Thousands of Americans and immigrants are expected to turn out to protest the Trump administration’s attacks on the working class as part of a demonstrations and rallies unfolding in cities nationwide on Thursday, known as May Day.
Dozens of events are being held in the United States with countless more scheduled abroad as part of May Day, also called the International Workers’ Day. More than 250 local organizations have endorsed or helped to plan the events.
“Trump and his billionaire profiteers are trying to create a race to the bottom—on wages, on benefits, on dignity itself. This May Day we are fighting back,” the website of May Day Strong states on its homepage. “We are demanding a country that puts our families over their fortunes—public schools over private profits, healthcare over hedge funds, prosperity over free market politics.”
Protesters will take to the streets in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington to advocate for purged government workers, illegal immigrant workers being targeted for deportation, ending tariffs on imports, union rights, and more. Events will also include marches and rallies.
“On International Workers Day, thousands of immigrant essential workers, union members, families, and advocates will rally in the nation’s capital to demand safety on the job, legal protections, and an end to unjust deportations,” leaders of the Washington event at Franklin Park stated in a post. “This year’s May Day action underscores the essential role immigrant workers play in powering the economy and the devastating impact of immigration enforcement that rips families apart.”
Two other May Day-related protests will unfold in the nation’s capital, including one on the National Mall, where attendees will call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
In Philadelphia, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will speak at the Workers Over Billionaires rally, which is being put on by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations union.
Los Angeles residents will gather in the Financial District downtown for a march “to fight for workers’ and immigrant rights and fight fascism.”
May Day’s origins go back to 1886, when the American Federation of Labor planned a strike to demand an 8-hour workday. It has since continued every year on the first day of May.
Trump marked his 100th day in office Tuesday, and the White House has held special press briefings this week to tout the administration’s accomplishments in implementing his immigration and economic agenda.
Meanwhile, U.S. residents are beginning to sour on Trump’s immigration policies. His approval ratings on how he has handled immigration policy has shifted from majority approval to majority disapproval in recent weeks, according to a round-up of four major national polls.
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At a rally in Michigan on April 29, Trump touted the biggest accomplishments of his first 100 days in office, including some of the actions that have prompted Thursday’s protests.
“We’ve accomplished more in three months than most administrations accomplished in four years, or eight years,” Trump said.