee that due to this situation,” Lopez said.

The protest comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday seeking to cut off federal funding to sanctuary cities and block benefits for undocumented immigrants.

The same day, PCUN and religious groups from Oregon, California and Florida sued the administration for trying to end protections preventing immigration detainment at “sensitive locations” like churches, courts, schools, and hospitals.