Last Wednesday, Denverites took to the steps of the State Capitol building to push back on recent federal immigration crackdowns. The rally was part of a larger national anti-Trump movement deemed “The 50 States Protest.” At the same time, ICE raids happening across the metro area were being documented on social media. But immigration has always been a part of Denver’s story — and back in 2006, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest proposed federal legislation known as H.R. 4437.
Ultimately, H.R. 4437, also known as the “Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005,” did not make it out of Congress. The bill had proposed to raise penalties for illegal immigration, make it a felony to be undocumented, and classify anyone who helped undocumented people come to or stay in the U.S. a felon as well. Throughout the early months of 2006, conversation around this proposed legislation motivated millions of people around the country to come out and protest in support of immigrants’ rights and rally around concerns of mass deportation.
The national protests swelled on May 1, 2006 — aka May Day or International Workers’ Day — in an action dubbed “A Day Without Immigrants” during which an estimated 75,000 people, mostly from Denver’s Latinx and Chicano communities, walked off jobs and left school in solidarity. Clad in white shirts in a display of peace, the protestors marched from Viking Park on the Northside to the Capitol to spread their message.
Special thanks to Denverite and The Denver Post for their additional reporting on this topic.
